Head of Data - Azure Data Architect

Head of Data / Azure Data Architect
Chandlers Ford - £100,000+ plus bonus + excellent package
An excellent opportunity for an established Head of Data / Azure Data Architect to join a Global group of companies who are a market-leading provider of engineered solutions for the handling and treatment of water and wastewater. This role will play a crucial part in enabling their digital transformation by overseeing data strategy, governance, and analytics across the group, ensuring the organisation maximizes the value of data assets to support their overall strategy and long-term goals.
About The Role
The Group has seen enormous growth over recent years and is scaling up its investment in technology to drive greater customer engagement and operational efficiency.
You’ll be accountable for defining the data architecture, ensuring data integrity, and developing analytics solutions that drive business insights, operational efficiency, and customer engagement. You’ll also lead the data management and analytics teams, collaborate with various departments, and ensure that data-driven decisions are based on accurate, timely, and well-organised information.
The Head of Data also establishes and enforces policies for data security, compliance, and usage.
Main Responsibilities

• Develop and implement a comprehensive data strategy that aligns with business goals and digital transformation efforts. Ensure proper data governance policies are in place for data quality, integrity, privacy, and security.
  
• Lead the development of advanced analytics platforms and data solutions to support decision-making across the company. Champion the use of analytics, data science, machine learning, and AI to drive innovation and efficiency.
  
• Oversee data architecture, ensuring that it supports the organisation’s data needs and aligns with enterprise standards.
  
• Work closely with senior management, business leaders, and technical teams to understand data needs and opportunities. Provide actionable insights to stakeholders by transforming raw data into meaningful business metrics.
  
• Design and maintain the data infrastructure necessary for optimal storage, processing, and retrieval of large-scale data. Ensure the deployment of tools for efficient data analysis, reporting, and visualisation.
  
• Ensure compliance with relevant data protection regulations (e.g., GDPR) and industry standards. Implement data security measures to protect sensitive information and mitigate risks.
  
• Lead and develop a high-performing data team, both directly and virtually across the business. Foster a culture of continuous improvement, collaboration, and innovation.
  About You
  You will have -
  
• Data Expertise: Strong expertise in data architecture, data governance, and analytics, with a proven ability to deliver strategic data solutions that drive business value. Specific experience with Azure Synapse Analytics, Azure Data Lake, and Azure Databricks for large-scale data processing and analytics.
  
• Technical Proficiency: Extensive experience with cloud-based data platforms, particularly in Microsoft Azure. Proficiency in using Azure SQL Database, Azure Data Factory for ETL processes, Azure Data Lake Storage for scalable data storage, and Azure Stream Analytics for real-time analytics. Familiarity with Azure Purview for data governance and compliance, as well as Azure Machine Learning for building and deploying predictive models.
  
• Leadership Experience: Demonstrated experience leading data teams, driving change, and aligning data strategies with business objectives. Ability to mentor and develop data professionals with expertise in Azure data services.
  
• Analytical Thinking: Strong strategic thinking, decision-making, and problem-solving abilities, with a focus on utilizing Azure tools to drive performance improvements. Skilled in leveraging Power BI integrated with Azure for interactive reporting and visual analytics.
  
• Communication and Influence: Excellent communication skills with the ability to translate complex Azure-based data concepts into understandable insights for non-technical stakeholders.
  
• Global Perspective: Experience managing data strategies and processes at a global scale, with an understanding of regional data regulations and challenges.
  
• Mobility: Ability to travel to various business locations as needed.
  What they can offer you
  
• Competitive salary
  
• Company bonus scheme (annual and quarterly payments)
  
• Medicash Scheme – medical expenses scheme (access to 24hour online GP services, discounted gym memberships)
  
• Pension scheme with contribution based on total earnings not just salary
  
• 24 days holiday + 8 Bank Holidays
  
• Increasing annual leave entitlement with long service
  
• Support for development and training
  
• Employee assistance programme (EAP) & access to Mental Health first aiders
  So, if you are an experienced Head of Data / Data Architect / Azure Data Architect and you are looking for a position that will play a crucial role in enabling digital transformation for a growing multi-site company, this is a role that you should consider.
  To apply, or for more information, contact Mike on (phone number removed)