Head of Data

The Company
Nigel Wright Tech are delighted to be partnering with Darlington Building Society in their search for a Head of Data. The organisation are undergoing an exciting period of transformation, with technology and data at the heart of this. You will play a crucial role in building and maintaining a modern data infrastructure that can be used and governed across the Society to drive meaningful insights.

The Role
Reporting into the CFO and working closely with the IT team, initially your focus will be understanding the existing landscape, defining the architecture and setting clear principles for the future data platform. Main responsibilities include:

• Shape the architecture and roadmap for the Society's future data environment.
• Lead the development of a modern Azure based data platform.
• Establish robust data models, semantic layers and governance to create greater consistency and a single source of truth.
• Improve reporting, accessibility and self-service capability across the organisation.
• Champion data literacy.
• Develop and lead the data team and strengthen relationships with colleagues across the Society.
• Create the data foundations required to support future AI enablement.

The Requirements
This is a rare opportunity to join a North East based business where you will have genuine influence over the direction, architecture and delivery of its future data environment. Key requirements include:

• Proven experience leading data functions, driving change and bringing stakeholders and the wider team with you on the journey.
• Technical expertise across the Microsoft Azure data ecosystem, including ADF, Databricks, Synapse, SQL and DevOps CI/CD.
• Understanding of Microsoft Purview governance, lineage, classification and policy controls.
• The ability to translate business problems into effective, sustainable data solutions.
• A background within financial services or another regulated environment would be desirable but isn't essential.
• Line management experience.