About the Role

Axel Johnson International is seeking a Governance Specialist to support the implementation and continuous improvement of governance practices across its decentralized group of companies.

This role will help establish and maintain governance frameworks covering data, AI, cybersecurity, compliance, risk management, and policy governance. The successful candidate will work closely with business leaders, IT teams, Legal, Compliance, Cybersecurity, and AI stakeholders to ensure that governance processes are practical, scalable, and aligned with business objectives.

Operating within AxInter's decentralized structure, the Governance Specialist will support central governance initiatives while enabling local accountability and execution across operating companies.

Key Responsibilities

1. Governance Frameworks & Operating Model

· Support the development, implementation and continuous improvement of governance frameworks, standards and operating procedures across the Group.

· Coordinate governance forums, working groups and stakeholder activities.

· Maintain governance documentation, roles, responsibilities and decision-making processes.

· Monitor governance maturity and support continuous improvement initiatives across operating companies.

2. Risk, Compliance & AI Governance

· Support governance activities related to AI, cybersecurity, privacy and regulatory compliance.

· Assist with assessments, evidence collection and reporting for GDPR, EU AI Act, NIS2, ISO 27001 and related frameworks.

· Maintain governance records, risk registers and remediation tracking activities.

· Support AI governance practices including transparency, accountability, human oversight and responsible use.

3.



Data & Information Governance

· Support data governance initiatives including data ownership, stewardship, classification, retention and data quality improvement.

· Assist business and IT teams in establishing effective governance controls and processes.

· Monitor governance KPIs, metrics and reporting activities.

· Promote trusted and well-governed information that supports business operations, analytics and AI initiatives.

4. Stakeholder Engagement & Enablement

· Act as a governance coordination point for business and IT stakeholders.

· Facilitate workshops, awareness sessions and governance training activities.

· Support policy reviews, governance decisions and exception management processes.

· Prepare governance reports, dashboards and management presentations.

· Promote adoption of governance practices across operating companies while maintaining local flexibility.

Qualifications

Required

- Bachelor's, or Master's degree in Information Management, Computer Science, Data Management, Business Information Systems, or related fields.
- 3+ years of experience in governance, compliance, risk management, data governance, information management, cybersecurity governance, business analysis or related disciplines.




- Experience working with enterprise risk management functions in multinational and decentralized organizations.
- Strong understanding of:
- Governance and compliance frameworks
- Risk management concepts
- Data governance principles
- AI governance fundamentals
- GDPR and privacy regulations
- Information security principles
- Policy and control management
- Strong stakeholder management and communication skills.
- At least one relevant certification:
- ISO 27001 Lead Implementer/Auditor - CDMP - CIPP/E - CIPM

Preferred

- Experience implementing governance programs across multiple business units.
- Familiarity with:
- EU AI Act
- NIS2
- ISO 27001
- ISO 42001 (AI Management Systems)
- DAMA-DMBOK
- Experience with governance and reporting platforms such as Microsoft Purview, Power BI, ServiceNow or equivalent tools.
- Experience supporting audits, compliance reviews and governance reporting activities

Success Measures During the first 12–24 months, success will be measured by:

- Establishment of a company-wide data governance framework.
- > 80% of critical data domains with formally assigned data owners and stewards across business units.

- Implementation of data quality KPIs with regular reporting for priority domains
- Implementation of AI governance controls and compliance processes.
- Increased GDPR, AI Act, and security compliance maturity.
- Adoption of governance practices across operating companies.

Key Competencies

- Governance and compliance mindset
- Risk awareness
- Analytical problem-solving
- Stakeholder engagement
- Policy and control management
- Communication and facilitation skills
- Organizational awareness
- Change enablement
- Cross-functional collaboration
- Attention to detail

📌 Governance Specialist – Data, AI, Security & Compliance (Barcelona)
🏢 Axel Johnson International
📍 Barcelona