Head of Data and Analytics

Key Responsibilities 

The key responsibilities in this role are:

Strategic Leadership 

• Build and manage the Data and Analytics function, developing and executing a company-wide data strategy ensuring projects align with the overall business goals. 

• Collaborate with senior leaders to identify and prioritise data projects that drive business value. 

• Define success metrics and KPIs to measure the impact of data initiatives on business outcomes. 

Data Infrastructure and Technology 

• Recommend and implement scalable, secure data infrastructure that aligns with the company's technology strategy. 

• Oversee the deployment of advanced analytics tools, including predictive analytics, machine learning, and generative AI, to deliver actionable insights. 

• Lead the creation and management of a comprehensive reporting suite that supports decision-making. 

Data Governance and Management 

• Establish data governance frameworks to ensure data quality, ownership, and privacy. 

• Oversee the integration and management of data pipelines to ensure unified and accessible data. 

• Design and implement scalable data architecture, including data models, common data structures and nomenclature. 

Team Leadership and Development 

• Recruit, mentor, and manage a high-performing data team, utilising both in-house and outsourced resources and using objectives and Key Results (OKRs) to drive delivery and accountability. 

• Foster a culture of continuous improvement and value delivery. 

Driving Cultural Change 

• Build data literacy, promoting a data-driven mindset across the business. 

• Lead initiatives to embed data-based decision-making at all levels cultivating an agile and design thinking culture within the data function and the broader organisation. 

Value Realisation 

• Work with finance partners to develop reporting frameworks to ensure projects deliver value to the business and are aligned with the overall company strategy. 

• Develop ROI / TCO Frameworks and drive value discovery and realisation initiatives. 

• Business Case formulation and ownership. 

• Build vs Buy decision making. 

Stakeholder Engagement 

• Develop and execute a stakeholder engagement plan, fostering strong relationships with IT and business units to integrate data initiatives across the organisation. 

Risk Management 

• Implement risk management strategies to protect data assets and ensure compliance with data governance standards and regulations. 

To be successful in this role you'll need:  

• A Bachelor's degree in computer science, data science, information technology, or a related field. 

• Extensive experience in data management, analytics, or a related field, with a proportion of this in a leadership capacity. 

• Proven success in establishing and scaling data functions within organisations with developing data capabilities. 

• Experience managing change within complex organisational structures. 

• A record of accomplishment of successful portfolio management. 

• Knowledge of data governance, security standards, and regulatory compliance. 

• Highly developed budgeting and financial analysis skills to ensure projects deliver measurable outcomes. 

• Demonstrable success in delivering projects using Agile methodologies (experience with Kanban/SAFe/OKRs is essential). 

• A proven ability to drive cultural change and promote data-driven decision-making. 

• Highly developed problem-solving skills with a focus on delivering innovative data solutions. 

• An exceptional ability to translate complex data concepts for non-technical stakeholders. 

• Excellent communication skills for inspiring and influencing at all levels. 

Desirable Skills 

• An advanced degree such as an MBA.