Office for National Statistics
Associate Data Governance Manager

How your CV stacks up
Upload your CV to see how well it fits this job role
?%
The locations for this role are Newport and Titchfield (Fareham).
This role is aligned to ONS hybrid working principles, which are based on attending the office with purpose. The post holder will be expected to contribute to the organisation’s overall 40% office attendance, in line with business and role requirements.
The induction process for the role will be conducted in person.
Job Summary
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) is the UK’s largest producer of official statistics, covering a range of key economic, social and demographic topics. These include measuring changes in the value of the UK economy, estimating the size, geographic distribution and characteristics of the population, and providing indicators of price inflation, employment, earnings, crime and migration.
Data Products, Services and Governance (DPSG), which sits centrally within ONS, provides a cross-ONS capability for data, including data access and preparation, and the provision of data and linked data products. DPSG develops and manages the systems and processes that underpin the distribution of data across ONS and beyond. DPSG provides data to ONS, academia, wider government, and other external users in a safe and controlled way, supporting and encouraging users to maximise data utility, enabling innovation and statistical and research use.
We are seeking a motivated Associate Data Governance Manager to join our Data Products, Services and Governance Directorate. These roles span a range of business areas across the Office for National Statistics, reflecting the critical importance of data governance in how data is collected, managed and used. You’ll be at the heart of the data life cycle, helping to ensure our data delivers value safely and effectively.
Job Description
The Associate Data Governance Manager role can cover multiple areas within the Office for National Statistics which reflects the critical role Data Governance plays and the life cycle of data moving through the office.
In this role you will be working as part of the Data Governance Office Team to support the Chief Data Officer (CDO) and Deputy CDO to ensure good governance of all data within the ONS. This team engages across ONS with subject matter experts in a range of data management areas, tapping into their expertise to develop strategy and identify, collate and catalogue, policies, standards, guidance, and metadata. This team works with staff holding data governance roles & responsibilities to ensure that the strategy, policies, and standards are known, adopted, embedded and adhered to and supports the tracking and reporting of key performance indicators to demonstrate the effectiveness of this work.
All Data Governance roles within ONS apply relevant data and ethical frameworks and standards to their work and understand data governance good practice. Specifically, providing advice to users on the technical, ethical, data protection and security, and legal aspects (e.g. GDPR) of using data, and the benefits of using it.
You will be able to grasp statistical, economic, and social concepts quickly, identifying common needs for data and communicating appropriately and clearly between technical and non-technical audiences.
You will understand data and how they can be prepared for, and used in, statistics and research and how they can benefit policy and decision making, as well as understanding the economy and society better. You will need to build and demonstrate a good understanding of data and how it is used in the production of official statistics and research.
Responsibilities
- Support the process of capturing stakeholder needs, assessing, defining and justifying those needs to arrive at a definitive set of user requirements that are reflected in the required documentation.
- Support the stakeholder engagement activity of your team.
- Support the Secretariat function of the DG Office, providing updates and reporting to the Data Governance Council, data owners and the communities of practice.
- Support the preparation of documentation for data sharing and/or governance, for example memorandums of understanding, business cases and policy documents, and play an instrumental role in standardising this documentation.
- Develop a good understanding of data sharing legislation, data governance and data management and be able to apply this to your day-to-day work.
- Develop and continuously improve your understanding of the technical aspects of data management such as quality management, metadata and data standards.
- Have a broad understanding of both data and data governance and be able to explain this to a non-technical audience.
- Identify, understand and communicate factors that influence and shape data and present in a way appropriate to the audience.
- Maximise the use of administrative and survey data for statistics through your understanding of the value of these data, including what is already available to use in ONS and what the wider landscape of data can provide.
- Develop and maintain project plans, incorporating requirements, deliverables and risks that are associated with the project.
- Proactively identify your own development needs, ensuring that you deliver your responsibilities to the highest possible standard.
- Contribute to activity that benefits the strategic aims of the division or directorate, ensuring it is the best possible place to work.
Reasons to use Rodeo
I’m in my final year doing Economics and I don’t know whether to apply for grad schemes now or do a masters first. What do you think?
Honest answer — it depends on where you want to end up. A lot of top grad schemes (Big 4, civil service, banking) don’t need a masters. Let’s look at the ones you’d be competitive for now, and we can decide if a masters actually adds anything.
Also worth knowing: most autumn 2026 applications are open now. Timing matters more than you think.
Start with a chat, not a search bar
Grad scheme, placement, apprenticeship? Not sure what you want yet — that's fine. Your agent talks it through with you and turns "I have no idea" into a shortlist.
Graduate Consultant — 2026 Scheme
Why you're a good match
StrongYour economics background and your summer at a regional bank line up with what PwC looks for on the consulting scheme. Applications close in four weeks.
See breakdownIt searches the market for you
Every day your agent scans the market matching roles against what actually matters to you, not just keywords on a CV.
Why you're a good match
You’ve got the grades and the economics background, and your bank internship is exactly the experience this scheme looks for. Apply soon — deadlines close within the month.
Experience fit
Your summer at the bank plus your econometrics coursework map directly to the day-one responsibilities on this scheme — client modelling, market briefings, and deal support.
Only hits
No noise. No "maybe this fits." Just roles with a clear explanation of why they're right — and where to focus when applying.
Person Specification
Essential Criteria:
Stakeholder relationship management (Awareness) - Describe who your stakeholders are and the importance of managing relationships with them. Explain what your stakeholders find important and why.
Data management (Working) - Follow organisational data governance, including policies on data access, sharing, dissemination and protection. Participate in or deliver data management across services or products. Use appropriate data management tools, procedures and methods with some support
Communicating between the technical and the non-technical (Working) - Communicate effectively with technical and non-technical stakeholders. Support and host discussions within a multidisciplinary team, with potentially difficult dynamics. Be an advocate for the team externally. Manage differing stakeholder perspectives
Data Life Cycle (Working) - Understand and apply data governance over a data life cycle, ensuring best practice at each phase.
Data Governance (Working) - Demonstrate up-to-date knowledge of data governance theory, standard methodology and the practical considerations. Develop an end-to-end data governance framework (the processes, operational policies and standards needed to support data management). Work effectively with technical teams and other stakeholders to implement a data governance framework, and make recommendations to ensure compliance.
Behaviours
We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
- Delivering at Pace
- Managing a Quality Service
- Communicating and Influencing
- Working Together
Alongside your salary of £34,587, Office for National Statistics contributes £10,019 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides (opens in a new window).
The Office for National Statistics is part of the Civil Service, and as such we share a number of key benefits with other departments, whilst also having our own unique offerings to support our valued colleagues across the organisation.


Get help with your application
Your very own career expert that helps elevate your application to the next level.
Whether you are hearing about us for the first time or already know a bit about our organisation, we hope that our careers site will give you a great insight into the benefits and facilities available to our colleagues, and our fantastic working culture.
Inclusion & Accessibility
At ONS we are always looking to attract the very best people from the widest possible talent pool, and we are proud to be an inclusive, equal opportunities employer. As a Disability Confident Leader we’re committed to ensuring that all candidates are treated fairly throughout the recruitment process.
As part of our application process, you will be prompted to provide details of any reasonable adjustments to our recruitment process that you need. If you would like to discuss any reasonable adjustments before applying, please contact the recruitment team in the first instance.
If you would like an accessible version of any of the attachments or recruitment documents below or linked to in this advert, please contact the recruitment team who will be happy to assist.
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
This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours and Experience.
Security Clearance
For ONS the requirement for SC clearance is to have been present in the UK for 3 consecutive years immediately prior to applying and the department will consider eligibility by exception on a case-by-case basis. You will be asked to provide information regarding your UK residency during your application, and failure to provide this will result in your application being rejected.
At the point of SC application, you will need to provide or give access to the following evidence:
- Departmental or company records (personnel files, staff reports, sick leave reports and security records)
- UK criminal records covering both spent and unspent criminal records
- Your credit and financial history with a credit reference agency
- Security Services records
Visa Sponsorship
ONS are unable to offer visa sponsorship for this role. Applicants are expected to hold a valid right to work in the UK when employment commences. If you are applying on a time-limited visa, this will need to be valid for at least 18 months.
To work at the ONS, candidates must meet both UK right to work and security clearance requirements (where applicable).
If you are unsure whether you meet the appropriate right to work or security clearance eligibility criteria, please refer to the guidance on Gov.uk or contact the recruitment email provided in the advert before applying. Failure to meet these requirements will result in your application being rejected and employment offers being withdrawn.
Application Process
Number of Stages: 2 stage process
Stage 1: Application
Stage 2: Interview
Stage 1 – Application
The assessment
“It took my CV and asked me questions relevant to understanding what kind of jobs to suggest for me. Suggestions were almost perfect. Jobs were exactly what I’ve been looking for.”
Jessica, London
Skills
Location