Data Lead
On-siteLondon, England, United Kingdom
Job Summary
Lead the development and execution of the overall data strategy for a large-scale government programme, assessing current capabilities and defining the target architecture, operating model, and roadmap. Establish data governance frameworks, standards, and policies while ensuring alignment with wider government data strategies and organisational objectives. Provide technical leadership across data engineering, analytics, and data science initiatives, overseeing the implementation of scalable cloud-based solutions and ETL/ELT pipelines. Mentor multidisciplinary teams including engineers, analysts, and scientists to foster technical excellence and drive continuous improvement of analytical capabilities. Ensure robust data quality, lineage, and compliance with GDPR, security policies, and regulatory requirements through monitoring mechanisms and secure-by-design principles. Build strong relationships with senior stakeholders to translate complex technical concepts into clear business outcomes and facilitate strategic decision-making sessions.
Required Qualifications
- Significant experience leading data engineering, analytics, or data science functions within complex organisations
- Proven track record of developing and delivering enterprise-wide data strategies
- Experience establishing data governance frameworks and operating models
- Strong experience with AWS cloud services and modern data platforms
- Expertise in designing and implementing scalable data architectures and engineering solutions
- Experience with ETL/ELT frameworks, data integration, and pipeline automation
- Strong understanding of data modelling, data warehousing, and transformation methodologies
- Experience supporting data science and machine learning initiatives from experimentation through production deployment
- Strong understanding of data security, governance, and operational best practices
- Experience delivering data initiatives within government or highly regulated environments
- Strong understanding of GDPR, information governance, data protection legislation, and public sector compliance requirements
- Familiarity with Government Digital Service (GDS) standards and ways of working
- Excellent stakeholder management and communication skills
- Ability to influence senior leaders and drive strategic decision-making
- Experience building, leading, and mentoring high-performing data teams
- Strong facilitation, collaboration, and workshop leadership capabilities
Desired Qualifications
- Experience with some or all of the following technologies: AWS, Amazon S3, AWS Glue, AWS Lambda, Amazon Redshift, AWS Lake Formation
- Experience with some or all of the following technologies: SQL, Python, ETL/ELT frameworks, Data Warehousing solutions, Data Modelling methodologies
- Experience with some or all of the following technologies: Google Analytics, Google BigQuery, Google Looker Studio, Google Tag Manager
- Experience within benefits, welfare, citizen services, or wider public sector domains
- Previous experience delivering services through public sector frameworks
- Security clearance (BPSS, SC, or DV) or willingness to undergo clearance
- Experience working within Agile multidisciplinary delivery teams
- Experience defining and scaling enterprise data capabilities and operating models
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