Lead Data Steward - NESO

About the role

The National Energy System Operator (NESO) is an independent body responsible for planning Great Britain’s electricity and gas networks and operating the electricity system, but that is not all we do. As the UK moves towards its 2050 net zero target, NESO has a vital part to play. We want to operate a zero‑carbon electricity system some of the time by 2025 and run on clean green electricity all of the time by 2030.

It is an ambitious goal and it’s not too far away…

Data is key to achieving this and as a Lead Data Steward you will drive forward our Data Vision to become a Digital Leader to utilise the power of data and innovation, providing internal and external stakeholders with trusted data, centrally held, easy to understand and integrated with our data products and services. Trusted data allows our business and the industry the means to innovate and exploit this data to create new tools and insight that will enable decarbonisation.

Your passion for educating others on data management practices together with an enthusiasm for driving improvement of our data quality and processes will help create the foundations needed to achieve our ambitious goals, ensuring we keep the lights on for Great Britain’s electricity consumers and forge the path to a sustainable future for everyone.

This role is based in Warwick or Wokingham. We offer hybrid flexible working between the office and home. Candidates are expected to work a minimum of two days a week in the office, and must be willing to travel between our office locations in Great Britain from time to time.

If this role excites you and you do not have all the knowledge or skillsets, please still apply, additional support and/or training will be considered for the right applicant.

• Proactively engage with data owners to be their data partner to ensure compliance around data management, governance, cataloguing, monitoring, sharing, and improving the quality of their data.
• Proactively engage with projects and stakeholders in directorates to understand their key business processes and the flow of data, to identify critical data and how it is used in NESO, as well as provide advice about data best practices in projects and processes.
• Working together in a central team, act as a key contact to provide advice, guidance and training to the business on all our data management policies, controls, and tooling.
• Manage and understand the data within a directorate working across business teams to drive data governance practices throughout the end‑to‑end data journey, identifying continuous improvement activities and monitoring progress.
• Provide ongoing input into the development of data governance practices and tooling to ensure they are fit for purpose for the business to operate. Work with the policy makers, IT, and delivery teams to deliver the solution.
• Develop and undertake the working practices and procedures to proactively manage Data Governance workflows that involve a centralised assessment or triage.
• Assist on the capture, curation, and consumption of metadata for data assets within NESO.
• Assist with data troubleshooting and signposting within the data governance and quality space.
• Represent Data, Digital & Technology (DD&T) directorate at internal and external events to confidently build and manage network of stakeholders.
• Proactively build and manage a network of stakeholders within the organisation.
• Organise and lead sessions with stakeholders to identify and mitigate data risks and upcoming challenges.

We’re forging the path, and we know we can’t do it alone. That’s why we need visionary minds like yours to join us on this transformative journey. In this case, we’re looking for someone who:

• Is passionate about data and providing a solution‑based customer service.
• Can communicate well with excellent interpersonal skills.
• Has experience in senior stakeholder management, demonstrating authority and adaptability.
• Has knowledge of data governance practices and its importance in energy industry.
• Demonstrates solid experience of driving outcomes working with cross‑functional teams and various stakeholders, including data…