Lead Data Steward

Our Mission

We’re on a mission to be a force for good in lending. Throughout our almost 30-year history, we’ve consistently been recognised as a great place to work; in 2026, Capital One was officially ranked 9th in the UK’s Best Workplaces™ list. Hear from our team about what it’s like working at Capital One UK.

About the Role

Data sits at the very heart of everything we do at Capital One, and establishing a robust data foundation is a key enabler for our strategic initiatives across both the Enterprise and the UK division. With a multitude of systems capturing, storing, and processing data, our goal is to drive operations and analytics that help our customers and associates succeed.

As we scale up our AI solutions, ensuring a thorough understanding of the data the UK business creates and uses is more crucial than ever. This role is essential for maintaining a well-managed business, giving decision-makers absolute confidence that their data is available and of the highest quality. We are seeking an energetic individual to bridge the gap between data and the wider business, delivering well-governed, impactful data that drives real value for our stakeholders.

What You'll Do

• Champion Data Governance:Act as the focal point for data governance and stewardship within the UK business, ensuring data is managed through its entire lifecycle and treated as a true corporate asset.

• Support Data Owners:Manage day-to-day data activities on behalf of Accountable Executives and Senior Leaders who act as the designated ‘Data Owners’.

• Enhance Data Quality:Drive actionable improvements to data quality and enrichment, focusing on the most critical data first and tracking the tangible ‘value-add’ with data consumers.

• Ensure Compliance & Transparency:Maintain complete metadata, data descriptions, and lineage while ensuring data is correctly classified, protected, and compliant with GDPR and internal security protocols.

• Manage Risk & Alignment:Engage with stakeholders to agree on common data definitions, whilst proactively flagging data risks or control issues to relevant risk and governance committees.

The Skills and Experience You Need

• Stakeholder Influence & Collaboration:Excellent communication and relationship-building skills, with a proven ability to influence across teams and drive cultural change.

• Data Storytelling:Ability to translate complex data concepts into plain language, summarising information effectively and tailoring communications for diverse audiences.

• Critical Thinking & Problem Solving:A natural analytical mindset with the ability to resolve complex data issues, identify trends, and take ownership of problem resolution.

• Strategic Prioritisation:Ability to focus on high-value data tasks, piecing together data management practices to enable key strategic initiatives, including AI solutions.

• Active Listening:Strong active listening skills to deeply understand stakeholder requirements and naturalise a data-centric culture across the division.

Desirable Experience

• Data Frameworks: Familiarity with recognised industry data management frameworks such as DAMA or DCAM.

• Data Modelling & Governance: Understanding of data governance principles, business glossaries, and how data flows via logical and physical data models.

• Data Maturity Assessment: Experience evaluating data maturity and providing recommendations to align current capabilities with long-term strategic goals.

• Technical Proficiency: Practical experience with SQL, particularly within Snowflake database environments.

• Cloud Infrastructure: A general understanding of cloud resources, specifically AWS architectures.

Where and how you'll work

This is a permanent position based in our Nottingham office.

We embrace a hybrid approach to work. You'll spend three days a week in the office (Tuesday-Thursday), with Monday and Friday being dedicated work-from-home days.

Our offices are designed to inspire and support you. At our Nottingham head office, you'll find an on-site gym, restaurant and dedicated Learning Loft. Our London office boasts a rooftop running track and coffee bar.

What’s in it for you

We invest in the growth of our people alongside our business. You will have extensive opportunities to learn and develop your career, including access to up to £5,000 in funding for external qualifications.

In addition to career development, our comprehensive benefits package is designed to grow with you, ensuring your wellbeing is prioritised at every stage of your career:

• Wealth & Future:Competitive pension and performance-based bonus schemes

• Holidays:Start with 25 days of annual leave, increasing with tenure. Need more? You have the option to buy 5 additional days.

• Health:Access premium care through our private medical insurance.

• Family Support:We champion your milestones with enhanced parental leave.

A full list of our benefits is availablehere.

What you should know about how we recruit

We pride ourselves on hiring the best people, not the same people. Building diverse and inclusive teams is the right thing to do and the smart thing to do. We want to work with top talent: whoever you are, whatever you look like, wherever you come from. We know it’s about what you do, not just what you say. That’s why we make our recruitment process fair and accessible.