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Data Management Project Lead

Absa

n/a - n/a
R700–750 per hour
Auckland Park, City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality, 2092
IT Project Manager

Role

Role Purpose
The Data Management Project Lead is responsible for driving and coordinating the delivery of Enterprise Data Management (EDM) and Master Data Management (MDM) initiatives across Corporate & Investment Banking (CIB).
This role acts as a critical integrator between the central data teams, Group Data & AI, and CIB business units (Global Markets, Investment Banking, Transactional Banking, Client Coverage), ensuring alignment, execution, and adoption of enterprise data strategies.
The incumbent will lead large-scale data programmes, coordinate cross-functional delivery, and ensure consistent implementation of governance, MDM, and data quality frameworks, while also shaping the target data flows and architecture across business domains.

Key Responsibilities
1. Program & Delivery Leadership (EDM / MDM)
  • Lead and manage end-to-end delivery of data management initiatives across CIB.
  • Translate enterprise data strategy into actionable roadmaps and delivery plans.
  • Drive execution of: 
    • Master Data Management (MDM)
    • Reference Data Management (RDM)
    • Data Governance and Data Quality initiatives
  • Ensure delivery alignment with business priorities, regulatory requirements, and Group standards.

2. Business Unit Integration (CIB Product Lines)
  • Act as the primary interface between central data teams and CIB business units, including: 
    • Global Markets
    • Investment Banking
    • Transactional Banking
    • Client Coverage
  • Coordinate data initiatives across product lines, ensuring: 
    • Consistent standards and frameworks
    • Cross-domain data alignment
    • Reuse of common data capabilities
  • Facilitate business engagement, requirement gathering, and prioritization.

3. Coordination with Group Data & AI
  • Serve as the CIB point of coordination with the Group Data & AI function.
  • Ensure alignment to: 
    • Group data governance standards
    • Enterprise tooling strategies
    • Data architecture principles
  • Drive adoption of Group platforms (e.g., Collibra, Informatica, etc.) within CIB.
  • Escalate, track, and resolve cross-entity dependencies and risks.

4. Data Governance & Data Quality Enablement
  • Coordinate implementation of data governance frameworks across CIB domains.
  • Drive large-scale business rule definition initiatives, including: 
    • Critical Data Elements (CDEs)
    • Data quality rules
    • Standardized definitions
  • Ensure: 
    • Data ownership and stewardship models are embedded
    • Data quality monitoring and remediation processes are operational
  • Track and report on data quality metrics and governance maturity.

5. MDM & Reference Data Delivery Coordination
  • Coordinate enterprise-wide efforts to: 
    • Define authoritative data sources (golden sources)
    • Establish system ownership for master data domains
  • Support design and execution of: 
    • MDM and RDM implementation programs
    • Data harmonization across systems
  • Drive alignment of business and technology teams on master data standards.

6. Data Flow & Target Architecture Alignment
  • Collaborate with architecture teams to define: 
    • Target-state data flows for master and reference data
    • Integration patterns across systems
  • Facilitate development of proposed “ideal state” MDM and reference data architecture.
  • Ensure business alignment on: 
    • Authoritative placement of data
    • Data lifecycle management
    • Upstream/downstream dependencies

7. Tooling & Platform Coordination
  • Drive coordinated adoption and usage of enterprise data tools, including: 
    • Collibra (governance & cataloguing)
    • Ataccama / Informatica (data quality & MDM)
    • Alation (data cataloguing)
  • Ensure tools are: 
    • Properly embedded into processes
    • Consistently used across business units
  • Work with technology teams to resolve integration and usability challenges.

8. Stakeholder Management & Governance
  • Engage and influence senior stakeholders across business and technology.
  • Establish and manage: 
    • Data governance forums
    • Program steering committees
    • Working groups across domains
  • Provide clear reporting on progress, risks, dependencies, and outcomes.
  • Act as a bridge between strategic intent and operational delivery.

Key Requirements
Experience
  • 10+ years experience in data delivery, program management, or data management roles within banking/financial services.
  • Strong background in Corporate & Investment Banking (CIB).
  • Proven experience leading large-scale, cross-functional data programmes.
  • Demonstrated ability to coordinate across multiple business units and central functions.

Data Management Expertise
  • Strong understanding of: 
    • Master Data Management (MDM)
    • Reference Data Management (RDM)
    • Data Governance frameworks
    • Data Quality management
    • Metadata management and lineage
  • Experience driving: 
    • Business rule definition at scale
    • Data standardization initiatives
    • Authoritative source identification

Tooling Experience
  • Hands-on or delivery experience with: 
    • Collibra
    • Ataccama
    • Alation
    • Informatica (MDM, DQ, Axon, EDC)
  • Understanding of how these tools integrate into enterprise data ecosystems.

Domain Knowledge
  • Strong familiarity with banking data domains, including: 
    • Client / Counterparty
    • Product
    • Trade / Transaction
    • Risk & Finance
  • Clear understanding of: 
    • Golden source concepts
    • System ownership models
    • Regulatory drivers (e.g., BCBS 239)

Project & Program Management Skills
  • Strong delivery capability, including: 
    • Program planning and execution
    • Dependency and risk management
    • Agile / hybrid delivery models
  • Ability to manage: 
    • Multiple concurrent initiatives
    • Cross-functional teams
  • Experience in operating in complex, matrix environments.

Qualifications
  • Bachelor’s Degree in: 
    • Information Systems, Finance, Computer Science, or related field
  • Relevant certifications (advantageous): 
    • PMP / PRINCE2 / Agile certifications
    • Data Management certifications (e.g., CDMP)

Key Competencies
  • Cross-functional leadership & coordination
  • Stakeholder engagement & influencing at senior levels
  • Strategic translation into execution
  • Strong communication (business and technical)
  • Problem-solving and structured thinking
  • Delivery discipline and accountability

Success Measures
  • Successful delivery of EDM and MDM initiatives across CIB
  • Strong alignment between business units and Group Data & AI
  • Adoption and consistent use of data governance frameworks and tools
  • Clear definition and implementation of: 
    • Authoritative data sources
    • Master and reference data ownership models
  • Improved data quality, consistency, and trust across domains

Ideal Candidate Profile
A seasoned data delivery leader who:
  • Understands banking data deeply, but operates as a program integrator rather than a pure technical specialist
  • Can navigate complexity across business units and group functions
  • Excels at turning data strategy into coordinated execution
  • Is comfortable bridging business, data, and technology stakeholders
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