Chief Data Officer

As our Chief Data Officer, you will lead the delivery of our Data Strategy and drive a data-driven culture across HSE.

Specifically, you will join an environment that is based on a strategy rolled out in 2022 and further developed and refined throughout 2024/25, combining short-term wins with long-term strategy.

We are focused on recognising and unlocking the strategic value of data, enhancing collaboration through targeted data initiatives, managing risk associated with complex and evolving data structures, and supporting evidence-based decision-making and robust outcome assessments.

Your role will be to lead the implementation of this data strategy, embedding the principles of data as a shared, strategic asset and championing a hub-and-spoke model, balancing centralised data governance with divisional empowerment.

In this newly established role, you will also:

• Consolidate existing data activities to form the foundation of a central Data Hub
• Deliver high-impact use cases while simultaneously building organisational data capability
• Manage teams of technical specialists and data professionals
• Scale the data hub to meet needs and line manage specific teams within it
• Develop local 'spoke' teams to manage local requirements
• Create guidance and frameworks to support the data hub and spoke teams, Webrecruit and the Health and Safety Executive are equal opportunities employers, value diversity and are strongly committed to providing equal employment opportunities for all employees and applicants for employment. Equal opportunities are the only acceptable way to conduct business and we believe that the more inclusive our environments are, the better our work will be.

Do you have experience in Leadership?, To be considered as our Chief Data Officer, you will need:

• Experience in leading the development and implementation of successful data strategies that enhance organisational performance, effectiveness, and efficiency
• Extensive experience leading large-scale strategy and data transformation initiatives
• Experience in data risk management, including getting owners of data assets to take responsibility for risks, and helping people use risk assessment results to make decisions instead of relying on opinion
• Experience in senior-level data leadership roles, fostering cultural change and advancing data maturity
• Experience of building and leading inclusive, high-performing teams that demonstrate accountability and innovation by acting as a visible and authentic role model
• Skills in evaluating existing data systems and technologies to define and implement data architecture and strategic direction
• Skills in analysing complex problems, organising information, and identifying key factors and underlying causes
• The ability to generate evidence-based, objective insights and make effective decisions in critical situations and dilemmas
• The ability to build cross-organisational relationships and deliver tangible outcomes
• Excellent communication skills with a proven ability to influence stakeholders and communicate effectively across complex organisational structures

Salary of £81,000 per annum

• A Civil Service Pension with an employer contribution of 28.97% (equating to £23,465)
• Generous parental leave
• Childcare benefits
• On-site facilities including fitness centres and staff canteen
• Occupational sick pay
• Access to a wide range of additional benefits

This is an exceptional opportunity for a highly talented data professional with strategic-level experience and an outstanding leadership style to join our vital, national organisation.

We're offering the chance to play a defining role in the next chapter of our transformation, joining us at a pivotal moment and leading the evolution of our data capabilities. You'll be given plenty of freedom to work how you wish, the right platform to deliver innovation and excellence and the support and trust to enable you to thrive.

What's more, you'll be in a position to put your ideas into practice, and for them to be felt across the entire Executive. You'll have the chance to explore your leadership capabilities and fulfil your potential as the driving force behind the data function and, on top of this, undertake work that will truly matter.

So, if you are looking for fulfilment and your essential next step, we are waiting to hear from you.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is Britain's national regulator for workplace health and safety. We're dedicated to protecting people and places, ensuring everyone can lead safer and healthier lives at work. Following the launch of our organisational strategy in 2022 and further development in 2024/25, we are entering a defining phase in our data transformation journey - one that blends immediate, high-impact delivery with long-term capability building. We are now looking for a Chief Data Officer to join us on a permanent, full-time basis. Job-share options are also available.