Role Purpose
This role is accountable for defining information and data governance policies, standards, and control expectations, as well as providing independent oversight, challenge, and monitoring of adherence across the organisation.
While first-line business areas retain accountability for executing data controls, the Head of Information and Data Governance will influence senior stakeholders to ensure these responsibilities are effectively discharged. The role will also lead a continuous improvement agenda to enhance the maturity of data governance practices across the business.
This is a senior leadership position requiring expertise in information and data governance and a proven track record of strengthening control environments within complex organisations. Experience working with material outsourcers and an understanding of emerging risks, including those associated with AI, are highly desirable. A strong background in financial services and familiarity with platform-based business models, alongside knowledge of key regulatory bodies such as the ICO, FCA, and PRA, is essential.
A key aspect of the role is the ability to translate complex information and data governance concepts into clear, business-relevant insights, enabling effective decision-making at Executive Committee and Board level. Strong stakeholder engagement skills are critical to building confidence across the organisation, from the C-suite to delivery partners, and ensuring governance remains aligned to the needs of a growing business.
The role holder will oversee the effective operation of the data governance function within a regulated environment, including managing team performance, capacity, budgets, and associated risks and controls.
This role focuses on governance and oversight rather than operational data management and does not act as the Data Protection Officer. However, it works closely with operational teams, Information Security, and related functions to strengthen the overall control environment. Responsibilities include business partnering, review and approval of impact assessments, and supporting change and transition initiatives.
As an experienced people leader, the role holder will build and develop a high-performing, engaged team to support the organisation’s strategic objectives.
About Nucleus and the Function
Nucleus is one of the UK’s leading independent financial planning and retirement-focused platforms operating from offices in London, Bristol, Ipswich, Salisbury, Edinburgh and Glasgow. The business administers over £100bn of customer assets across Self-Invested Personal Pensions, Individual Savings Accounts, general investment accounts and other products for over 5,000 financial advisers and more than 250,000 underlying clients.
By harnessing Nucleus Wrap, James Hay, Curtis Banks, Talbot and Muir, Dunstan Thomas and Third Financial, we’re building the best retirement focused adviser platforms group in the UK. We’re now bringing all these businesses together to harness the strengths of each and build the best retirement-focused adviser platform for larger adviser firms in the UK.
Nucleus has ~1,200 employees and uses FNZ and Bravura as material outsourcers; consequently, the business has a range of both in-house and outsourced services and operations that this role will have oversight responsibility for.
Nucleus’s vision is to become the ‘best loved platform for advisors’ and the Architecture, Governance and Oversight function sits within Group Technology and plays a crucial role in helping us navigate a major transformation programme and a series of transitional states to achieve this; whilst in parallel ensuring that we continue to support the near-term business strategy within the constraints of our existing solutions and capabilities.
The Architecture, Governance and Oversight function are responsible for:
- architecting scalable and innovative solutions, that support both the growth and efficiency of our business
- setting standards and policy to protect our business and ensure regulatory compliance
- ensuring Information & Cyber Security controls, both internally and across our suppliers, are sufficient and effective
- defining Data Governance standards and maintaining oversight across the business and our material suppliers
- defining expected standards for, and testing, our Operational Resilience
- informing material decisions and ensuring good governance and oversight both internally and across our suppliers
- providing appropriate insight and reporting to the Leadership team and stakeholders including Board
- supporting the CTO define and track progress against our strategy
- continuously reviewing our risk profile and effectiveness of mitigating controls
- working with our Finance business partner to ensure good control over expenditure, budget setting and driving efficiencies in our cost base.
Responsibilities
The key responsibilities for the role include:
Define and Lead Information and Data Governance Strategy
- Own and evolve the Group Information and Data Governance strategy, aligned to business priorities and transformation objectives
- Define the target operating model for information and data governance, including roles, accountabilities and federated ownership across the Group
- Establish policies, standards and principles covering data quality, ownership, lineage, metadata, retention and ethical use
- Ensure governance aligns with regulatory expectations while remaining commercially pragmatic and scalable
- Act as a thought leader on emerging data trends (AI, data products, cloud ecosystems) and their governance implications
- Work collaboratively with other members of our Technology leadership team to inform and deliver on our broader Data Strategy
Drive Adoption Through Influence and Engagement
- Build strong relationships with ExCo, SLT and senior business leaders to embed information and data governance as a business priority
- Influence business areas to take ownership of data controls and outcomes, rather than centralising delivery
- Develop and lead a data governance community / network (e.g. data owners and stewards)
- Champion a data-led culture, promoting accountability, literacy and value realisation
- Act as a trusted advisor on data governance implications of transformation, M&A and strategic initiatives
Senior Leadership and Executive Engagement
- Lead the creation of clear, concise and insight-driven reporting for Executive Committee and Board
- Translate technical and regulatory topics into business risk, customer impact and commercial outcomes
- Provide forward-looking insight on risks, maturity and investment priorities
- Ensure consistent and compelling communication of information and data governance progress, gaps and value delivered
Governance Framework and Oversight
- Define, own and maintain the Group Data Governance Control Framework, including mandatory controls, control objectives, and assurance requirements aligned to UK GDPR, FCA and PRA expectations
- Define information and data governance policies and standards that support lawful, fair, transparent, and accountable processing across all Group entities
- Develop and track KPIs / KRIs for data quality, control effectiveness and adoption
- Oversee data governance maturity assessments and prioritise improvement initiatives
- Provide independent challenge to business areas on data-related risks and control weaknesses
- Ensure data governance is effective across key suppliers and outsourced providers
Enable Business Change and Transformation
- Embed data governance into change lifecycle (design, delivery, and transition)
- Ensure new initiatives align with data standards, ownership models and control expectations
- Provide guidance on data governance standards and expectations for our Platform Transformation programme
- Support the organisation in balancing speed of change with governance discipline
Build Capability & Ways of Working
- Lead and develop a high-performing data governance team
- Develop team capability and succession through coaching and mentoring
- Define required capability uplift across the business (data owners, stewards, SMEs)
- Introduce practical tooling, frameworks and playbooks to enable adoption
- Promote continuous improvement and measurable uplift in data maturity
As part of working within Nucleus you will.
- Take responsibility in everything you do to deliver good outcomes for our customers.
- Positively demonstrate the Nucleus Smart, Heart and Courage values and behaviours.
- Ensure compliance with FCA Code of Conduct at all times.
Key Competencies (Knowledge, Skills and Behaviours)
Knowledge and Experience:
- Strong experience defining and implementing information and data governance strategies
- Proven track record of operating within a regulated environment, preferably financial services.
- Understanding of data operating models, data ownership frameworks and governance tooling
- Experience supporting enterprise-wide transformation and large-scale change programmes
- Sound understanding of technology and data processing within platform‑based financial services.
- Knowledge of third‑party data protection contractual requirements
Skills and Behaviours:
- Strong leadership and people management capability
- Exceptional stakeholder management and influencing at leadership level
- Ability to simplify complex concepts into clear, compelling messages
- Strategic thinker with strong commercial and pragmatic judgement
- Confident in challenging senior stakeholders constructively
- High levels of credibility, resilience and personal impact
- Collaborative team player who role‑models organisational values
- Strong commitment to continuous learning and improvement
- Competent user of MS Excel, Word, PowerPoint, and Teams.
Desirable:
- Knowledge of platform propositions, including WRAP Platforms and SIPPs.
- Professional certifications such as CIPP/E, CIPM, or equivalent.
- Degree or relevant professional qualification.
A little about us
We are the Nucleus Group Services Limited and we help make retirement more rewarding. Here at Nucleus, people come first - whether it’s our colleagues, or the advisers and customers we support, we know that working in partnership and collaboration leads to the best outcomes. Together, we’ve shaped the platform to how it is today. We work hard, and we celebrate hard too.
Our ambition is to create a platform with a difference, putting the customer centre stage meant tearing up the rule book and starting from scratch. We’ve come a long way since then, but our mission remains just as focused. That’s why our culture, values, and social responsibility are things we keep at the top of our agenda – because we know they matter and have a big impact.
Our culture is one of the many things that sets us apart from the pack. We want to have an environment where our people feel that they can make a real difference, know they’ll be rewarded for their efforts and more importantly, enjoy themselves at work.
Are we a perfect match?
Inclusion and diversity at Nucleus
As with most things in life, who cares, wins. We really care about inclusion.
For us it’s not a tick box exercise; inclusion and diversity are embedded in our culture and everything we do. It’s a commercial imperative. It isn’t about being PC. It’s about being future-relevant and durable. We owe it to ourselves and the industry to ensure we are playing our part in creating a fair, balanced and transparent financial services sector.
More diversity means broader experience, a wider set of perspectives and a better collective ability to problem-solve. And it means being more representative of customer groups, which supports areas such as product development.
