Data Governance Lead

Location: Hybrid (London or Remote, UK-based preferred)

Team: Data & Scientific Computing

Type: Full-time, Individual Contributor

The Opportunity

We’re looking for a Data Governance Lead to scale our internal data governance practice. You will work cross-functionally with data scientists, ML engineers, software developers, and wet lab scientists to ensure our datasets are FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable), compliant, and scientifically valuable.

This is a hands-on, individual contributor role — ideal for someone who thrives on structure, clarity, and pragmatic problem-solving, and is excited by the challenge of building scalable governance foundations in a fast-moving R&D environment.

What You'll Do

• Design and implement standards for metadata, documentation, structure, format, and data ownership, ensuring alignment with FAIR principles
• Coordinate data stewardship efforts across scientific and technical teams (e.g., Data Science, Machine Learning, Wet Lab, Discovery)
• Lead the development and adoption of the internal data catalogue, enabling discoverability and traceability of datasets
• Support no-code exploration tools to empower scientists and lab users with intuitive data access
• Build robust documentation and governance workflows for versioning, data lineage, access, and retention
• Translate regulatory and licensing requirements into actionable workflows and policies
• Promote best practices for data compliance, quality, and reusability across teams

What You'll Bring

• 5+ years’ experience in scientific data management, data governance, bioinformatics, or data engineering
• Deep familiarity with FAIR principles, metadata standards, and data catalogue tools
• Proven ability to work cross-functionally with technical, scientific, and operational teams
• Hands-on experience with modern data workflows (e.g., Python, data lakes, notebooks, versioning)
• Understanding of scientific data lifecycles — from generation and ingestion to curation and archiving
• Comfortable operating as an individual contributor, with strong ownership and autonomy

Bonus Points

• Experience implementing no-code/low-code solutions for scientific users
• Familiarity with compliance frameworks (e.g., data licensing, GDPR, IP/data rights in scientific settings)
• Exposure to knowledge management systems and internal data enablement initiatives

Who You Are

• Thoughtful communicator and effective collaborator across disciplines
• Structured, pragmatic, and hands-on — with a natural drive to bring clarity to complex systems
• Comfortable in ambiguous or evolving environments
• User-focused, feedback-driven, and motivated to make data truly usable and impactful