Vacancies
Lead Data Steward

Lead Data Steward

Posted:

08 Sep 2026

Hybrid (Leicester/London - United Kingdom)

Insight & Analytics

Permanent

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Overview

Home. There’s no place like it.

And there’s no feeling like helping people create the joy of feeling truly at home. At Dunelm, that’s what we do. We’re the UK's number one choice for homewares because we make home life lovelier for our customers. And we’ve crafted a workplace that feels just as welcoming – where you can bring your ideas, be yourself, and feel right at home.

Data Management at Dunelm plays a key part in unlocking the value of data and information for our colleagues in a safe and secure way. Our vision, alongside our broader data & analytics function is to “empower our business to drive the right outcomes from their data in an efficient and confident way”.

Our Data Management team work closely with our wider teams, analytics, data engineering, technology teams and colleagues across Dunelm, enabling them to better manage and own their data to deliver data products that drive value and support our broader business growth plans. We are responsible for equipping our colleagues to steward and understand their data through data policy definition and implementation, process optimisation, data quality measurement, data cataloguing and effective management of master data.

We contribute to shaping our future governance and approach to AI ensuring that good quality, well governed data is at it’s heart. We also support doing right by our customers – ensuring that data is managed safely and securely in line with GDPR regulations.

The Lead Data Steward serves as the strategic custodian and operational anchor for core enterprise data domains. In this role, you will lead a dedicated team of professionals to elevate data integrity, champion governance standards, and unlock operational efficiencies across the business.

This role demands a leadership-first mindset, a passion for root-cause problem solving, and the ability to influence cross-functional teams. You will bridge the gap between technical data structures and business operations, ensuring our data assets are accurate, compliant, and positioned to drive growth.

Core Responsibilities

Team Leadership & Capability Building

Line Management: Directly manage, mentor, and coach a team, cultivating an inclusive, high-performing culture.
Goal Alignment: Define clear performance objectives, map out career development pathways, and balance resource allocation across daily operations and transformation initiatives.
Extended Resource Guidance: Provide operational direction and guidance to extended project resources assigned to domain activities.

Data Governance & Quality Architecture

Framework Design: Establish and maintain robust data quality rules, validation logic, and standardised business glossaries across core domains.
Root-Cause Remediation: Move beyond identifying surface-level errors; actively investigate systemic data anomalies and engineer long-term, sustainable fixes.
Validation & Release Sign-Off: Define testing protocols and quality sign-off criteria for data changes, system updates, and new attribute rollouts to safeguard domain stability.

Stakeholder Collaboration & Advocacy

Cross-functional Partnership: Act as the primary point of contact for internal teams, software vendors, and external data partners to align data standards and support business initiatives.
Change Management: Champion data-driven mindsets across the organisation, advising business units on how data quality directly impacts their performance and customer experience.
Prioritisation & Enhancements: Help shape and manage the backlog of domain improvements, balancing short-term operational fixes with long-term capability goals.

Compliance & Performance Tracking
Risk & Regulatory Oversight: Ensure data practices strictly align with internal data protection policies, information security classifications, and UK GDPR legislation.
Service Levels & Domain Reporting: Design and distribute comprehensive data scorecards, tracking performance against operational SLAs and translating complex technical metrics into actionable business insights.

Skills & Experience

Essential Skills

Leadership Experience: Proven track record of leading, mentoring, or supervising individuals within an analytical, operational, or data-focused environment.
Data Literacy: Deep understanding of master data principles, structural data validations, and data governance frameworks.
Analytical Capability: Advanced problem-solving skills with experience querying relational databases to identify issues and the root cause.
Information Compliance: Solid foundational knowledge of data privacy legislation, information security standards, and handling sensitive data classifications

Desirable Skills
Change Delivery: Experience supporting teams through operational transformations, systems implementations, or complex data migration projects.
Data Visualisation: Familiarity with business intelligence or reporting software to present data quality metrics visually.
Domain Backlog & Delivery: Experience prioritising requests, tracking improvement milestones, or managing a backlog of functional enhancements.

Key Behaviours

Communicating

Commercial Translation: Translates highly technical or abstract data concepts into clear, concise, and impact-driven messages for non-technical business leaders.

Credibility: Presents reliable, data-backed insights that build trust and drive confident organisational decision making.

Connecting

Silo Busting: Actively collaborates across departmental boundaries to understand upstream and downstream data impacts, building a cohesive network of trust.

Empathy in Leadership: Recognises team achievements, provides regular constructive feedback, and supports colleagues during periods of high operational demand.

Taking Responsibility

Accountability: Embraces complex data challenges with self-driven determination, prioritising long-term structural improvements over short-term workarounds.

Continuous Improvement: Proactively identifies operation bottlenecks and drives the automation of manual maintenance tasks.

Challenging

Constructive Voice: Possesses the confidence to challenge inefficient legacy processes, data workarounds, or decisions that compromise data integrity.

Ambition: Drives high standards of performance within the immediate team and holds cross-functional partners accountable to agreed data SLAs.

Making It Happen

Right First Time: Instils a culture of accuracy and diligence, ensuring deliverables are executed efficiently without sacrificing data quality.

Agility: Adapts positively to shifting priorities, reassessing team workflows to maintain momentum under changing conditions.

D&I statement

Dunelm is committed to becoming an inclusive business that is representative of our customers and locations. We recognise the value in diversity and welcome applications from all candidates regardless of age, race, religion, disability, gender or sexual identity, socio-economic background or education. We are committed to making Dunelm a place where everyone can enjoy a successful career and have systems in place to support all our colleagues. We are seeking applications from candidates who share our values and celebrate diversity in all its forms.

Our commitment to you

Accessibility allows everyone to have an equitable chance when applying and showing off their potential, which helps us create a more inclusive and diverse team that brings fresh ideas and perspectives.

Should you need it, we have an accessibility tool available in the top menu to support you when you’re completing your application. If you require any other reasonable adjustments during the application and assessment process, reach out to your recruitment partner.

Work your way

We want our colleagues to feel at home wherever they work, so that they are comfortable and can be their best selves. In addition, we want everyone to feel connected to the business, our strategy and the teams they work with.

Where hybrid working is applicable, colleagues need to strike the right balance to fulfil both of these important factors. You will find the right mix of being at home, in the office & out in the business, bearing in mind business needs, job role and level of responsibility.

Wellbeing is more than just a buzzword here

From our Wellbeing Buddies and Mental Health First Aid training to our progressive parental leave, menopause policies and Colleague Support Fund, we're committed to supporting our colleagues in every area – and at every stage – of their lives. Through our partnership with the Retail Trust, everyone at Dunelm has free access to a 24/7 Virtual GP, as well as therapy and counselling, plus information, guidance and advice in all areas of financial, emotional and physical wellbeing.

Taking opportunities

Meet Amanda, our Chief Stores and People Director, who shares how she feels empowered to take opportunities every day, why Dunelm is her happy place, and why it’s a really exciting time to join us.

Look in our toy box

Of course, you should never judge a business by its tech stack. But take a peek at the range of technologies our engineers and developers are currently playing with.

Where you’ll
be working

Here is where you'll be based, whether that's an office, or store or one of our sites.

Watermead Business Park, Syston, Leicester, LE7 1AD

Get Directions

Keep on growing

We want you to get as much out of working with us as possible. That's why we'll do everything we can to engage you in the process of learning, and encourage you to explore new opportunities around your particular skills and interests. For you, this includes:

Housewarming & Settling In where you can find out more about the wider business, our culture, behaviours, networks and wellbeing support

Thrive, our learning and skills platform which gives you a blended, bite-sized, social learning experience with learning relevant to your role

Our Enterprise Leadership Programme designed specifically for our strong growth potential Heads of Department to help them reach the next level in their career

Our INSPIRE Programme designed for our strong growth potential senior managers across the business to enhance their leadership capability

Our EXPLORE Programme designed to prepare our next generation of Line Managers

Personal Effectiveness workshops and self-led learning, also delivered through Thrive

Apprenticeships opportunities relevant to your role – from level 2 (equivalent to GCSE) through to Level 7 (equivalent to Masters)

Colleague Development Fund to support colleagues in accessing external training relevant to your role

Coaching and mentoring to support you in your current role and help you prepare for the next

Functional academies that offer training to support you in the technical aspects of your role

Self-awareness tools to help you understand what really matters to you, and where your own talents and ambitions lie

Progress conversations that reflect on how you're doing and define your focus areas for the coming months

Career conversations that explore what you want from your career, in light of your current capabilities, potential and future aspirations

Meet your team

Meet your team

I’m in my happy place when…

"There's a lot of knowledge between us and we learn from each other. But there's also plenty of scope to explore your own ideas."

Sasha, Finance Manager

Meet your team

I’m in my happy place when…

"As a Wellbeing Buddy, I'm here to help colleagues talk openly and honestly about their mental health."

Abi, Internal Communications Manager

Meet your team

I’m in my happy place when…

"I’m surrounded by people, part of a great team and with a tea in hand. If I can walk away from my day knowing I’ve had a positive impact on someone, that means everything to me."