Data Platform Lead

Job Title: Data Platform Lead

Location: London

Job Type: Permanent

Agencies: We will only work with recruitment partners on our preferred supplier list and will not engage with speculative CVs submitted.

Are you passionate about making life science life changing and delivering impact for patients? We want to hear from you.

About the role:

The purpose of this key role is to build and evolve our data platform ecosystem, aligned with business outcomes and enabling business value in line with Technology strategy.

This role will lead the establishment of a new data and knowledge platform, building maturity over a multi-year roadmap. The role will work collaboratively with stakeholders to drive the value-focused data platform strategy and successful delivery. The role will lead on technology evaluation and recommendations, as well as sourcing skills to build a right-sized data platform team within LifeArc. The role will drive the definition and delivery of a multiyear roadmap of data platform establishment and development of the platform services, leading a matrix team, serving the needs of both clinical, scientific and enterprise stakeholders, and ensuring value delivery from data platform investments.

The role reports into the Director of Technology and will form part of a new team of Platform Leads who will drive the evolution and execution of our recently Board-approved Digital, Data and Technology Strategy.

The role responsibilities include:

• Drive development of Data and Knowledge Platform strategy, roadmap planning and architecture aligned with the organisation's business needs and objective
• Leading cross-functional teams, including technology, data science, lead business users, and executive leadership to align data platform initiatives with organisational goals
• Evaluate and recommend data services and technologies to deploy data architecture and meet the enterprise and scientific needs of LifeArc
• Deploys data analysis, modelling, transformation and integration skills to implement the data platform, ensuring quality, governance, orchestration and automation, and visualisation. Create and manage data models in line with best practice.
• Work closely with stakeholders to understand the needs, problems and opportunities to align on data product and dashboard design, navigating complex, occasionally competing needs.
• Ensure data platform solutions are reliable, secure, and compliant with regulations and policies
• Work towards implementing design principles such as achieving a single version of the truth for key data assets across the LifeArc architecture
• Working in close partnership with the Data Governance Council, who will be developing policies, procedures and standards to maintain data quality and compliance in parallel with this initiative.
• Provide the necessary data platform infrastructure to enable for data scientists to carry out ML/AI projects on scientific and human health data. The role will have a scientific compute specialist reporting into it.
• Ensure the availability of reporting and visualisation tools for business users
• Platform service performance management – set up continuous monitoring of data platform(s) performance, security, resiliency and cost-efficiency

Education & experience required:

• Proven experience leading data engineering teams to build modern data platforms
• Hands on data analysis and modelling skills – working iteratively with stakeholders to assess data needs, problems and opportunities, seeking to maximise value of data products, usability and Ux / experience
• Experience of managing highly sensitive, confidential data
• Proven experience in data platform technologies – programming skills (e.g. SQL, Python, Terraform), cloud platforms (Azure preferred), and data warehousing products (Snowflake preferred).
• Familiarity with data pipeline orchestration, metadata management, containerisation (Docker), orchestration (Kubernetes) and Infrastructure as Code (e.g. Terraform)
• Experience in setting up and maintaining CI/CD pipelines and DevOps practices, and experience of version control systems (Git/GitHub)
• Expertise in business intelligence tools, analytics, and converting analysis into actionable business insights
• Knowledge of data governance, security and access management, data quality and compliance with industry standards and regulations
• Understanding of data security best practices and disaster recovery planning.

Desirable:

• Experience of managing clinical/ human health data
• Experienced with product management and project approaches and able to drive progress within hybrid environment
• Familiarity with data science and AI/ML approaches that the data platform infrastructure and environments will enable
• Experience contributing to data sharing agreements and Data Protection Impact Assessments an interest in, or background in the Life Sciences would be beneficial

Skills & abilities:

• Ability to prepare engaging presentation materials for senior stakeholders to build support for vision, business case and plans
• Agile, cross functional matrix team working with tech, PMO and business /science colleagues
• Ability to drive implementation of structured, design principles-based approach in close partnership with architect
• Learning agility and versatility, able to ‘roll up sleeves’ and operate independently to add value in a small team
• High EQ, with ability to navigate complex and competing stakeholder needs, creating clarity within ambiguity

About us:

LifeArc is a not-for-profit life science organisation, leading the way for change in rare diseases in the UK and supporting promising initiatives in global health. We seek out research in areas of unmet need that has great potential, providing support to help it become breakthroughs that change lives.

What we can offer you:

Focused on finding life changing solutions for underserved patients, our people thrive in an inclusive, and supportive environment that prioritises their health and wellbeing. Our multidisciplinary approach guarantees our people growth opportunities, while our culture of innovation and collaboration drives the impact we make delivering on our purpose of ‘putting patients at the centre of everything we do’.

We are dedicated to creating a diverse, flexible, equitable and happy work environment so our colleagues can thrive as their truest selves. We act with courage, curiosity, care & commitment to deliver quality & excellence for our patients and each other Join us, and you’ll be given the scope to develop your professional skills and experience in a safe, supportive and challenging environment.

Salary will be determined by qualifications and experience along with other exceptional benefits. Because we understand everyone has different requirements, our flexible benefits allow you to choose those which are important to you. Our pension scheme offers employer contributions of up to 12%, private health insurance, and annual leave of 31 days PLUS bank holidays.

Don’t meet every single requirement? Studies have shown that women and people from minority ethnic backgrounds, for example, are less likely to apply to jobs unless they meet every single qualification. At LifeArc we are dedicated to building a diverse, inclusive, and authentic workplace, so whatever your background or lived experience, if you’re excited about this role but your experience doesn’t align perfectly with every qualification in the job description, we encourage you to apply anyway. Our top priority is finding the best candidate, and you may be just right for this or other roles.

We all have potential. At LifeArc, you’ll discover what you can really do with it.