Data Governance Lead

Southend-on-Sea, Essex (Hybrid working). Salary up to £41,000 per annum. Permanent, Full Time. 35 Hours per week.

Are you passionate about data and able to communicate its importance to diverse audiences? Join us in a pivotal role during an exciting merger! As our Data Governance Lead, you’ll ensure compliance with data protection regulations, lead investigations into data breaches, and manage information requests. Working closely with the Data Protection Officer and Governance Team, you’ll also drive improvements in data governance policies and processes building transparency, trust, and shaping best practice across the organisation.

Estuary Housing Association is a regulated housing provider managing more than 4,600 homes across Essex, outer East London, and Suffolk Coastal. In March 2025, Estuary’s Board agreed to explore a potential merger with CHP, another Essex based housing association. The intention is to create a stronger, more resilient organisation with shared values and goals, greater capacity to improve services and maintain homes, and a stronger ability to serve the people of Essex now and in the future. In December 2025, the Boards of both organisations agreed to proceed with the merger. From 1 April 2026, CHP and Estuary will formally come together as Delta Housing.

We offer a hybrid approach with homeworking as standard and office visits when required. We’re committed to flexibility and open to accommodating individual needs.

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• Support the Data Protection Officer in their activities related to data protection compliance and management, including responding to general queries quickly and accurately by monitoring corporate email inboxes and responding or escalating as appropriate.
  
• Lead on data breach investigations.
  
• Develop and maintain collaborative and productive relationships with all staff including senior management.
  
• Have primary responsibility for responding to access to information requests under the UK GDPR and Social Tenant Access to Information Requirements (STAIRs).
  
• Lead on the collating and serving of documents, data and information in response to information requests including but not limited to:
  
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  • Subject Access Requests.
    
  • STAIRs Requests.
    
  • Other requests for information under regulatory obligations.
    
  
  
• Ensure data integrity, accuracy, and timeliness in line with UK GDPR and other data governance legislation in all elements of your work.
  

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• Good general education (A-level or equivalent) with excellent literacy and numeracy skills.
  
• A strong working knowledge of current Data Protection principles and general understanding of the legislative framework.
  
• Demonstrable ability to build relationships, influence stakeholders and collaborate effectively with colleagues and external partners.
  
• Excellent organisational and project/time management skills, with the ability to manage a busy workload with competing deadlines while maintaining meticulous attention to detail.
  
• Strong, creative, problem-solving skills and able to work well under pressure.
  
• Excellent numerical and analytical skills with the ability to analyse data and translate into reports and presentations.
  
• A high level of proficiency using Microsoft Office applications.
  
• Substantial experience managing data and requests under a legislative framework.
  
• Previous work and ability to demonstrate a good understanding of data governance and data protection.
  
• Experience of working in the non-profit, charitable, or another regulated sector.
  

We reserve the right to close this recruitment if it is deemed that we have received a suitable number of applications. On this basis we would advise that applications are submitted as soon as possible.

Closing date: 28th January 2026

1st Stage Interview: TEAMS to be confirmed

2nd Stage Interview: Onsite to be confirmed