Data Governance & Information Architecture Manager

About Us :

For more than 25 years, ITS Group has been a French ESN specializing in digital transformation, employing around 1,400 employees across 8 agencies in France and 1 in Belgium.

Our expertise: IT infrastructure & operations, cloud & managed services, mobility, workstations & networks, strategy, consulting & AMO, cybersecurity, development of business applications.

ITS Group places its CSR commitment at the heart of its concerns by developing sustainable and responsible digital technology and by promoting the professional and personal development of its employees.

Find out more:

About the Job :

The company is looking for a senior Data Governance & Information Architecture Manager to lead and structure enterprise-wide data governance practices and information architecture initiatives in a complex and regulated environment.

The role combines strategic leadership, governance framework implementation, enterprise information modeling, stakeholder coordination, and data architecture oversight. The selected candidate will act as a key partner to the Head of Data and ensure alignment between governance, architecture, business, legal, security, and operational teams.

The position requires strong experience in:

• Data Governance
• Enterprise Information Architecture
• Data Quality & Metadata Management
• Regulatory Compliance (GDPR / security)
• Enterprise Data Modeling
• Cross-functional governance
• Data exchange frameworks
• Stakeholder management within large organizations

The role also involves supporting discussions related to data exchanges, ownership, access rights, retention policies, and governance principles with internal and external stakeholders.

Your missions:

• Define and drive the enterprise Data Governance and Information Architecture strategy.
• Establish governance frameworks, standards, policies, and operating models.
• Design and maintain enterprise-wide information architecture and conceptual data models.
• Ensure alignment between governance, enterprise architecture, security, legal, and operational requirements.
• Support strategic data initiatives and transformation programs.
• Promote data quality, data stewardship, metadata management, and data accountability across the organization.
• Coordinate governance discussions involving business entities, operational teams, external partners, and governance stakeholders.
• Support and guide data exchange initiatives while ensuring compliance with governance, privacy, and security standards.
• Act as a trusted advisor to leadership on governance, information architecture, and data management topics.

Your activities:

Strategic Leadership

• Define the vision, roadmap, objectives, and KPIs for Data Governance and Information Architecture.
• Align governance and architecture initiatives with business strategy and regulatory requirements.
• Support strategic transformation initiatives and enterprise data programs.

Governance Framework Implementation

• Develop, document, and enforce governance policies, standards, procedures, and controls.
• Define governance roles and responsibilities including stewardship and accountability models.
• Ensure compliance with GDPR and data protection regulations.

Enterprise Information Architecture

• Design conceptual and logical data models.
• Define mappings and relationships for key business entities and domains.
• Build and maintain unified enterprise information models.
• Define information flows and integration principles between applications and domains.
• Support project teams with data architecture and governance requirements.

Data Quality Management

• Define data quality standards, controls, KPIs, and monitoring mechanisms.
• Coordinate remediation initiatives with data owners and stewards.
• Drive continuous improvement of data reliability and consistency.

Metadata & Documentation Management

• Implement metadata management processes.
• Maintain data lineage, definitions, glossaries, and data dictionaries.
• Promote cataloging standards and metadata best practices.

Risk & Value Management

• Assess risks and business value related to information usage.
• Provide recommendations regarding data access, retention, ownership, and security.
• Support value creation through data exploitation and ecosystem integration.

Stakeholder & Governance Coordination

• Collaborate with Legal, Security, Privacy, IT, Enterprise Architecture, operational managers, and business stakeholders.
• Support governance discussions related to data exchanges, ownership, access, and compliance.
• Facilitate governance committees and cross-functional workshops.
• Promote a data-driven culture across the organization.

Team Leadership

• Lead and develop governance and information architecture capabilities.
• Support and mentor data stewards and governance contributors.
• Foster collaboration between business, IT, architecture, and governance teams.
• Promote agile and adaptive governance practices.

Key skills:

Functional Expertise

• Strong expertise in Data Governance frameworks and best practices.
• Advanced knowledge of Enterprise Information Architecture and Data Modeling.
• Strong understanding of metadata management, taxonomies, ontologies, and information structures.
• Experience with Master Data Management (MDM) and Business Intelligence environments.
• Good understanding of distributed/cloud/hybrid data ecosystems.
• Strong understanding of GDPR, data privacy, and security principles.

Technical & Architectural Skills

• Enterprise data modeling
• Information architecture
• Data governance frameworks
• Metadata management
• Data quality management
• Data lineage and cataloging
• Enterprise integration and information flows
• Governance operating models
• Cloud and hybrid data environments

Soft Skills

• Excellent stakeholder management and communication skills.
• Strong strategic thinking and problem-solving capabilities.
• Ability to bridge business and technical stakeholders.
• Leadership and governance facilitation capabilities.
• Strong coordination and cross-functional collaboration mindset.
• Ability to articulate governance and architecture value to executive and operational audiences.

Required Experience

• Minimum 8 years of experience in:
• Data Governance
• Information Architecture
• Enterprise Data Management
• Related strategic data functions
• Experience within large and complex organizations.
• Experience in regulated environments.
• Previous team leadership or coordination experience.
• Experience interacting with multiple business and operational stakeholders.

Education & Certifications

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in:
• Information Management
• Computer Science
• Business Administration
• or related field
• Relevant certifications are appreciated:
• TOGAF
• CDMP
• DM-BOK
• Enterprise Architecture certifications

Languages

• Fluent English required.
• French or Dutch required.