Head of Data - Newport, South Wales

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Who are we?

We are a gas distribution business that services the gas infrastructure across Wales and the south-west of England. We serve our customers and communities with safe, reliable, and affordable energy services whilst investing to create a sustainable future to deliver our carbon-free vision for 2050.

What we’re looking for?

We are seeking an experienced and visionary Head of Data to craft and execute a comprehensive data strategy that aligns with WWU’s overall business objectives and the commitments published in our Digitalisation Strategy & Action Plan, including compliance with Ofgem’s Data Best Practice guidelines. This role will also champion data governance, data validation, infrastructure, analytics, and AI adoption, while promoting a data-driven culture throughout the organisation.

We’ll trust you to:

• Craft a comprehensive data strategy that aligns with WWU’s overall business objectives, ensuring data drives compliance, efficiency, innovation, and customer satisfaction.
• Promote a data-driven culture, improving data literacy across all departments to enable more effective decision-making.
• Establish and enforce data governance policies and procedures, ensuring data quality, security, and compliance with relevant regulations.
• Oversee the design, implementation, and maintenance of WWU’s data infrastructure, including data warehouses, data lakes, and cloud-based data platforms.
• Lead the development and deployment of Business Intelligence (BI) and analytics capabilities, ensuring actionable insights drive decision-making across the organisation.
• Drive the exploration and adoption of data science and AI technologies, optimising operations, improving predictive maintenance, and enhancing customer experiences.
• Ensure the security and privacy of sensitive data, adhering to data protection regulations and best practices.
• Build and lead a high-performing data team, fostering a culture of collaboration, innovation, and continuous learning.
• Hire and develop a dedicated data governance team, including a Data Triage Officer, Data Process Analysts, and Data Quality Analysts to ensure effective data management.
• Manage the Reporting & Analytics Manager and the Data Validation and Accuracy Manager, and other data-focused roles, including Analytics Engineers, Data Engineers, Power BI Developers, and Data Analysts, to ensure alignment with the organisation’s data and analytics strategy.
• Collaborate with key stakeholders across WWU to understand their data needs and deliver data-driven solutions.

You can read a full job description here.

You’ll need to have:

• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to translate complex data concepts into business value.
• Extensive experience in data strategy, governance, and management, with a proven track record of delivering data-driven transformations.
• Expertise in data architecture, cloud-based data platforms, and business intelligence solutions.
• Strong knowledge of AI, machine learning, and predictive analytics, with experience in applying these technologies to business challenges.
• Demonstrated ability to lead cross-functional teams, building and managing high-performing data professionals.
• Experience in recruiting and structuring data governance teams, ensuring robust data quality and governance practices.
• Experience managing data and analytics teams, including BI, analytics, and engineering professionals.
• Deep understanding of data privacy, compliance, and security regulations, ensuring adherence to industry best practices.
• Experience working with data monetisation strategies and the development of data-driven products.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in the utilities or regulated industries.
• Certifications in data governance, cloud data platforms, or AI technologies.
• Experience implementing data ethics frameworks and responsible AI principles.

We would also love to hear about anything else you feel you could add or bring to the role!

As we are a safety critical organisation, all offers of employment are subject to pre-employment drug & alcohol screening.

What’s in it for you?

• Salary of £80,000 - £90,000 dependant on experience
• Annual bonus of up to 25%
• Company car or car allowance
• Hybrid working
• Flexible working opportunities
• 25 days annual leave plus bank holidays which can be tailored to celebrations that reflect your beliefs
• Retirement Savings Plan (pension) with Aviva: 5% employee contribution, with WWU doubling your contribution at 10% - totalling 15%
• 14 x salary Life Insurance linked to membership of the Retirement Savings Plan
• “Choices” flexible benefit scheme options including corporate gym memberships, dental insurance, and health cash-plans
• Access to our Financial Wellbeing Programme - allowing you to manage your benefits flexibly to suit your financial needs
• Enhanced pay for parental leave
• Retail discounts and cashback scheme
• Friends & Family Discount for Three Mobile and Broadband
• Colleague recognition including Annual Celebrating Excellence Awards
• Living Wage Accredited Employer
• Award winning employer for ‘Outstanding Contribution to Workplace Health and Wellbeing’ and leading the industry in championing equality, diversity and inclusion
• Company Sick Pay
• In-house Occupational Health Team
• Employee Assistance Programme
• Comprehensive training

The way we do things

Our Ambition, Priorities and Values inform everything we do as a business – from our strategic planning to the performance management of our colleagues. Our values underpin everything we do and we are committed to creating a working environment that supports and fosters diversity, inclusion and equity, where all of our colleagues feel valued and supported to contribute to their full potential.

We are focused on creating a culture where it doesn’t matter about gender, race, sexuality or disability; it’s about our colleagues’ skills, the way we do things and how we live our values.

You can find out more here.

Interested?

If you think you’d make a good addition to the team, we would love to hear from you!

To apply, click the link below.

If you would prefer to complete your application form in an alternative format such as Microsoft Word or would like to discuss the role in a little more detail, please contact us at recruitment@wwutilities.co.uk or on 07971 038 982.

You can also ask us about flexible working practices that may be available or tell us if you have any special requirements during the application process.

Apply online now