Data Governance Manager

Job summary

We’re looking for an exceptional Data Governance Manager to help us make a difference to our planet.

As our Data Governance Manager, the job may be suitable for hybrid working, which is where an employee works part of the week in the office and part of the week from home. This is a voluntary, non-contractual arrangement and the location advertised will be your contractual place of work.

Our opportunity is full time, 37 hours per week. Our people are at the heart of what we do and we'll do our best to agree a working pattern that works for everyone.

World changing work

From science to technology, from meteorology to management, and from planning to communication, our expertise helps us stand out as the authority on weather accuracy and climate prediction. We help individuals, industries and government to make better decisions to stay safe and thrive. This is the Met Office. This is who we are.

• We’re a force for good - focusing on our environmental and social impact
• We’re experts by nature - always learning and developing to do things better
• We live and breathe it - putting our purpose at the heart of decision-making
• We’re better together - understanding partnerships and inclusivity make us greater
• We keep evolving - pushing boundaries to make tomorrow better for our customers

Your world of expertise:

The primary purpose is to use our Data Governance Framework to implement and manage a structured approach to the governance of environmental data assets. This will include data ingestion, data creation and processing through to data service access and provision to our external users balancing compliance to policies and standards with opportunities to support strategic objectives and corporate decision making.

Job description

• Working closely with the Lead Data Governance Manager, you will manage the Data Governance Framework and associated principles, polices and guidance, responding to business challenges, identifying opportunities and making recommendations for improvements in compliance with HMG and other policies and best practice.
• Develop and manage measures to monitor and raise maturity in organisational data governance practices, identify gaps and propose improvement plans to support staff, embed sustainable ways of working and address business needs.
• Champion an inclusive and accountable approach to data governance, developing work packages to build a culture of openness and transparency in colleagues and teams across the Met Office, so that insights, intelligence, experience and lessons learned inform decisions, direct work priorities and enable staff to collaborate on governance issues.
• Conduct regular data governance assurance reviews to validate compliance with policies, assess data quality, monitor adherence to standards, and identify risks or gaps, ensuring continuous improvement and regulatory alignment where required.
• Provide clear and timely advice to key stakeholders to identify risks, issues and even opportunities associated with data governance and compliance, sharing knowledge, escalating issues and making recommendations and promoting good practice through a wide range of engagement activities resulting in an improved data fluency and a consistent enterprise-wide approach to data governance and data management to optimise the value of our environmental data and support organisational need.

Person specification

1. Data Governance Expertise - Demonstrates up-to-date knowledge of data governance theory, standard methodologies, and practical considerations, with the ability to work effectively with technical teams and stakeholders to implement governance frameworks and ensure compliance.
2. Analytical & Assurance Skills - Strong analytical and problem-solving capability to identify gaps, assess risks, and propose improvement plans, combined with the ability to conduct assurance reviews, validate adherence to policies and standards, and assess data quality for continuous improvement.
3. Stakeholder Engagement & Technical Collaboration - Excellent stakeholder engagement and communication skills, capable of influencing, advising, and promoting data literacy and best practices across diverse teams, with a strong technical understanding and ability to review and discuss topics with both technical and non-technical stakeholders.
4. Compliance & Risk Management - Skilled in embedding compliance across data lifecycle processes, defining and monitoring assurance metrics, and ensuring alignment with regulatory requirements, organisational standards, and security controls.

Desirable Criteria:

We encourage you to apply if you believe you meet our essential criteria, but we’re also keen to discover if you have:

1. Experience working with environmental data and geospatial data
2. DAMA-DMBOK qualified
3. Experience with supporting a Data Strategy and implementing the necessary governance required for effective design and delivery of products and services with a focus on AI

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £43,081, Met Office contributes £12,480 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

Our work is life-changing, often life-saving and always life-enhancing. The Met Office is Great Place to Work UK certified. We are also featured on their ‘Best Workplaces in Tech’ 2023, 2024 and 2025 lists, as well as their ’54 Best Workplaces for Women’ 2023 list.

As our Job Title, your total reward package will be up to £60,268 annually, which includes:

• £43,081 base pay
• An outstanding Civil Service pension, with an average employer contribution of 28.97%
• Annual Leave starting at 27.5 days (plus Bank Holidays) rising to 32.5 days (plus Bank Holidays) after 5 years and option to buy or sell up to 5 days per year of annual leave

Things you need to know

Artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance (opens in a new window) for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

Selection process details

If you share our values, we’d love to hear from you! Click apply to begin your application. Please complete your career history and provide evidence against each of the essential criteria in the supporting statement questionnaire. We recommend candidates use the CARL method (Context, Action, Result and Learning) for presenting evidence of experience and skills.

Closing date 19/01/2026 at 23:59 with first stage interviews commencing from 02/02/2026. You will hear from us once the closing date has passed.

Using AI in your application

We welcome applications that use AI tools for support in drafting or refining, as long as they accurately reflect your own skills and experience. All hiring decisions at the Met Office are made by people, not AI. For more details, visit our approach to recruitment.

How we can help

If you have any questions or would like to discuss this opportunity further, please contact us at careers@metoffice.gov.uk.

If you’re considering applying and need support to do so, please get in touch. You can request adjustments either within your application or by contacting us. Should you be offered an interview, please be aware there may be a selection exercise which could include a presentation, written test or a scenario-based activity. You can select in your application to be considered under the Disability Confident Scheme. To be invited to interview/assessment under this scheme, your application must meet the essential criteria for the role.

We understand that great minds don’t always think alike and as an equal opportunities employer we welcome applications from those with all protected characteristics. We recruit on merit, fairness, and open competition in line with the Civil Service Code.

We can only accept applications from those eligible to live and work in the UK - please refer to GOV.UK for information. We require Security clearance, for which you need to have resided in the UK for at least 3 of the last 5 years to be eligible, 2 of these years must be immediately preceding the point of your application. You will need to achieve full security clearance within your first 6 months with us.

If you feel that your application has not been treated in accordance with the Recruitment Principles, and wish to make a complaint, then in the first instance you should contact us at: careers@metoffice.gov.uk If you are not satisfied with the response that you receive, then you can contact the Civil Service Commission at: info@csc.gov.uk

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is security check (opens in a new window).

See our vetting charter (opens in a new window).People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Medical

Successful candidates will be expected to have a medical.

Nationality requirements

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window).The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.

Diversity and Inclusion

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see theCivil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window).

Apply and further information

The Civil Service welcomes applications from people who have recently left prison or have an unspent conviction. Read more about prison leaver recruitment (opens in new window).Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Contact point for applicants

Job contact :

• Name : Resourcing team
• Email : careers@metoffice.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : careers@metoffice.gov.uk

Further information

careers@metoffice.gov.uk
https://careers.metoffice.gov.uk/key-roles-met-office/technology