Program manager - Initiative Owner

Program Manager - Initiative Owner (Freelance) - 16 Months - Brussels

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About the Role

We are seeking a visionary Program Manager - Initiative Owner (Freelance) to lead the development of a cutting-edge data tooling strategy for our client in Brussels. This 16-month freelance engagement is your opportunity to architect and drive a modern data management ecosystem, leveraging Data Mesh, Data Products, and Self-Service principles. Your mission: empower data-driven decision-making, elevate data quality, and accelerate business agility at scale.

Why This Role Matters

Data is the backbone of innovation. As the Initiative Owner, you will solve the critical challenge of transforming legacy data landscapes into agile, future-ready platforms. Your leadership will directly impact how business stakeholders access, trust, and act on data — unlocking new value, ensuring compliance, and enabling rapid adaptation in a complex, fast-moving environment.

What You’ll Be Doing

• Develop and own a comprehensive data management strategy aligned with business objectives, leveraging Data Mesh, Data Products, and Self-Service principles.


• Collaborate with business stakeholders to capture requirements and define impactful data products.


• Design modern data architectures enabling data mesh, self-service, and robust analytics — covering ingestion, processing, storage, and visualization.


• Evaluate and recommend technologies, including cloud-based data platforms, data catalogs, governance tools, and virtualization solutions.


• Build and manage a clear implementation roadmap with timelines, milestones, and resource allocation.


• Lead data teams in designing and delivering data products, pipelines, APIs, and visualization tools.


• Develop a self-service data platform empowering business users to access, analyze, and visualize data independently.


• Establish and enforce data governance policies, procedures, and standards to ensure data quality, security, and compliance.


• Partner with IT teams to integrate new data management solutions seamlessly with existing infrastructure and applications.


• Drive adoption through training and change management, ensuring successful rollout and user engagement.

What We’re Looking For

• Minimum 5 years of relevant experience in data management, data architecture, or data engineering, with a strong focus on data mesh, data products, and self-service platforms.


• Proven experience working in complex organizational environments.


• Ownership mindset: you drive outcomes, not just tasks, and thrive on delivering impact.


• Exceptional analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to translate complex technical concepts for non-technical stakeholders.


• Collaboration-first approach, with a track record of working effectively in cross-functional, Agile teams.


• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including documentation and presentations.


• Agile mindset: positive, pragmatic, feedback-driven, and committed to team success over individual heroics.


• Practical experience with Scrum is highly valued.

Technical Skills

• Deep understanding of data management principles: data governance, data quality, data security.


• Hands-on experience with cloud-based data platforms.


• Knowledge of data catalogs, data governance tools, data virtualization, and data visualization technologies.


• Familiarity with DevOps practices and CI/CD pipelines (preferable).


• Understanding of data science and machine learning concepts, including data modeling and data mining (preferable).

Language Proficiency

• English: Sound knowledge required.


• Dutch: Preferable, but not mandatory.


• French: Preferable, but not mandatory.

Other Requirements

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in IT, engineering, or equivalent professional experience.


• Experience in Agile environments, with a strong Agile mindset and willingness to contribute across disciplines.