Job Title: Principal Data Strategist
Location: UK
Reports to: UK Data leader
Role Overview
As a Strategic Data Principal Consultant within our European Data Practice, your primary responsibility will be to collaboratively connect our clients’ strategic ambitions with powerful data-driven solutions. Working closely with internal teams and external stakeholders, you will develop compelling value propositions, define clear success metrics, and ensure data initiatives align closely with measurable business outcomes. Your role will actively foster teamwork, promoting a collaborative culture that leverages collective expertise to drive transformative outcomes using data and AI.
Key Responsibilities
Collaborative Strategic Advisory
- Work in close partnership with senior client stakeholders and cross-functional internal teams to co-create data strategies aligned with clients’ business objectives. Foster and nurture collaborative relationships that encourage data-driven decision-making across organisational boundaries.
Maturity Assessment and Collaborative Roadmapping
- Lead cross-functional workshops and assessments, engaging collaboratively with stakeholders to evaluate the current state of clients’ data and analytics capabilities. Collaboratively build comprehensive roadmaps, ensuring buy-in and alignment across technical, business, and operational teams.
Team-driven Capability and Culture Development
- Actively collaborate with clients and internal specialists to develop and implement organisational frameworks and processes. Champion teamwork and inclusive engagement to build data literacy, promote shared understanding, and cultivate a culture of collective data utilisation.
Transformation and Team Leadership
- Lead strategic data and AI initiatives by working inclusively across diverse teams, actively listening, and navigating complex stakeholder landscapes. Support internal teams and client stakeholders through transformational journeys, ensuring collaborative decision-making and shared ownership of outcomes.
Thought Leadership and Knowledge Sharing
- Contribute proactively to internal knowledge-sharing activities and external thought leadership efforts, promoting a collaborative learning culture. Stay informed of industry trends and best practices, sharing insights internally and externally to elevate collective team capability.
Your Skills & Experience
To succeed in this highly collaborative role, you will need a blend of strategic foresight, technical understanding, and exceptional interpersonal skills, including:
Strategic Consulting Experience
- Proven experience (7+ years) in strategic consulting roles, creating comprehensive data strategies and collaborating with cross-functional teams to deliver solutions aligned to business objectives.
Technical and Functional Expertise
- Deep knowledge of relevant data architectures, methodologies, technologies, and roadmapping processes, combined with experience collaboratively aligning teams on multi-year plans, timelines, and resource needs.
Data Governance and Collaboration
- Experience working alongside diverse teams to develop and implement effective Data Governance frameworks, collaboratively defining clear KPIs and monitoring strategies to ensure successful governance outcomes.
Collaborative Leadership and Stakeholder Engagement
- Track record of successfully leading and collaborating on large multi-disciplinary projects, engaging actively with both client teams and internal specialists. Demonstrated ability to build trusted relationships and facilitate alignment across stakeholders at executive levels.
Transformation and Change Management Skills
- Experience collaboratively recommending and implementing organisational and operational change at a divisional or organisational level. Proven ability to guide executive teams through transformational journeys, emphasising shared decision-making and collective ownership.
Cross-disciplinary Data Insight
- Broad understanding and practical experience working collaboratively across multiple data-related disciplines (Data Engineering, Data Science, Data Quality, Application Integration, Data Visualisation) to deliver impactful solutions.
Team-focused Innovation and Influence
- Proven ability to inspire, motivate, and collaborate with internal teams and clients to champion innovative data practices. A history of fostering team success, driving collaborative innovation, and positioning your teams as trusted strategic advisors.