Director of Data

Hippo Digital; Leeds; Hybrid; GBP 100,000 - 125,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading digital services provider in Leeds is seeking a highly motivated Data Director to champion capabilities in Data. This role requires director-level experience and technical expertise, with a focus on internal capability development and client engagement. The ideal candidate will possess exceptional leadership skills and contribute actively to business growth. A competitive salary and comprehensive benefits package are offered, along with opportunities for professional growth in a dynamic environment.

Benefits

Contributory pension scheme

25 days holiday plus UK public holidays

Perkbox access for discounts

Flexible benefits scheme

Cycle-to-work scheme

Salary sacrifice electric vehicles scheme

Qualifications

• Demonstrable director-level experience within professional services or similar environments.
• Proven ability to design and deliver technical training and mentorship programs.
• Experience in developing and managing technology partnerships.

Responsibilities

• Collaborate with profession leaders to develop strategies for building cross-profession expertise.
• Identify and implement operational improvements using your expertise.
• Design and deliver internal training programs and workshops.

Skills

Director-level experience

Technical expertise in Data technologies

Exceptional leadership skills

Public speaking and presentation skills

Strong business acumen

Tools

Data Warehousing

Data Lakes

ETL/ELT technologies

Big Data technologies

Cloud Data Platforms

Job description

About The Role

Hippo is seeking a highly motivated specialist to champion and grow our capabilities in Data. We seek someone with director level experience, technical expertise, and exceptional leadership and communication skills to lead and influence our growth in Data.

Reporting to the Chief Digital Officer, within a team of specialists in their chosen field, the role blends both internal capability development and operational improvement with outward-facing market and client engagement, playing a pivotal role in shaping our future and extending our reach.

This position offers the chance to define excellence, support delivery quality, and foster client confidence. As an expert in your field, you will champion and grow our capabilities in Data by blending a hands‑on approach to projects with active contribution to business development, directly with clients and alongside industry connections and technology partners.

You will work alongside other Service Line Directors in Cyber, AI, and Identity, as well as our Technology and Delivery Directors in our sectors; Government (inc. Education), Healthcare, and Private Sector.

Required Skills & Experience

• Demonstrable director-level experience within professional services or similar environments.
• Technical expertise and practical experience with relevant technologies, platforms, and methodologies (Data Warehousing, Data Lakes, ETL/ELT, Big Data technologies, Data Governance, Cloud Data Platforms).
• Proven ability to design and deliver technical training and mentorship programs.
• Exceptional public speaking, presentation, and communication skills, with a track record of engaging audiences.
• Strong business acumen and understanding of how technology drives commercial outcomes.
• Experience in developing and managing technology partnerships.

Key Responsibilities

Internal Capability Development

• Strategy and roadmap: Collaborate with our profession leaders to develop and execute a comprehensive strategy for building and enhancing cross-profession expertise in your specialism.
• Continuous improvement: Identify and implement operational improvements through the use of your specialism.
• Training and mentorship: Design, deliver, and facilitate internal training programs, workshops, and knowledge‑sharing sessions to upskill existing staff.
• Best practices and standards: Establish and champion best practices, patterns, and quality standards related to your specialism.
• Resource development: Create and collaborate on internal resources, documentation, and playbooks.
• Talent growth: Identify and mentor rising talent within the organisation, fostering a culture of continuous learning and innovation in your specialism.

External Engagement and Business Development

• Proposition Development: Develop and execute proposition strategy, aligned to customer needs, that positions Hippo as a leader in this field.
• Revenue Growth: Owns growth model for the specialism. Collaborate with sectors to achieve growth of service line.
• Thought Leadership: Act as a public face and thought leader for Hippo in your specialism.
• Marketing and Events: Proactively seek out and participate in industry events, conferences, webinars, and meetups as a speaker, panellist, or attendee to build brand awareness and generate leads.
• Content Creation: Contribute to marketing efforts by creating compelling content such as blog posts, whitepapers, case studies, and presentations showcasing our expertise.
• Partner Development: Identify, evaluate, and grow strategic alliances with key technology partners relevant to the specialism. This includes joint solution development, client engagement, co‑marketing, and sales enablement.
• Market Intelligence: Stay abreast of emerging trends, technologies, and competitive landscapes in your specialism to inform internal strategy and external positioning.
• Pre‑sales Support: Provide expert‑level technical and strategic support during the pre‑sales process, developing solutions and proposals, articulate value, and win new business.

About The Company

As well as a competitive salary which we’re transparent about from the outset, you can also expect a range of benefits:

• Contributory pension scheme (Hippo 6% with employee contributions of 2%)
• 25 days holiday plus UK public holidays
• Perkbox access for a wide range of discounts
• Critical illness cover
• Life assurance and death in service cover
• Volunteer days
• Cycle‑to‑work scheme for the avid cyclists
• Salary sacrifice electric vehicles scheme
• Season ticket loans
• Financial and general wellbeing sessions
• Flexible benefits scheme with options of:
  • private health cover
  • private dental cover
  • additional company pension contributions
  • additional holidays (up to an extra 2 days)
  • wellbeing contribution
  • charity contributions
  • tree planting

Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging at Hippo

At Hippo, we’re dedicated to creating a diverse, equitable and inclusive workplace that works for everyone. We understand that having a diverse team unlocks our capacity for innovation, creativity and problem solving. Only by building a community of diverse perspectives, cultures and socio‑economic backgrounds can we create an environment where all can contribute and thrive.

We actively encourage applications from underrepresented groups including women, ethnic minorities, LGBTQ+, neurodivergent and people with disabilities. We are committed to providing an inclusive and accessible recruitment process that reflects our workplace culture. We are a registered Disability Confident Employer, Mindful Employer, Endometriosis Friendly Employer and a member of the Armed Forces Covenant. Hippo continually strives to remove barriers, provide accommodations and offer reasonable adjustments to ensure equity throughout our practices.

Hi, we’re Hippo.

At Hippo, we design with empathy and build for impact. We do this by combining data‑informed evidence, human‑centred design and software engineering. We're a digital services partner who is genuinely invested in helping our clients thrive as modern organisations. Our delivery methodology is truly agile, from concept to reality, supporting innovation and continuous improvement to achieve your desired outcomes.

We firmly believe that technology should serve humanity, not the other way around. We take a human‑centred approach to everything we do because we understand that complex problems require a service design approach. This means understanding how users behave and ensuring our solutions work for them in the real world.

Our combination of data, design, and engineering delivers bespoke digital services that make a positive and meaningful impact on organisations and society. We're confident in our abilities, authentic in our approach, and passionate about what we do. If you're looking for a digital services partner that can deliver real results, let us help you build for the future and make a lasting impact.

Hippo locations

We are headquartered in Leeds and have offices across the UK in Glasgow, Manchester, Birmingham, London and Bristol. We're on the lookout for top talent nationwide but you need to be located within reasonable travelling distance from one of our offices which will be your contracted office location. Given the dynamic nature of a consulting business, you may be required to work on‑site at a Hippo office or at an in/out of town client location for a number of days per week (client dependent) and therefore candidates will need to be open/flexible to travel. Plus, we offer a generous relocation support package of up to £8k (please ask for terms and conditions) to help make your move a smooth one.