Chief Data Officer

Old Mutual; Cape Town; On-site; ZAR 1,500,000 - 2,500,000; Full time

Job summary

Old Mutual is seeking a Chief Data Officer to lead the Data Strategy for Project Olympus. This pivotal role involves shaping the data direction, managing analytics capabilities, and ensuring a data-driven culture across the bank. The ideal candidate will possess extensive experience in data management and governance, alongside strong strategic thinking skills.

Qualifications

• 8-10+ years in senior management roles related to Data and Analytics.
• Experience with data technologies such as Data Catalogue and Data Quality tooling.
• Ability to influence at a senior level.

Responsibilities

• Developing and implementing the data strategy and framework.
• Leading the data journey by supporting business units in building data products.
• Overseeing data management, analytics, and governance.

Skills

Data Governance

Data Architecture

Data Analytics

Machine Learning

Predictive Analytics

Stakeholder Management

Education

Postgraduate degree in Computer Science or Engineering

Tools

Data Lakehouse

Data Warehouse (e.g., Snowflake, Redshift)

Data Quality tooling

Stream technologies like Kafka and Flink

Job description

This function is accountable for business ownership of Project Olympus’s Data Strategy, encompassing Data capabilities, the Data operating model (centralized and decentralized functions), Analytics capabilities, and promoting a data-driven culture across the bank. The incumbent will be responsible for creating, interpreting, and implementing the data strategy, including all technologies, automation, processes, and personnel needed to deliver the Data portfolio across all servicing propositions. The Head of the Data Chapter and Analytics Chapter will report to the CDO to ensure a data-driven banking service for Project Olympus’s customers.

The CDO combines technical expertise, strategic thinking, and business acumen, acting as a bridge between data teams, stakeholders, and end-users. They translate complex data concepts into actionable insights to drive value and innovation.

With a deep understanding of data technologies, market trends, and user needs, the CDO shapes the strategic direction of data products, analyzes market demands, identifies opportunities, and makes data-driven decisions to foster product innovation and meet customer expectations.

The incumbent will be accountable for results through the Data and Analytics Chapters, collaborating with other Product Owners and Chapter Leads within the CTO organization and the broader OML Group.

KEY RESULT AREAS

Project Olympus aims to set a differentiated standard for its Data Capabilities, including:

• Developing and implementing the data strategy and framework to leverage data assets for commercialization and risk management.
• Leading the data journey by supporting business units in building and deploying data products (real-time or non-real-time).
• Defining, developing, implementing, and monitoring data governance policies, processes, standards, and guidelines.
• Engaging with stakeholders to understand business needs and establishing a data-driven decision-making approach.
• Designing and building data architecture, infrastructure, and operations.
• Overseeing data management, analytics, and governance, ensuring controls for partner data management.
• Aligning the data ecosystem with Enterprise Data Architecture standards and incorporating AI, automation, and machine learning capabilities.
• Leading data quality management to ensure high data standards (completeness, conformance, accuracy).
• Participating in agile practices, prioritizing data tasks based on business value.
• Developing documentation and training materials to promote data capabilities and culture.
• Driving data governance functions, measuring adherence to standards, and mapping data risks for compliance.
• Driving cost-efficiency through financial governance, managing budgets, and vendor relationships.
• Managing incident and change management, SLAs, and backlog for automation and workflows.
• Ensuring compliance with regulations, standards, and policies, and fostering a culture of continuous learning and development.

ROLE REQUIREMENTS

Qualifications:

• Postgraduate degree in Computer Science or Engineering preferred.

Proven experience in:

• 8-10+ years in senior management roles related to Data and Analytics.
• Experience with data technologies such as Data Catalogue, Data Quality tooling, DBT, Data Lakehouse, Data Warehouse (e.g., Snowflake, Redshift).
• Data Science technologies, including Predictive Analytics and Machine Learning.
• Building modern data tech stacks.
• Stream technologies like Kafka and Flink.
• Understanding of master and reference data architecture.
• Ability to influence at a senior level.