Data Governance Lead

The Role: Data Governance Lead

We are seeking a Data Governance Lead to lead the implementation, operation, and continuous improvement of Tamara’s data governance framework. This full-time position, based in Riyadh, is essential for ensuring that data is managed as a trusted, secure, well-controlled, and valuable organizational asset. The role involves close collaboration with business, data, engineering, security, privacy, compliance, risk, and product teams.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the development, implementation, and continuous improvement of Tamara’s data governance policies, standards, procedures, and operating models.
• Establish and maintain data ownership, stewardship, and accountability models across business and technology functions.
• Define, monitor, and report on data governance KPIs, KRIs, maturity indicators, and management updates.
• Identify opportunities to improve data governance maturity, operational efficiency, reporting quality, and control effectiveness.
• Drive the execution of data governance practices, including data classification, lifecycle management, retention, metadata management, and business glossaries.
• Oversee data quality monitoring, including identifying, prioritizing, and remediating issues related to accuracy, completeness, consistency, and integrity.
• Maintain and enhance governance documentation, including data inventories, ownership registers, data lineage, and governance dashboards.
• Provide governance input and challenge for projects involving data usage, sharing, new platforms, analytics, and integrations.
• Support compliance with regulatory and industry requirements (SAMA, PDPL, PCI-DSS, and other financial services obligations).
• Lead data governance assessments and control reviews to evaluate adherence to internal policies and regulatory standards.
• Identify data-related risks and control gaps, working with stakeholders to define and track remediation plans to closure.
• Lead the preparation of data governance evidence and documentation for internal audits, external audits, and regulatory inspections.
• Partner with cross-functional teams (engineering, security, privacy, compliance, risk, product) to embed governance requirements into new systems and technology changes.
• Drive stakeholder engagement to improve data governance awareness, accountability, and adoption across the organization.
• Provide ongoing guidance and support to data owners, data stewards, and technical teams on governance best practices.

Qualifications and Experience

Candidates should possess 5-10 years of relevant experience in data governance or a related field. This role requires a professional with a proven track record in implementing and managing data governance frameworks within complex organizational structures.

Impact and Collaboration

This role plays a pivotal part in maturing Tamara’s data governance capabilities across critical areas such as data ownership, classification, quality, lifecycle management, metadata, reporting, and governance assurance. You will be instrumental in establishing clear data ownership, strengthening data quality, maintaining data governance standards, and embedding governance requirements into both business and technology processes, thereby supporting regulatory and audit readiness.

Work Environment

This is a full-time position based at Tamara's headquarters in Riyadh. The role involves close collaboration with diverse teams across the organization, contributing to a dynamic and evolving fintech environment.