Head of Data and Artificial Intelligence

Old Mutual Life Assurance Company (SA) Ltd; Cape Town; On-site; ZAR 3,000,000 - 5,000,000; Full time

Job summary

Old Mutual Life Assurance Company (SA) Ltd in Cape Town is seeking a Head of Data to create and execute a comprehensive data, analytics and AI strategy. You will design and run the data environment and AI capabilities, govern data assets, and align data initiatives with the organization’s propositions across banking, insurance and rewards.

In this strategic role you’ll partner with executives to balance governance, risk, and growth, drive data‑driven decision making, and assess emerging

Job description

Let's Write Africa's Story Together!

Old Mutual is a firm believer in the African opportunity and our diverse talent reflects this.

Job Description

The Head of Data is a strategic senior management role responsible for creating enterprise value from the organization's data and analytics assets and ecosystem, building and running the data and AI foundation of the central ecosystem team including the governed data environment, customer intelligence, AI and recommender capabilities that allow banking, insurance, savings and rewards propositions to work together for customers. This position leads data strategy for the central team, governance and analytics capabilities to enable informed decision-making across the organization and drive competitive advantage. This includes engineering, data science, AI, analytics and governance, and decides which capability is needed, and when, to deliver the ecosystem objectives. The role bridges business and technology, partnering with executive leadership to align data initiatives with the ecosystem objectives while managing risk, ensuring compliance (including RDARR and POPIA) and fostering a data-driven culture. The role also scans emerging technologies, including generative and agentic AI and quantum computing, and decides when they are ready to be applied.

Primary Purpose

You will establish and execute a comprehensive data, analytics and AI strategy that balances defensive imperatives (governance, compliance, risk management, data quality) with offensive opportunities (revenue growth, innovation, AI-enabled decision-making). You will also design and build the data environment and the AI and recommender capabilities that deliver the ecosystem’s propositions, deciding which engineering, data science and analytics skills are needed at each stage, and keep the ecosystem ready for emerging technologies such as agentic AI and quantum computing, adopting them only where there is a clear value case. You will serve as a strategic business leader, not solely a technology manager, accountable for ensuring that data and analytics investments deliver measurable business value while maintaining the trust, security and integrity of customers’ and the Group’s data assets.