Data & AI Governance Lead

Shape the future of trusted data and responsible AI at Damen:

Data is transforming the way we design, build and support vessels across the globe. As Manager Data & AI Governance , you will play a pivotal role in helping Damen unlock the full value of data and AI while ensuring trust, quality, security and compliance remain at the core of everything we do.

This is your opportunity to build and lead a capability that enables smarter decisions, stronger business performance and responsible innovation across an international maritime organization.

What we’re made of:

We’re made for ships. To design them, build them, finance them and care for them throughout their life. Defined by our values of stewardship, craftsmanship, fellowship and entrepreneurship, we’re everything ship. We’re on a mission to help our clients harvest the oceans of possibilities presented by our waters - for the generations to come. To achieve our goal, we need people who share our vision and drive.

The Role: Build Damen’s Data & AI Foundation:

Within Damen Data Services , we help the organization become more Human-Led and Data-Powered . We create value from data by improving how data is governed, managed, shared and used across the company.

As Data & AI Governance Lead , you will lead the development of Damen’s data and AI governance capability. You will create the trusted foundation that enables reporting, analytics, automation and AI to deliver real business value.

This is not a role focused solely on policies or frameworks. You will combine strategic leadership with practical execution, ensuring governance becomes embedded in the daily way of working across Damen.

Your Impact:

Lead & Inspire

• Lead and develop Damen’s Data & AI Governance capability.
• Manage a team of Data Stewards, the Product Owner MDM, Project Manager and AI agent(s).
• Create an environment where ownership, accountability and continuous improvement thrive.

Govern & Enable

• Further develop Damen’s data and AI governance framework, including roles, responsibilities, decision-making structures and standards.
• Strengthen Data Ownership and Data Stewardship across the organization, ensuring governance is practical, clear and effective.
• Drive adoption through communication, coaching, stakeholder engagement and change management.

Improve Data Quality

• Increase visibility of data quality issues and prioritize improvements based on business impact.
• Establish sustainable processes that continuously improve critical data domains.
• Ensure trusted data is available for business operations, reporting and analytics.

Collaborate Across the Organization

• Partner closely with business stakeholders, IT, Security, Privacy, Analytics and AI teams.
• Govern critical master data domains together with the Data Shared Services Center.
• Build strong relationships that connect strategy, governance and business value.

Shape the Data & AI Ecosystem

• Work alongside Data & AI Architecture teams to align governance with data models, metadata, lineage, definitions and data products.
• Support the implementation of governance principles within modern data platforms and business systems.
• Help establish scalable ways of working that support future growth.

Drive Responsible & AI-Ready Data

• Ensure data is classified, governed, secured and trusted for AI use cases.
• Strengthen data lineage, ownership, access control and source reliability.
• Help shape responsible AI governance with a focus on transparency, compliance, security and human oversight.

We’re looking for a pragmatic leader who combines vision with execution and understands that effective governance should enable business success rather than create bureaucracy., * Strong experience in Data Governance, Master Data Management, Enterprise Data Management or a related discipline.

• A solid understanding of data ownership, stewardship, data quality, metadata, data definitions and lifecycle management.
• Experience building governance capabilities within complex organizations.
• The ability to connect business, IT, architecture, security, analytics and operational teams.
• Strong stakeholder management skills with the ability to influence at all levels of the organization.
• A hands-on mindset that translates strategy into measurable results.
• Knowledge of data requirements for AI, including lineage, quality, classification, access control and trusted sources.
• Experience driving adoption, organizational change and communities of Data Owners and Data Stewards.
• Preferably experience in manufacturing, engineering, supply chain, ERP, PDM, CRM or similar complex business environments.
• Experience with DAMA-DMBOK, Microsoft Purview, Microsoft Fabric, Azure, MDM tooling, SAP and/or AI Governance is considered a strong advantage.

• A Global Family - Work alongside passionate professionals worldwide in a collaborative, inspiring workplace.
• Career Growth Opportunities - Continuous learning and development in a global environment. Extensive development opportunities via the Damen Academy
• Innovation at the Core - Be part of a team that drives digital transformation across the maritime industry.
• Work-Life Balance - Flexible working options and a culture that values your well-being. 40+ days of leave and excellent employment conditions (pension, bonus, travel allowance).
• Purpose-Driven Work - Contribute to sustainable, future-focused solutions that matter.
• The salary for this position ranges between € 6.500 and € 8.400 gross per month (based on a full-time contract), excluding holiday allowance. The exact salary will depend on your knowledge and experience. This position is part of the collective labour agreement Metalektro.

Get on board!

If you feel you share our values and passion, then we’d like to see what you’re made of. Who knows, maybe we’re made for each other? We’d love to hear from you! Please apply by submitting your resume and motivation letter.

NB: We are looking for candidates who are already living and working in The Netherlands.

Recruiter: Ankie van Hees