The pathway
How you actually get there, here
How you become one varies far more by country than what one does. This is the UK route. Most people take one of these ways in; the right one depends on where you're starting from.
- 1
Senior Knowledge Governance Specialist
3-5 years in previous roleSkills to master
- Leading complex governance projects end-to-end, designing new taxonomy branches, mentoring junior colleagues, and effectively managing stakeholder expectations.
You're ready to move on when
- Consistently delivering high-quality, impactful governance solutions without significant oversight.
- Being the 'go-to' person for complex technical challenges within your domain.
- Demonstrating strong leadership potential and a knack for getting buy-in from difficult stakeholders.
- Having a clear vision for how to improve our knowledge systems and the ability to articulate it.
- 2
Information Architect (from a different industry)
Roughly 8-10 years total experience, with 2-3 years in a senior IA roleSkills to master
- Adapting your IA expertise to our specific industry context, understanding our regulatory landscape, and learning our unique content types and business processes. You'll also need to pick up the 'governance' side of things if your previous role was purely design-focused.
You're ready to move on when
- A strong portfolio of complex IA projects, especially those involving large-scale content migration or redesign.
- Demonstrable ability to quickly learn new domains and translate business needs into robust information structures.
- Experience working with diverse stakeholder groups and managing competing requirements.
- A keen interest in the 'rules' and 'order' aspects of information, not just the 'design' aesthetic.
- 3
Senior Data Governance Analyst
Roughly 8-10 years total experience, with 2-3 years in a senior data governance roleSkills to master
- Translating data governance principles to unstructured content and knowledge assets, developing expertise in content lifecycle management, and understanding the nuances of enterprise search and taxonomy for textual information.
You're ready to move on when
- Proven experience in defining and implementing data governance policies and frameworks.
- Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with an eye for detail and consistency.
- Experience working with data catalogues and metadata management tools.
- A clear desire to move into the 'knowledge' space and apply your governance mindset to broader information challenges.