Head of Information Governance

Job Title: Head of Information Governance

Location: London/Hybrid (Typical 2/3 days in the office)

Type: Full time – Permanent (If you are a job share partnership, work reduced hours, or any other way of working flexibly, please do still get in touch)

At Ardonagh Specialty, we provide much more than just a workplace. We are dedicated to fostering skill development and knowledge within a team that is passionate about their work, values their Employees, and truly celebrates diversity.

Working at Ardonagh Specialty means you’ll be part of The Ardonagh Group. We are proud of our innovative environment offering many opportunities for growth across the wider group. Employees regularly move between our united teams, and we encourage you to make your role your own.

Our offices are lively and exciting places to be, but we understand that life needs flexibility, and offer a genuinely flexible approach to working. If you are looking to join a thriving, energetic business with exciting plans, this role could be an ideal fit for you.

What we can offer:

We offer much more than just an inclusive culture with apprenticeships, study support, participation in our annual Spotlight Awards, Community Trust, Sports Teams, office socials, events and so much more. All of this with a supportive management team as well as working alongside some of the industry’s top talent.

You’ll have access to wellbeing programs, fantastic discounts across many big-name businesses including supermarkets, gym memberships, restaurants, and healthcare cash plans etc.

Further perks of working with us (Fixed benefits):

• Employer pension contribution of 10% (providing you, the Employee provides 5%).

• Good work life balance - flexibility to suit you.

• Competitive salary.

• Life Assurance at X4 of your base salary.

• Group Income Protection.

• Generous Annual Leave entitlement.

• Private Medical Insurance.

• Group annual bonus scheme.

Purpose of the Role:

The Head of Information Governance will lead the design, implementation and ongoing operation of ASL’s enterprise information governance capability, building on the foundation Information & Records Management transformation and extending it into a sustainable governance, privacy and data security function. The role is accountable for embedding consistent standards for the responsible creation, classification, sharing, retention, protection, monitoring and disposal of information assets across ASL.

The role will provide senior leadership across information and records management, operational privacy management, data sharing governance, data loss prevention and insider risk controls. It will ensure ASL can evidence proportionate, risk-based controls over sensitive and regulated information, support FCA expectations for secure client data, resilient services, clear accountability, third-party oversight and effective control monitoring, and align ASL’s practices to recognised data management disciplines including aligned governance, data security, metadata, risk, lifecycle and documents/content management principles.

Key Role Accountabilities:

• Set and maintain ASL’s information governance strategy, operating model, roadmap and control framework, ensuring information is treated as a strategic asset and governed consistently across its lifecycle.
• Lead the enterprise records and retention framework, including retention schedules, defensible disposal, legal/regulatory hold requirements, records lifecycle controls and evidence of policy adoption.
• Own the operational privacy management framework in partnership with the DPO, ensuring privacy obligations are translated into practical processes, controls, metrics, training, breach response, DPIA support and business adoption.
• Establish data sharing governance for internal, external and third-party sharing, including standards for lawful basis, proportionality, classification, access, encryption, due diligence, contractual controls, monitoring and periodic review.
• Lead data security governance for data loss prevention and insider risk, working with Information Security and Technology teams to define policies, alert triage models, risk-based escalation, control effectiveness measures and ethical colleague awareness.
• Embed classification, labelling, access and handling standards for sensitive, confidential and regulated information, ensuring controls are aligned to business need, customer protection, data protection law and FCA expectations for secure customer data.
• Develop governance reporting, dashboards and management information that provide clear visibility of control maturity, exceptions, breaches, DLP and insider risk themes, retention compliance, privacy activity and remediation progress.
• Support operational resilience by ensuring critical information assets, data flows, third-party dependencies, vulnerabilities and control gaps are identified, mapped, tested and remediated in partnership with risk, technology and business owners.
• Provide senior stakeholder engagement and thought leadership to embed a culture of accountable, ethical and secure information handling across ASL, including targeted training, communications and adoption planning.
• Lead assurance, audit response and continuous improvement activity for information governance, ensuring findings are prioritised, tracked and resolved through a clear risk-based remediation plan.

Qualifications & Experience:

Degree-level qualification or equivalent professional experience in information management, data governance, privacy, records management, cyber/information security, risk management or a related discipline. Relevant professional certification is highly desirable, such as CIPP/E, CIPM, CDMP, CRM, IGP, ISO 27001 practitioner/lead implementer or equivalent information governance, privacy, records, data management or security qualification.

Substantial experience operating in complex regulated environments, preferably financial services, insurance, specialty markets or comparable regulated sectors. Demonstrable experience designing and embedding information governance, records retention, privacy operations, data sharing, DLP, insider risk, information security governance and technology-enabled control frameworks.

Person Specification:

An experienced information governance leader with the authority, judgement and credibility to operate across both senior and executive, technology, risk, legal, privacy and business stakeholder groups. The role requires a strong understanding of data protection, information security, records management, data governance, operational resilience and regulatory expectations, combined with the practical ability to turn policy into sustainable business processes and measurable controls.

The successful candidate will be able to balance regulatory obligation, client protection, colleague trust, business efficiency and digital transformation. They will be comfortable leading change, resolving ambiguity, influencing senior stakeholders, managing risk-based trade-offs, and embedding a culture where information is created, used, shared, protected and disposed of responsibly.

• Strategic and operational leadership across information governance, data security, privacy operations and records lifecycle management.
• Strong knowledge of UK GDPR, Data Protection Act 2018, FCA expectations for data security and operational resilience, and recognised frameworks such as DAMA-DMBOK and ISO 27001.
• Experience with Microsoft Purview, DLP, insider risk, retention, eDiscovery, data cataloguing, privacy management, workflow and reporting tools, or comparable governance technologies.
• Ability to build pragmatic governance frameworks that are evidence-based, proportionate, auditable and adopted by operational teams.
• Clear, persuasive communication style with the ability to brief senior leadership, support committees, respond to audit and regulatory scrutiny, and mobilise cross-functional delivery.

If successful or unsuccessful, we always try and move quickly in presenting an offer or providing feedback.

We truly value the diversity of our teams and as a Group, we are committed to supporting and welcoming individuals from all backgrounds, as we appreciate every perspective is a significant part of our success. Should you require any reasonable adjustment throughout the recruitment process, please do not hesitate to let a member of the Talent team know.

Note to recruiters and employment agencies:

We will not pay for unsolicited CV's from recruiters and employment agencies unless we have a signed agreement and have requested assistance, in writing, for a specific vacancy.

If your application is successful, we will conduct relevant employment checks prior to you commencing employment with us. These will include verifying your recent employment, address, credit history, and a standard criminal record check.

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