We are seeking a strategic, innovative, and highly collaborative Director of Data & Analytics to establish and lead a newly formed Data & Analytics department within our IT function. Reporting to the VP IT, this leadership role is responsible for defining the vision, direction, and roadmap for enterprise data and analytics capabilities.
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The successful candidate will oversee the development and management of data platforms, business intelligence (BI) tools, data classification frameworks, and, in the future, integration and ETL strategies. As this is a newly established department, the Director will play a crucial role in shaping its structure, processes, and value delivery across the organization.
Responsibilities:
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Strategy & Leadership:
- Define and implement a comprehensive Data & Analytics strategy aligned with business and IT goals.
- Build and lead a high-performing Data & Analytics team, including recruiting, mentoring, and developing talent.
- Establish data governance, architecture, and standards in collaboration with security, compliance, and business stakeholders.
- Promote a data-driven culture across the organization through advocacy and education.
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Platform & Architecture Oversight:
- Oversee the design, implementation, and maintenance of scalable and secure data platforms.
- Drive the selection, deployment, and management of modern BI tools and dashboards to democratize data access and enable self-service analytics.
- Lead the development and implementation of data classification and data quality frameworks.
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Collaboration & Stakeholder Engagement:
- Partner closely with business units, product teams, and IT leaders to understand data needs and deliver impactful analytics solutions.
- Serve as a thought leader and strategic advisor on all things data, bridging technical solutions with business value.
- Foster cross-functional collaboration to integrate data across disparate systems and functions.
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Future-Focused Initiatives:
- Prepare the organization for advanced data integration, ETL, and pipeline automation capabilities.
- Stay abreast of emerging technologies, tools, and methodologies to continually enhance the data strategy.
Qualifications:
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Education & Experience:
- 10+ years of experience in IT and Data leadership roles, with at least 5 years in a strategic data/analytics leadership position.
- Proven track record of designing and executing enterprise-wide data strategies.
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Skills & Competencies:
- Deep understanding of data platforms (e.g., data lakes, data warehouses), BI/analytics tools (e.g., Power BI, Tableau), and cloud data ecosystems (predominantly using Azure).
- Knowledge of data classification, data governance, and data lifecycle management.
- Familiarity with ETL tools and integration frameworks (e.g., Informatica, Talend, Apache NiFi, dbt).
- Strong leadership and team-building skills with a collaborative, influential approach.
- Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills, including experience working with executive leadership.
Location: Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi Emirate, United Arab Emirates (On-site)
