Head of Business Intelligence & Data Analytics

Head of Business Intelligence & Data Analytics

This is an excellent opportunity for a strategic leader with higher educational experience who will be responsible for delivering business intelligence, analytics, and reporting services that support evidence-based decision-making and institutional performance. You will be required to lead the development of data strategy, governance frameworks, and advanced analytics capabilities to enable data-driven planning and operational excellence across the business.
This is a hybrid role with the expectation to work 2-3 days in the London office. Previous higher education sector experience is required.

Core Skills & Expertise

• Business Intelligence & Analytics Leadership
• Data Strategy & Data Governance
• Power BI (Dashboards, Data Models, Visualisation)
• Data Transformation & Automation (Alteryx)
• Cloud Data Platforms (AWS)
• KPI Development & Performance Analytics
• Higher Education Data & Regulatory Reporting (OfS, HESA)
• Strategic Planning, Forecasting & Scenario Analysis
• Stakeholder Engagement & Executive Communication

Responsibilities:

• Develop and implement the College's Data Strategy, establishing institution-wide data standards, definitions, and governance frameworks.
• Champion data quality, records management, and regulatory compliance aligned with sector requirements (e.g., OfS, HESA).
• Establish and maintain a single source of truth through robust data architecture, reporting standards, and governance processes.
• Align analytics and reporting initiatives with institutional strategy, performance management, and planning priorities.

• Lead the design and delivery of business intelligence solutions using Power BI, including dashboards, reports, and semantic data models.
• Develop and maintain dashboards to monitor institutional KPIs, operational performance, and strategic metrics.
• Deliver advanced data analysis, benchmarking, and scenario modelling to support strategic planning and forecasting.
• Provide complex analytics and insights on key performance indicators, including league tables, National Student Survey results, and regulatory metrics.
• Manage the annual reporting cycle and ensure continuous improvement of institutional reporting frameworks.

• Utilise Power BI, Alteryx, and modern data platforms to transform and deliver actionable insights.
• Work with cloud-based data architectures (e.g., AWS) and collaborate with data engineering teams to enhance analytics capabilities.
• Develop scalable data models, visualisations, and reporting frameworks that support enterprise-wide decision-making.

• Partner with senior leadership, academic schools, and professional services (IT, Finance, HR, Registry) to understand business needs and translate them into analytics solutions.
• Communicate complex insights through intuitive dashboards, data visualisations, and executive-level reporting.
• Promote data literacy and evidence-led decision-making across the organisation.

• Build, lead, and develop a team of data analysts and planning specialists.
• Mentor team members, supporting professional development and high-performance delivery.
• Foster a collaborative culture that prioritises innovation, data quality, and analytical excellence.

Spectrum IT Recruitment (South) Limited is acting as an Employment Agency in relation to this vacancy.