UK, Hybrid

⭐️ Our Perks

Values-driven culture – we’re really proud of our culture. 

 Drive your own experience 

• Personalised Learning and Development Budget
• Hybrid working hours – Each team has their own Smart Working Charter that empowers you to do your work in the best way you can
• Technology – Your choice of Mac or Windows

✨ Empowering you to be your most authentic self 

• 25 Holiday Days + your local bank holidays
• 1 Birthday day – it only happens once a year!
• 3 So Giving Days - spend these days giving back to your chosen cause
• Religious Celebrations Leave
•  Mental Healthcare – Sessions with Unmind
• Enhanced Family Leave

So Energy

Who we are

So Energy was created in 2015 because we knew energy suppliers could be better. Since then, we’ve grown rapidly but sustainably, with 350,000 customers and over 450 Energists (what we call our people). But we’re not done. We’re on the road to a net zero future, and thanks to our partnership with ESB, we’re well on the way. We’re customer-centric, tech-led, and passionate about sustainability.

We want to do the best we can for our customers, each other, and our planet, so we’ve created a workplace that's encouraging, supportive, and offers the opportunity for growth. As a company, we live by six core values that guide everything we do:

• Clear
• Honest
• Ambitious
• Inquisitive
• Caring
• Sustainable

The RoleHead of Data at SO ENERGY

The Head of Data is responsible for leading the company’s data-driven transformation by building scalable, cutting-edge data infrastructures and implementing advanced analytics and artificial intelligence (AI) strategies. This role will drive the company’s data strategy to foster continuous innovation, ensure data-driven decision-making, and future-proof the business by leveraging emerging trends in AI, machine learning, data automation, and real-time insights. The Head of Data will oversee Data Engineering, Business Intelligence, and Data Science to ensure data remains a core asset that powers growth, customer-centricity, and operational efficiency.

Reporting to our Muhammad Khan, Technology Director 

What you’ll be getting up to:

Business Intelligence and Real-Time Analytics:

• Drive the evolution of the company’s BI capabilities from static reporting to dynamic, real-time, and self-service analytics, empowering teams with on-demand insights.
• Develop and implement advanced data visualization platforms that are intuitive, interactive, and seamlessly integrated with business workflows to democratize data usage across the organization.
• Champion the use of augmented analytics, leveraging AI to automate data analysis and uncover hidden patterns and trends in real time, reducing reliance on manual reporting.
• Align BI efforts with business strategy, ensuring data insights inform critical decisions in customer engagement, marketing, product development, and operational efficiency.

AI, Data Science, and Machine Learning for Competitive Advantage:

• Lead the Data Science and Machine Learning team in embedding predictive analytics and AI-driven decision-making across key business functions, from customer segmentation to operational forecasting.
• Explore and implement AI technologies such as natural language processing (NLP), computer vision, and recommendation systems to enhance customer experience and operational processes.
• Stay ahead of advancements in AI, focusing on the development of explainable AI models to ensure transparency and trust in decision-making processes.
• Utilize cutting-edge techniques such as federated learning and reinforcement learning to ensure the company can leverage data without compromising privacy, security, or scalability.

Data Infrastructure and Engineering:

• Architect a future-proof, scalable, and secure data infrastructure that leverages cloud-native and edge-computing technologies.
• Transition the organization towards a real-time data pipeline architecture, facilitating immediate access to insights for faster business decisions.
• Oversee the development and automation of data pipelines and workflows to ensure data integrity, availability, and integration across various systems.
• Lead the exploration and implementation of advanced data technologies, including data lakes, event-driven architectures, and microservices, to handle increasing volumes of structured and unstructured data.

Leadership and Strategy for a Data-Driven Organization:

• Develop and champion a holistic data strategy that aligns with long-term business goals and market trends, positioning data as a strategic asset across all departments.
• Promote a culture of data literacy and continuous learning, ensuring that every business function can interpret and act on data insights to drive results.
• Drive innovation by experimenting with emerging technologies, such as synthetic data generation, real-time AI-powered decision systems, and blockchain for data security.
• Collaborate with C-suite executives to align data initiatives with corporate objectives and spearhead the company’s journey to becoming a fully data-driven organization

Collaboration and Stakeholder Management:

• Build strong cross-functional relationships to ensure data solutions align with the needs of key stakeholders in departments like Finance, Operations, Customer Services, and Marketing.
• Proactively identify opportunities where data insights can drive new revenue streams, improve customer acquisition and retention, or enhance operational efficiency.
• Serve as the company’s thought leader in data innovation, continuously educating the leadership team on the strategic potential of emerging data technologies.
• Foster collaboration between data engineers, data scientists, business analysts, and product teams to ensure seamless integration of data insights into product development and business operations.

Future-Readiness and Innovation:

• Constantly monitor and experiment with the latest trends in AI, data engineering, and analytics, ensuring the company remains a leader in data innovation.
• Explore opportunities in decentralized data architectures and multi-cloud environments to enhance agility and resilience.
• Leverage advances in quantum computing and edge analytics to prepare the organization for next-generation data challenges, such as ultra-high-speed decision-making and processing vast datasets in real time.
• Cultivate partnerships with academic institutions, data science communities, and technology vendors to stay on the cutting edge of research and developments in data science and AI.

This role will be a great fit if:

• Passionate about Data: You have a deep passion for data and its potential to transform business operations and drive growth. You're always excited about uncovering new insights and applying them to solve complex business challenges.
• Curious and Innovative: You are constantly exploring the latest trends in data science, AI, and analytics, and you enjoy experimenting with emerging technologies to find creative solutions that push the boundaries of what’s possible.
• Problem Solver: You thrive in solving intricate problems and can translate complex data into actionable insights. You enjoy navigating through ambiguity, breaking down challenges into manageable pieces, and finding solutions that deliver real impact to the business.
• Business-focused: You can translate technical data insights into business terms that drive growth. You don’t just focus on the numbers—you focus on the value they bring to the company and its customers.
• Technologically Savvy: You are well-versed in cutting-edge data technologies such as cloud platforms, AI, and machine learning. You have experience working with tools like SQL, Python, and data visualization platforms like Looker or Tableau, and you're always eager to learn more.
• Strategic Thinker: You have a strong ability to align data initiatives with broader business objectives, ensuring that data remains a central part of the company’s strategy. You're able to look beyond the numbers and understand the bigger picture, using data to guide long-term decisions.
• Leader and Mentor: You are an empathetic and inspiring leader, able to mentor cross-functional teams across Data Engineering, BI, and Data Science. You know how to foster innovation, encourage collaboration, and nurture a data-driven culture within your teams.
• Innovator at heart:You are always looking for opportunities to drive the business forward through data, whether that’s through exploring quantum computing for faster processing, or using AI for real-time, actionable insights. You are not content with the status quo—you’re always thinking ahead.
• Collaborative: You excel in working with various stakeholders, from senior leadership to technical teams, ensuring that data-driven solutions are aligned with business needs. You are skilled at communicating complex ideas in a simple, relatable way, helping others see the value of data.
• Data Ethics Advocate: You understand the importance of data governance, compliance, and ethical AI practices, and you’re committed to ensuring that data is used responsibly and in line with industry regulations.

Research shows that some people are less likely to apply for a roleunless they are 100% qualified.Your experience, skills and passion will set you apart so tell us about your achievements, irrespective of whether they are personal or work-related, tell us about your journey, and about what you learnt.

So, if this role excites you, don’t let our role description hold you back, get applying!

Want to tailor your application? 

Hiring Process

1. Talent Interview with Head of Talent
2.  Technical Interview with Richard Atkins (Staff Data Engineer) & Holly Willis (Business Intelligence Team Leader)
3. Leadership interview with Lucy Webb (Head of People Partnering), Michael Campbell (Marketing Director) & Charlie Davies (COO & Co-Founder)

Support –If you have a medical condition or an individual need for an adjustment to our process, and you believe this may affect your ability to be at your best – please let us know so we can talk about how we can best support you and make any adjustments that may be needed.

Applications will close on 6th of January 2025

Our Values

We look for people who share our values and can add to our culture. Values are shared beliefs that guide our decision-making, culture is how we function as a group and how we live our values as individuals.

Clear - The energy industry can be pretty complex so we strive to provide clear communication to our customers and colleagues

Honest - Transparency is key, Whether that's providing clear bills to our customers or trusting our staff to do the right thing.

Ambitious - All of us are ambitious about the future of So Energy and what we can contribute to it.

Inquisitive - We are also questioning the Status Quo to see if there is a better way to do things for our customers

Caring - We care about the work we are doing, our customers and our colleagues
Sustainable - As a renewable energy company we are providing sustainable products but we also care about sustainable careers. That's why learning and continuous development is so important to us.

Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging

At So Energy, we’re committed to cultivating an environment that promotes diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging. We are a global community and we believe our unique qualities should be celebrated as they are critical to our innovation. It’s essential to us that you bring your authentic self to work every single day, no matter your age, ethnicity, religion, citizenship, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability status, caring responsibilities, neurodiversity, or otherwise. Inclusion isn’t just an initiative at So Energy. We strive to embed it not just into our values but throughout our entire culture.