Head of Data

BELONG. There’s no place like Principality.

Our home is your home. So, when you decide to join the team, we’ll go further to bring you the warmest of welcomes. From a friendly and inviting environment to a flexible benefit package designed around you – when it comes to belonging, there really is no place like Principality. We keep it flexible wherever possible; we encourage you to look after yourself; we do our bit in the communities we serve and support you in doing the same, and we promise to get better together.

Some reasons you may want to consider working with us; we have an award-winning flexible/hybrid working policy, we’re a 2022 winner of UK Best Large Workplaces for Women, we have a refurbished hi-tech office in the centre of Cardiff designed around colleague feedback, we ranked number 6 for wellbeing in 2022,  we have an extensive financial and well-being benefits package ‘’Belong’’ designed to put our people first, we have consistent colleague engagement scores of over 85% and a caring community of supportive Networks. But that’s not all, discover why there’s really no place like Principality; https://www.principality.co.uk/careers

We are seeking a visionary data leader to drive our data strategy and transformation agenda. This role is responsible for leading data strategy, governance, product & services, management, engineering, and analytics across the organisation. You will combine strategic transformation of our data capabilities with the operational management of data services—ensuring integrity, accessibility, and security at every stage.

As the Head of Data, you will be pivotal in enabling data-driven decision-making, enhancing business intelligence, and advancing our cloud-first data services function.

Key Responsibilities:

Strategic Leadership

• Design, build, and deliver the Data Services Target Operating Model to support a product-led business strategy.
• Develop and implement a comprehensive data strategy aligned with enterprise goals.
• Drive adoption of advanced analytics, AI, and machine learning to power insights and decision-making.
• Lead the transition to a scalable, efficient cloud-first data architecture.

Data Governance

• Establish and maintain robust data governance frameworks, policies, and standards.
• Ensure compliance with GDPR, FCA guidelines, and other financial services regulations.
• Promote a data-driven culture through education and advocacy.

Data Management & Operations

• Oversee data infrastructure, including warehouses, lakes, and cloud-based platforms.
• Manage the full data lifecycle: acquisition, storage, processing, and archiving.
• Safeguard availability, quality, and security of all data assets.

Product Management

• Define and execute the product strategy and roadmap for data services.

Engineering, BI & Analytics

• Lead the development and rollout of BI tools and analytics solutions to support strategy and operations.
• Partner with business units to define KPIs, OKRs, and success metrics.
• Deliver actionable insights to fuel business performance and innovation.

Team Leadership

• Build and lead a high-performing data team with a culture of collaboration, innovation, and excellence.
• Mentor and develop talent, enabling continuous growth and skills development.
• Partner with IT, legal, compliance, and other teams to align data initiatives across the enterprise.

Cloud Data Services

• Manage cloud-based data services for scalability, performance, and cost-efficiency.
• Partner with cloud providers and external vendors to leverage emerging technologies.
• Ensure strong business continuity planning for all cloud data operations.

Regulatory Compliance

• Guarantee compliance of all data products and services with UK financial services regulations.
• Stay ahead of regulatory developments and proactively adapt strategies and processes.

What We’re Looking For

We want a proven leader with a deep understanding of data management in financial services and the ability to translate vision into execution. You will be commercially astute, technologically forward-thinking, and experienced in building enterprise-level data capabilities.

• Significant experience in data leadership, strategy, and governance in a regulated environment
• Strong track record of delivering enterprise-wide transformation in data and analytics
• Expertise in cloud data platforms, AI, and business intelligence
• Skilled in stakeholder engagement, team leadership, and cross-functional collaboration
• Proven ability to deliver compliant, secure, and innovative data services at scale

Our most important asset is our people. We value a healthy work-life balance and currently offer a 35-hour work week with our hybrid approach enabling you to have a mix of office days and remote working.   

Your base location for this role will be our Head Office, Principality House, The Friary, Cardiff, CF10 3FA

If you have any questions in relation to this role, please contact the recruitment team at -recruitment@principality.co.uk

‘’We are passionate about creating an inclusive workplace where diversity is celebrated and where colleagues feel a sense of belonging’’ Daniel Priest, Inclusion Manager. But don’t just take our word for it, see what our colleagues say about working here too; Careers (principality.co.uk)