Head of Data & Business Insight

This job is brought to you by Jobs/Redefined, the UK's leading over-50s age inclusive jobs board.

As part of the Transport UK Group, West Midlands Trains delivers around 1,300 train journeys a day, for more than 60 million passengers a year, across our two brands - West Midlands Railway and London Northwestern Railway.

We are committed to delivering a safe and reliable train service, by investing in our fleet of trains, stations and employees. As part of this investment, we are looking to recruit a Head of Data and Business Insight on a full-time, permanent basis based at our Head Office in Birmingham.

The Head of Data and Business Insight will transform the existing relationship with Data and Business Insight (DBI) by putting in place the necessary architecture, processes and people-skills to unlock the potential of data. The newly formed DBI team will deliver this transformation by providing subject matter expertise and the toolbox of skills needed to develop and deliver the West Midlands Trains (WMT) Data Strategy.

This is a new role to WMT and will lead the development of a Data Strategy for the business, focused on understanding the current data maturity across the business, the underpinning BI principles needed and providing a framework model against which the organisation can develop.

Please note the closing date for applications is the 6th April 2025.

1st interviews will be held w/c 14th April via MS Teams.

2nd interviews will be held W/C 28th April 2025 at our Head Office in Birmingham.

Please ensure you upload a Cover Letter with your CV.

What does the role involve?

• Lead, develop, and implement the Data Strategy across the business, aligning with stakeholder needs and strategic plans.
• Manage and develop the DBI team, including creating business cases for future growth and establishing a central consultancy team.
• Develop and communicate a Data Strategy aligned with WMT priorities and industry objectives, securing buy-in from internal and external stakeholders.
• Deliver an engagement programme to embed data and business insight principles, influencing improved outcomes and deploying engagement champions.
• Drive innovation through data to enhance train service performance, passenger experience, and commercial growth.
• Align data initiatives with business goals to improve performance and growth through collaboration.
• Facilitate technical process mapping and decision-making for improved data architecture.
• Lead the selection and implementation of a suitable data architecture, ensuring consistency and capturing best practices.
• Act as the primary interface with DfT, RDG, BTP, other TOCs, and industry stakeholders, representing WMT in various forums.
• Negotiate and deliver Business Plan Commitments, KPIs, and initiatives with high standards.
• Seek and adopt best practices to maximize the benefits of the Data Strategy and DBI team, improving train service performance, passenger experience, and commercial growth.

What skills and experience do I need to do the job?

• Proven experience in leading and managing data and business insight teams.
• Ability to develop, motivate, and manage a high-performing team, with the ability to build strong relationships and communicate effectively at all levels.
• Ability to transform disparate information into a coherent framework, with examples of both successes and failures.
• Experience in management information services or similar, understanding how centralised architecture supports non-centralised teams and transforms information into insight.
• Ideally, rail industry experience to understand operational data complexities.
• Experience managing change in unionised and politicised environments, with a track record of successful change delivery.
• Proven experience in data transformation and driving successful outcomes in similar programmes.

What are the salary and benefits?

• Up to £85,000 Dependant on Experience
• Free travel on all our trains and those of other train companies within our parent group company - for you, your partner and any dependent children
• Pension - one of the best schemes available
• 75% off all other train company travel tickets
• Retail discounts
• Career development opportunities