Senior Director of Data Strategy (USA)

Job Title: Senior Director of Data

Role Overview

We are partnering with a well-established organization that provides workplace wellbeing, mental health, and absence-management solutions to a large base of employer customers across multiple countries. The organization is investing heavily in modernizing its data function as part of a broader technology transformation.

This is a hands-on senior leadership role: you will set a multi-year data strategy while staying close enough to the work to guide your team through a real platform and skills transition — modernizing legacy reporting infrastructure, building a data science function from the ground up, and creating connectivity that makes data accessible across the organization rather than locked in silos.

Key Responsibilities

• Own the data strategy and roadmap, including migration milestones, team growth planning, and investment asks, serving as the go-to voice on data strategy for senior leadership
• Lead modernization of the data platform, retiring legacy reporting tools and migrating to a modern cloud data and BI stack, while defining architecture, data modeling, and engineering standards
• Build data connectivity across the company, moving from siloed systems to a single platform with governance, quality, and observability practices that make data trustworthy
• Build a data science function from scratch — define its charter, hire its first members, and establish how it partners with product and engineering to translate AI ambitions into concrete data requirements and infrastructure
• Grow and develop a team of reporting, data, and analytics engineers; build durable in-house expertise alongside external partners; and set the practices (code review, documentation, on-call) a modern data org runs on
• Partner with leaders across the company to improve how operational and strategic decisions use data

Education & Qualifications

• 8+ years of experience in data engineering, analytics engineering, or data leadership, including 4+ years managing teams, with a track record of developing people through significant change
• Direct experience leading a legacy-to-modern data platform migration (e.g., moving off on-prem or legacy BI tools onto a cloud data platform), not just using one
• Hands-on or architectural experience with a modern cloud data/BI stack
• Experience building or scaling a data science or analytics function, including hiring its first members
• Strong fundamentals in data architecture, data modeling, and data governance
• Experience managing external partners while growing in-house capability
• Excellent communication skills, with comfort presenting data strategy and trade-offs to senior and executive stakeholders

Preferred Experience

• Familiarity with legacy reporting tools and enterprise relational databases (e.g., Crystal Reports, Oracle)
• Experience with modern cloud data/BI platforms (e.g., Databricks, Power BI)
• Experience preparing data infrastructure for ML/AI features (feature stores, data labeling, MLOps foundations)
• Background in a product-led or SaaS organization with data governance experience relevant to HR or healthcare

Why Our Client

• High-visibility, hands-on leadership role owning the full data function — strategy, platform, talent, and governance
• Ground-floor opportunity to build a data science function from scratch
• Real, funded modernization initiative rather than a legacy maintenance role
• Direct partnership with leadership across the company on how data drives decisions
• Fully remote position
• Established, stable organization with a long track record and a large, global customer base

Compensation, Benefits and Perks

• Base salary range: $250,000 – $300,000
• Full benefits package including Paid Time Off (PTO)
• Medical, dental, and vision coverage
• 401(k) with match
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP) and wellness program

Applicants must be currently authorized to work in the United States on a full-time basis now and in the future. This position does not offer sponsorship.

#LI-EC1

#LI-Remote