Data Lead

About Scrumconnect

At Scrumconnect, we are a people-first digital consultancy that partners with government and private sector organisations to design, build, and deliver user-centred digital services. We bring together multidisciplinary teams of consultants, designers, engineers, researchers, and data specialists to solve complex challenges and create meaningful outcomes for millions of users.

We are passionate about delivering high-quality digital solutions that improve public services, drive innovation, and create lasting impact. Our culture is built on collaboration, continuous learning, inclusivity, and excellence.

About the Role

Scrumconnect is seeking an experienced Data Lead to lead the development and execution of a strategic data vision for a large-scale government programme supporting services used by millions of citizens.

This role will be responsible for assessing the current data landscape, defining the future-state architecture and operating model, and creating a roadmap that enables data-driven decision making, operational excellence, and regulatory compliance. The successful candidate will provide both strategic leadership and technical direction while helping shape and scale the data capability required to deliver long-term transformation.

Working closely with senior stakeholders, delivery teams, architects, and data specialists, you will ensure that data platforms, governance frameworks, and analytical capabilities align with organisational objectives and government standards.

Key Responsibilities
Data Strategy & Governance

• Lead the development and execution of the overall data strategy.
• Assess and document current ("as-is") data capabilities, platforms, processes, and governance arrangements.
• Define the target ("to-be") data architecture, operating model, and roadmap.
• Establish and maintain data governance frameworks, standards, policies, and best practices.
• Ensure alignment with wider government data strategies and organisational objectives.
• Promote a culture of data-driven decision making across programmes and stakeholders.

Technical Leadership & Architecture

• Provide technical leadership across data engineering, analytics, and data science initiatives.
• Define and evolve data architecture, engineering standards, tools, and methodologies.
• Design scalable, secure, and resilient cloud-based data solutions.
• Oversee the implementation of data platforms, ETL/ELT pipelines, and analytical solutions.
• Ensure data services meet both functional and non-functional requirements, including security, performance, and scalability.
• Drive continuous improvement of data engineering and analytical capabilities.

Team Leadership & Delivery

• Define the optimal team structure, skills, and capabilities required to deliver the data strategy.
• Lead multidisciplinary teams including data engineers, analysts, data scientists, and architects.
• Mentor and support team members to foster technical excellence and professional growth.
• Collaborate with delivery partners and stakeholders to identify and onboard specialist expertise when required.
• Ensure successful delivery of strategic data initiatives within agreed timelines and budgets.

Data Quality, Compliance & Security

• Implement robust data quality, lineage, metadata, and governance practices.
• Ensure compliance with GDPR, security policies, government standards, and regulatory requirements.
• Establish monitoring and reporting mechanisms to maintain data integrity and reliability.
• Support audits, risk assessments, and compliance activities.
• Champion secure-by-design and privacy-by-design principles across all data initiatives.

Stakeholder Engagement

• Build strong relationships with senior stakeholders across business and technical teams.
• Translate complex technical concepts into clear business outcomes and recommendations.
• Present strategic plans, progress updates, and key insights to executive audiences.
• Facilitate workshops and decision-making sessions to drive alignment and delivery.

Essential Skills & Experience
Data Leadership

• Significant experience leading data engineering, analytics, or data science functions within complex organisations.
• Proven track record of developing and delivering enterprise-wide data strategies.
• Experience establishing data governance frameworks and operating models.

Technical Expertise

• Strong experience with AWS cloud services and modern data platforms.
• Expertise in designing and implementing scalable data architectures and engineering solutions.
• Experience with ETL/ELT frameworks, data integration, and pipeline automation.
• Strong understanding of data modelling, data warehousing, and transformation methodologies.
• Experience supporting data science and machine learning initiatives from experimentation through production deployment.
• Strong understanding of data security, governance, and operational best practices.

Public Sector Experience

• Experience delivering data initiatives within government or highly regulated environments.
• Strong understanding of GDPR, information governance, data protection legislation, and public sector compliance requirements.
• Familiarity with Government Digital Service (GDS) standards and ways of working.

Communication & Leadership

• Excellent stakeholder management and communication skills.
• Ability to influence senior leaders and drive strategic decision-making.
• Experience building, leading, and mentoring high-performing data teams.
• Strong facilitation, collaboration, and workshop leadership capabilities.

Technical Environment

Experience with some or all of the following technologies is desirable:

Cloud & Data Platforms

• AWS
• Amazon S3
• AWS Glue
• AWS Lambda
• Amazon Redshift
• AWS Lake Formation

Data Engineering & Analytics

• SQL
• Python
• ETL/ELT frameworks
• Data Warehousing solutions
• Data Modelling methodologies

Performance & Digital Analytics

• Google Analytics
• Google BigQuery
• Google Looker Studio
• Google Tag Manager

Desirable Experience

• Experience within benefits, welfare, citizen services, or wider public sector domains.
• Previous experience delivering services through public sector frameworks.
• Security clearance (BPSS, SC, or DV) or willingness to undergo clearance.
• Experience working within Agile multidisciplinary delivery teams.
• Experience defining and scaling enterprise data capabilities and operating models.