The Openwork Partnership
Head of Data
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The opportunity
The Head of Data is a strategic and operational leadership role responsible for reshaping and leading the enterprise-wide data function.
Reporting directly to the Chief Operating Officer, the role will ensure that data is managed as a critical business asset, delivering trusted, high-quality reporting, analytics, governance, and data services that support operational excellence, regulatory compliance, commercial decision-making, and business growth, including through AI.
A key priority will be leading a multi-year data transformation programme, delivering a modern cloud-based data platform built on Lakehouse architecture. This will include establishing a scalable and future-proof data ecosystem leveraging technologies such as Databricks, Precisely, cloud-native services, and modern data engineering practices to create a trusted enterprise "golden source" of data.
The role will also work closely with the CCO, CDO, and CFO to produce measurable commercial value. This includes developing and executing a data-driven revenue strategy that identifies new monetisation opportunities, enhances existing products and services through segmentation and analytics, and embeds data-enabled decision making across commercial teams. Success in this role will be defined by the ability to convert data into revenue outcomes, ensuring that data becomes a core engine of business growth, not just a support function.
The role requires a highly credible hands-on data leader with a proven track record of building and leading enterprise data functions, delivering quality outputs through prioritisation and partnering effectively with executive stakeholders. The candidate will have significant experience within a regulated financial services environment, ideally wealth management or advice, asset management, investment platforms, pensions, or private banking.
This is a critical leadership position at the heart of the organisation's transformation agenda. The Head of Data will play a pivotal role in building and shaping the future of Openwork’s data landscape, establishing enterprise-wide trust in data, enabling advanced analytics and innovation through adoption of AI capabilities, and creating the foundations for sustainable growth, operational excellence, and competitive advantage.
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Your responsibilities will include:
- Define and lead Openwork’s enterprise data strategy, positioning data as a trusted strategic asset that supports the Value Creation Plan, executive decision-making, and future growth.
- Partner with the CCO, CDO, and CFO to turn data into measurable commercial value, identifying revenue opportunities and embedding data-led decision making across the business.
- Lead and develop a high-performing data function across engineering, architecture, governance, reporting, and analytics, ensuring clear ownership, accountability, and delivery focus.
- Design and embed an enterprise-wide, AI-ready data governance framework covering data ownership, stewardship, quality, risk, controls, and regulatory compliance.
- Lead the strategic data transformation programme, including delivery of a scalable cloud-based Lakehouse platform, Medallion Architecture, and trusted enterprise “golden source” of data.
- Provide strategic and technical leadership across data engineering, architecture, modelling, metadata, lineage, and integration, ensuring platforms support analytics, machine learning, and AI use cases.
- Oversee the delivery of high-quality reporting, MI, insight, and self-service analytics that provide practical support to internal and external customers.
- Champion a data-driven culture across Openwork, challenging poor data practices and working with business leaders to improve data maturity, adoption, and value creation.
The benefits:
- Salary - up to £150,000
- Car allowance - £7,245
- Bonus scheme - on target bonus – 30%
- Pension scheme - contribute up to 5% of your salary and Openwork will match you and put in an extra 5%
- Critical illness cover
- Income protection - 1x salary
- Death in service - 4x salary
- 25 days holiday + bank holidays, with the opportunity to buy up to an additional 10 days.
- A range of other flexible benefits to include private medical insurance, dental insurance, and much more
What will you need to succeed?
- Senior data leadership experience within a regulated Financial Services environment, with a strong track record of leading enterprise-wide data functions and delivering high-quality reporting, insight, and data services.
- Proven experience delivering large-scale data transformation programmes, ideally through in-house teams, with strong programme management, prioritisation, and execution capability.
- Experience establishing data governance, quality, and control frameworks, including data ownership, stewardship, security, privacy, and regulatory requirements.
- Strong technical understanding of modern cloud-based data platforms, including Lakehouse and Medallion Architecture, Azure, Databricks, data integration, modelling, metadata, and lineage.
- Ability to lead multidisciplinary teams across data governance, engineering, architecture, analytics, and reporting, building capability and accountability across the function.
- Excellent stakeholder management, influencing, and communication skills, with the confidence to engage Executive and Board-level audiences and translate complex data topics clearly.
- Strong commercial acumen, with the ability to connect data strategy to business outcomes, value creation, AI-enabled insight, and improved decision making.
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Why us?
We're a dynamic, fast-paced, and growing business with huge ambition. This is all made possible by the brilliant people who are part of The Openwork Partnership family. We're investing heavily in our colleagues, continuously striving to give them the platform to develop personally and professionally and reach their full potential.
We’re also very proud of our culture, as one of the Best 100 Large Companies to work for in 2022. The Openwork Partnership values and respects individuality, and we are committed to building an inclusive culture and environment which truly recognises and celebrates our colleague’s individual differences and identities – just like our financial advice, for us, it’s personal. We believe everyone can make a difference, and your race, religion, disability, and gender will never be a barrier. At Openwork, we have a strong ethic of care for each other, where you can balance a successful career with your commitments and interests outside of work. We believe that you will bring your best self to work if you are trusted to choose when, where, and how you do it.
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