Lead Data Quality Specialist

Finastra's Global Data Office is responsible for the strategy, governance, and enablement of data assets across 130+ countries globally to unlock innovation for our business units and 8000+ customers, including 90% of the world's top banks. Reporting to the Global Head of Data Governance, this position will play a key role on the Enterprise Data Governance team, supporting the implementation and ongoing development of data governance initiatives across Finastra. It involves both business and technical responsibilities, with an emphasis on assisting in the development, configuration, and maintenance of Finastra's enterprise data governance systems. The purpose is to maintain the security, accessibility, quality, usability, and integrity of critical data assets. The successful candidate will support the Global Data Office in advancing Finastra's data governance strategies and solutions aimed at enhancing the technical infrastructure that underpins our governance framework. This team will help drive a global transformation Finastra's data governance program, which will not only meet and exceed security, regulatory and compliance requirements, but also accelerate innovation in the development of data, analytic and AI products, unlocking new opportunities for monetization.

Responsibilities & Deliverables

• Lead the design, implementation, and continuous improvement of enterprise-wide data quality frameworks, standards, and best practices.
• Define and monitor key data quality metrics (e.g., accuracy, completeness, consistency, timeliness) across critical data domains.
• Collaborate with data owners, stewards, and business stakeholders to identify and remediate data quality issues.
• Drive root cause analysis and implement sustainable solutions for recurring data quality problems.
• Develop and maintain data quality dashboards and reporting to provide transparency and accountability.
• Support data governance initiatives by aligning data quality efforts with regulatory and compliance requirements (e.g., BCBS 239, GDPR).
• Partner with technology teams to integrate data quality tools and automation into data pipelines and platforms.
• Provide leadership and guidance to data quality analysts and contribute to the development of a data quality center of excellence.
• Communicate data quality insights and recommendations to senior leadership and cross-functional teams.
• Contribute to the development of data quality training materials and promote a culture of data accountability across the organization.

Required Skills & Experience

• 5+ years of experience in data quality or data governance roles.
• 7+ years' experience supporting global data governance and data management initiatives, preferably in banking, fintech or other highly regulated industries.
• Proven expertise in implementing data quality frameworks, controls, and monitoring processes across complex data ecosystems.
• Strong proficiency in SQL and experience with programming languages such as Python, Scala, or Java.
• Strong understanding of data profiling, cleansing, and validation techniques using tools such as Informatica, Collibra, Microsoft Purview, or similar.
• Experience working with cross-functional teams including data stewards, engineers, compliance, and business stakeholders.
• Ability to lead root cause analysis and remediation of data quality issues across multiple systems and domains.
• Familiarity with regulatory requirements such as BCBS 239, GDPR, or other data-related compliance standards.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with a detail-oriented mindset.
• Excellent communication skills with the ability to translate technical data issues into business language.
• Experience in the banking or financial services sector is considered a plus.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Mathematics, or a related field (Master's degree is a plus).
• Strong understanding of data governance principles, metadata management, data quality, and data management frameworks.
• Proven ability to support strategic implementation, manage change, and deliver results under tight deadlines.
• Excellent interpersonal skills with a demonstrated ability to collaborate effectively with cross-functional stakeholders, including product, legal, privacy, risk, and security teams.
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills in English.
• Professional certifications in data governance (e.g., CDMP, ADGP, IGP) are advantageous.