Head of Data Migration and Governance

Glasgow Regional Centre - Atlantic Square

Manchester Regional Centre - Three New Bailey

Worthing - Teville Gate House

The Unity Programme is bringing together a shared service for HM Revenue and Customs, Department for Transport and Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government.

Unity Technical Services (UTS), sitting within HMRC CDIO, is responsible for delivering and operating the new technology for the multi-department Finance, HR and Procurement shared service capability.

The Head of Data Governance for Unity Technical Services provides senior leadership and strategic oversight of data governance, data ethics and data risk management across HMRC’s Unity landscape. Working closely with the Chief Data Officer and senior Unity and CDIO stakeholders, the role ensures that data is managed, governed and used responsibly to enable delivery while meeting legislative, regulatory and ethical obligations.

This role operates at enterprise scale, supporting complex programmes and services, and requires strong influence across HMRC and wider government. The postholder will act as a trusted senior advisor, embedding consistent data governance standards across Unity Technical Services and supporting the organisation’s ambition to be a data driven department.

Key Responsibilities

At this role level, you will:

• Provide strategic leadership and executive accountability for enterprise-wide data migration, setting the vision, scope, and governance required to deliver complex transformation programmes successfully.
• Oversee migration strategy, critical design decisions, data extraction and mapping, transformation rules, and validation to ensure robust, accurate, and business‑ready outcomes.
• Work in partnership with the Chief Data Officer to provide strategic oversight of data governance across Unity Technical Services and HMRC.
• Set, implement, and assure adherence to HMRC wide data governance policies, frameworks, and standards across the Unity portfolio.
• Be accountable for identifying, understanding, and managing data related risks and issues, working with Senior Responsible Owners, data owners, and technical leaders to resolve or formally accept risk.
• Act as a senior Unity and HMRC representative on data governance, ethics and data security best practice, aligned to enterprise data and technology architecture.
• Define and lead the data governance strategy for Unity Technical Services, ensuring alignment with HMRC and cross‑government data strategies.
• Oversee compliance with data protection, data ethics, and security requirements, embedding a strong data ethics culture across Unity programmes and services.
• Build and sustain effective relationships with senior stakeholders across CDIO, HMRC business areas and wider government.
• Champion improved data risk management, data management practices, and assurance across the full data lifecycle.
• Lead and report on data maturity assessments, providing clear assurance, risks and improvement plan to senior governance forums and boards.
• Promote and improve data literacy across UTS, influencing senior leaders to prioritise data‑driven decision making.
• Horizon scan emerging data governance, security, and ethical trends, introducing innovative and proportionate approaches that support delivery at pace.

Person specification

You will demonstrate expert level capability in the following areas:

Communicating Analysis and Insight

• Communicating complex data, risk, and governance issues clearly to senior audiences.
• Making credible, evidence‑based strategic and tactical recommendations to governance boards and senior leaders.

Communicating Between Technical and Non‑Technical

• Bridging the gap between technical specialists, delivery teams and non‑technical stakeholders.
• Managing and moderating difficult discussions on high‑risk and complex issues within constrained timescales.
• Representing Unity Technical Services and HMRC to internal and external audiences.

Data Ethics and Privacy

• Overseeing compliance with data protection and data ethics legislation and standards.
• Designing and maintaining effective ethical frameworks that support safe and responsible data use.
• Embedding ethical considerations into policy development, service design, and delivery.

Data Governance and Data Management

• Defining and implementing end‑to‑end data governance frameworks within large, complex organisations.
• Setting and assuring data standards, policies, and controls across the data lifecycle.
• Leading data management responsibilities, tooling, and capability development across teams.

Risk, Assurance and Data Maturity

• Acting as a senior escalation point for complex data and security risks.
• Applying enterprise‑level risk methodologies and providing assurance to senior risk owners.
• Leading data maturity assessments and communicating clear improvement plans to senior governance forums.

Strategic Thinking and Stakeholder Leadership

• Leading the design and delivery of strategy, ensuring alignment with organisational priorities.
• Influencing, negotiating, and building consensus with senior stakeholders across HMRC and government.
• Directing stakeholder relationship strategies and enabling teams to deliver outcomes.
• Extensive experience of designing, implementing, and assuring data governance frameworks within a government department or similarly complex organisation, including setting standards, monitoring compliance, and providing assurance to senior governance forums.
• Proven experience of providing senior oversight and advice on data security, data protection, and data offshoring requirements, including operating within UK Government policies, managing associated risks, and ensuring compliance across complex delivery landscapes.
• Expert knowledge of SAP ERP data migration at enterprise scale, including leadership‑level understanding of data migration tools, methodologies and controls, with specific experience of migrations supported by Syniti (or equivalent strategic data migration tooling), and the ability to provide assurance on approach, risk and quality rather than hands‑on delivery.
• Demonstrable experience of leading and influencing complex cross‑organisational networks of senior data owners, technical leads, and subject matter experts, resolving competing priorities and ensuring effective decision‑making, accountability and risk ownership across departmental boundaries.
• Experience in working in a large IT programme environment.

Further Location Information

Please ensure that you only apply for a location that you are willing and able to work from, as we will only make one offer of employment. Any additional notes included in a ‘Further Location Preferences (optional)’ field within the application form, will not be considered. Please be aware that you cannot change your location preference after submitting your application.