Data Management Sr. Specialist

GDC Middle East (GDCME) is a Saudi company with 80% ownership by the Public Investment Fund (PIF) and 20% by Ajwa Aviation Holdings. Established in 2015 with headquarters in Riyadh, GDCME specializes in the aircraft engineering sector. The company offers comprehensive solutions for aviation systems, operations, and support, distinguished by its capability to maintain aircraft to the highest quality and safety standards, meeting the technical challenges and global requirements in the aviation and defense industries.

The Senior Data Management Specialist supports the Data Management Office (DMO) in designing, implementing, and monitoring data 
governance and data compliance practices to ensure alignment with SDAIA and NDMO requirements (including PDPL and NDI-related 
obligations) and internal policies. The role maintains the regulatory controls matrix, coordinates self-assessments and audits, tracks 
corrective actions, and enables data ownership and stewardship to strengthen the organization’s data management maturity, 
accountability, and regulatory readiness.

PRIMARY DUTIES

1. Ensure compliance with cybersecurity policy procedures and awareness programs. 
2. Maintain and continuously improve the data governance and data compliance framework in line with SDAIA/NDMO requirements, including developing and maintaining data policies, standards, and procedures (classification, sharing, 
   retention, metadata, and data quality).
3. Maintain regulatory controls matrix mapping SDAIA/NDMO/PDPL/NDI requirements to internal controls, owners, evidence, and monitoring frequency. 
4. Plan and execute periodic compliance self-assessments/readiness reviews and manage remediation plans to closure.
5. Coordinate internal and external audits related to data governance/compliance and manage evidence collection, responses, findings, and closure. 
6. Define, monitor, and report governance and compliance KPIs and dashboards (e.g., compliance rate, evidence completeness, audit closure time, classification coverage, exceptions aging).
7. Support data ownership and stewardship implementation (roles/RACI, onboarding, working groups) and track actions/decisions.
8. Manage data governance and compliance risks and issues, including maintaining a risk register and coordinating corrective and preventive actions. 
9. Coordinate with Legal, Cybersecurity, Risk, and Internal Audit to ensure consistent interpretation and implementation of SDAIA/NDMO/PDPL obligations. 
10. Establish and oversee document and record management principles for data-related artifacts (creation, classification, storage, access control, retention, and secure disposal) in coordination with relevant functions. 
11. Oversee personal data protection governance by ensuring required policies, roles, approvals/consent record-keeping, and periodic monitoring are in place in line with PDPL and related SDAIA/NDMO requirements. 
12. Govern data sharing, data quality, and metadata/data catalog principles by ensuring standards, oversight mechanisms, ethical use, access management, and periodic reviews/updates are in place (including third-party and cross-border considerations where applicable).
13. Provide inputs to DMO plans, roadmap, and annual KPI targets.
14. Support awareness and training sessions for business units on data governance, compliance obligations, and evidence requirements. 
15. Perform other related tasks assigned to support DMO objectives and organizational priorities. 

Minimum Qualification: 

Bachelor’s degree in information management, Computer Science, Information Systems, Data 
Management, or a related field.

Technical Qualifications 
Knowledge of SDAIA/NDMO requirements, PDPL, and NDI-related obligations. Experience with data 
governance frameworks, controls testing, audit readiness, KPI reporting, and documentation management. Familiarity with data catalog/metadata and data quality concepts. 

Special Certifications 
Preferred: CDMP, DCAM, CIPP (or equivalent privacy certification), ISO 27001, CISA (or similar). 
Experience

Years of Experience
4+ years of experience in data governance, data management, compliance, risk, audit, or regulatory 
readiness roles (preferably in a regulated environment).