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Head of Data Science and Engineering

Reporting to:
Director of Data Services
Team:
Digital, Data and Technology
Contract type:
Permanent
Salary:
Between £84,011 and £107,348 per annum dependent on skills and experience, plus excellent benefits package.
Location:
Brighton/hybrid (8 days per month in the office)
Closing date:
Friday 14 June 2024

Job ref: 188628

TPR grade: TDD 4 - Head of

Interview dates: Between 25 June and 5 July 2024

About us

More than half the UK working population rely on The Pensions Regulator (TPR) to regulate their retirement savings. With a career at TPR, you’ll be joining an organisation that will impact on millions of lives for decades to come.

Everyone at TPR plays an important role in helping to keep more than £2trn of savings safe. We’re committed to bringing people into TPR who are ready to make a difference and put UK savers at the heart of what we do.

It is important to us that TPR remains a great place to work. We do all we can to help our people reach their full potential with learning, secondment, and development opportunities. We put our 900+ employees first, supporting flexible working and offer a diverse, lively, and inclusive environment. This includes our Disability Network, Family Network, LGBT+ Network (Proud), Minority Ethnic (ME) Network and Women’s Network, which offer spaces to connect.

Our new corporate strategy outlines a bold and challenging vision of how pensions regulation should evolve to keep pace with a change in the scale and nature of the industry. We are at the start of that journey. Join us to find out what part you can play.

We operate a hybrid working model, with regular attendance in our Brighton office to connect with colleagues across the business.

Role

We have an exciting opportunity for a Head of Data Science and Engineering to join our senior team in a key leadership role. Our Data team is growing in size and capability. It includes 6 teams comprising of around 30 data specialists in domains across the full spectrum of data activity. As Head of Data Science and Engineering, you will inform and develop capabilities to empower the transformation of TPR into a data enabled regulator.

Our Data, Digital and Technology vision is that we want to be a catalyst for pensions innovation and regulatory effectiveness. Using digital, data, and technology to revolutionise pension regulation, making it more efficient, secure, transparent, and customer-centred. Our Data Team has accountability for the data estate and is responsible for defining, developing and implementing the organisation’s approach to data. Driving TPR towards becoming more data enabled, by facilitating effective use and innovative exploitation of high-quality data and promoting data as a strategic business asset. We're data-enabled, not data-driven: we work with engineers, product managers, and other disciplines to understand how data can best support the needs of the organisation and ultimately savers.

We’re on a fast-paced journey, and in recent years TPR has gone through significant technological and business change, including having fully migrated to Microsoft Azure. As part of this new system, we have established an Azure data platform and engineering capability. Working with our Data Scientists we want to fully utilise our data for the benefit of savers.

We’ve laid the foundations of a modern data architecture within the Microsoft Cloud (Azure) and need a skilled and enthusiastic Data Science and Engineering leader to support the Director of Data in the continued innovation and development of our data capabilities. Joining at this exciting stage in our growth, you’ll play a vital part in shaping the future of the data science and engineering capabilities at TPR.

This is an exciting time to join our growing team and play a vital role in our continuing journey of data-enabled design transformation, making data the key enabler in our mission to put the savers at the heart of everything we do.

Responsibilities

In this role, you will be responsible for:

  • Strategic direction: Deliver the strategic direction for data science and data engineering capability. Work with colleagues to input requirements for further development.
  • Leadership: Lead and develop Data Science and Engineering teams, provide coaching/mentorship ensuring they have the skills and resources to work across platforms and provide that expertise to the organisation.
  • Stakeholder management: Work with business users and product owners to ensure the role of Data Engineering and Data Science exploitation is understood and influences positive change in our designs and how we work. Develop and nurture relationships across public and private sectors to ensure that our data capabilities enable the flow of data in and out of our organisation.
  • Innovation: Drive the realisation of efficiencies across TPR such as in automation, keeping yourself and your team up to date with evolving data and technology trends.
  • Operations and planning: Lead on short to medium term planning and oversee operational processes in your areas, implementing monitoring and alerting practices to ensure service reliability.

Essential and desirable criteria

  • Demonstrable expert understanding of overall data landscape, evolving requirements, technology and trends, and the ability to evolve TPRs Data Science and Engineering ahead of the changing environment.
  • Extensive specialist knowledge of and ability to provide leadership on data science, data exploitation and data engineering.
  • Expert stakeholder management skills required to collaborate with and engage business data owners/stakeholders to continually drive data use to deliver business objectives and outcomes and provide strategic direction and support.
  • Proven ability to collaborate externally to your organisation.
  • Exceptional interpersonal and influencing skills with the proven ability to effectively translate and communicate across technical and non-technical stakeholders. Being a positive advocate for the team internally and externally.
  • In depth understanding of how to encourage and facilitate discussions within a multidisciplinary team, with potentially differing perspectives
  • Expert experience of Azure data platforms and leading teams working on these technologies.

Person specification

  • Excellent communication and listening skills across all levels of business.
  • People and performance management skills.
  • Believe in being a visible and accessible role model.
  • Committed to creating a positive, empowered and inclusive culture.
  • Problem solving and analytical skills.
  • Critical thinking.
  • Creative and innovative approach.

Salary and benefits

As well as a salary between £84,011 and £107,348, we offer:

  • Civil Service Pension arrangements, which are recognised as some of the best in the pensions world
  • discretionary bonus arrangements
  • access to performance related pay progression
  • 25 days annual leave provision
  • flexible working arrangements
  • development opportunities
  • enhanced parental leave arrangements
  • a free employee assistance programme
  • an excellent office location in Brighton

How to apply

To apply please email recruitmentteam@tpr.gov.uk quoting role reference number 188628 along with:

  • a statement no longer than 300 words, describing why you would be a suitable candidate and how your experience and skills meet our essential criteria
  • a copy of your CV

First stage interviews will be taking place from 25 June 2024 with second stage interviews starting from 5 July 2024. When applying, ensure you are available during this time.

Current TPR employees in their first 12 months of employment who want to apply for this vacancy should first contact their line manager to discuss their application.

We are an inclusive employer and offer equal opportunities regardless of an individual’s age, disability, gender identity, marriage or civil partnership status, pregnancy or maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, and sexual orientation.

As a Disability Confident employer, we’re committed to the recruitment, employment, retention, and development of people with disabilities, and to improving their employment opportunities. Candidates who declare that they have a disability and who meet the essential criteria for the job will be offered an interview.

Applications will be considered on a part time and job share basis.

In accordance with Home Office guidance, the successful candidate will be required to provide their right to work in the UK before they start employment. Unfortunately, TPR is not able to offer sponsorship at the time. TPR is a UK-based organisation with a working location in Brighton, candidates must live in the UK to be employed by us.

The Pensions Regulator is an arm’s length government body and part of the public service. 

Any offer of employment will be subject to the receipt of satisfactory background screening checks and criminal record checks (BPSS).

If you have any queries about this role, or if you have a disability and wish to request a reasonable adjustment at any stage of the recruitment process, please email recruitmentteam@tpr.gov.uk.