Head of Data in England

Job description

This is a rare opportunity to join a fast-paced, forward-thinking organisation at a pivotal point in its growth and work directly with the C-Suite and broader team on initiatives that shape the company’s future.

The Head of Data will be accountable for shaping and executing the enterprise data strategy, ensuring data is a trusted, governed and value-creating asset across the business. This hybrid role combines responsibilities of a Head of Data (strategy, governance, insight enablement) with those of a Data Architect (designing scalable, secure, modern platforms and data models).

Working closely with the C-Suite, data science, risk, finance and business stakeholders, this role will drive the transformation of the data estate into a modern, cloud-native, AI-ready data platform that underpins regulatory compliance, operational efficiency and commercial growth.

Key Responsibilities:

Data Architecture & Design

• Own the enterprise data architecture, ensuring scalability, performance, resilience and cost efficiency.
• Design logical and physical data models that support loan origination, servicing, risk decisioning, finance and customer insights.
• Lead the migration of the legacy SQL Server data warehouse into a modernised, cloud-native architecture.
• Define integration patterns (APIs, ETL/ELT pipelines, streaming) across SaaS platforms, in-house systems and external data sources.

Strategic Leadership

• Build the vision for a modern, cloud-based data platform (e.g. Microsoft Fabric, Synapse, Databricks, Snowflake), enabling real-time analytics, AI/ML and self-serve BI.
• Define and deliver the enterprise data strategy, aligned with business and regulatory priorities.
• Act as the senior owner of data governance, ensuring compliance with FCA, GDPR and other obligations.
• Establish and chair data governance forums, embedding data stewardship across the business.

Delivery & Operations

• Manage a small data engineering and BI capability, balancing in-house skills with managed service partners.
• Oversee the delivery of reliable, automated pipelines for ingestion, transformation, and quality assurance of data.
• Introduce modern tools for metadata management, lineage, cataloguing and access controls (e.g. Purview).

Governance & Risk

• Ensure data platforms and processes adhere to best-practice security models (Entra, IAM, conditional access).
• Embed robust processes for data quality, lineage, auditability and model governance (critical in lending and regulated environments).
• Support the CTO in board-level reporting on data risks, opportunities, and investment roadmaps.

Skills & Experience:

• Proven experience in a senior data leadership role (Head of Data, Data Architect, Data Engineering Manager) within a regulated financial services.
• Deep expertise in enterprise data architecture, cloud platforms (Azure preferred), and modern data warehousing/lakehouse technologies.
• Strong knowledge of data governance, GDPR, and FCA regulatory requirements.
• Hands-on technical ability across SQL, Python, ETL/ELT, APIs and cloud-native data services.
• Experience introducing AI/ML and advanced analytics capabilities into operational and decisioning contexts.
• Strong stakeholder management skills, able to translate technical concepts into business value for executives and non-technical teams.
• Track record of leading small, high-performing data teams and managing external partners.

Extra information

Status

Open

Education Level

Secondary School

Location

England

Type of Contract

Part-time jobs

Published at

06-11-2025

Profession type

Accountancy

Full UK/EU driving license preferred

No

Car Preferred

No

Must be eligible to work in the EU

No

Cover Letter Required

No

Languages

English