Head of Data Platform Services

Requirements of the role

We have an opportunity for a Head of Data Platform Services to join our IT Team within Corporate Enablers Directorate.

Our Corporate Enablers directorate is collective of five vital functions that provide support to all teams across Ofwat. Consisting of IT and Digital, Security, HR, Finance, Procurement and Facilities, our Corporate Enabler teams help to enable Ofwat to be a high performing, great place to be that is effective, efficient and continually improving. They also ensure that we have the right capabilities, tools and culture to deliver for customers, society and the environment.

We are Ofwat, the Water Services Regulation Authority, a non-ministerial government department responsible for regulating the water sector in England and Wales.

You can find out more about why you should join Ofwat, our strategy, values and our framework for success in the attached Information for Candidates Pack.

Job description
The Role

You will be accountable for the design, development, and upkeep of our data platform services including our new data platform built on Microsoft technologies – Fabric, Purview and Power Bi. The role will also have accountability for our legacy data platforms and how we can manage and maintain this and successfully enable the migration of critical data to the new platform to support our regulatory duties. This will be achieved working collaboratively alongside the Data Strategy Team.

You will have responsibility for building a team and leading and mentoring this data platform services team, fostering a culture of innovation and continuous improvement.

Your responsibilities will include developing and implementing data pipelines to ensure the efficient movement of data from various sources into the platform. You will be tasked with designing and building data platform services that will provide centralised repositories for storing and accessing data in line with our data strategy and governance policies. Collaboration with business stakeholders will be essential, as you will need to understand their needs and provide them with the necessary data and tools and you will stay up-to-date with the latest data platform technologies, identifying and implementing new technologies to enhance the platform’s capabilities.

Key deliverables:

In this role you will be expected to:

Provide, support and maintain the infrastructure, platforms and tools for data analysis, reporting, and business intelligence, enabling data-driven decision-making.
Transition ownership of the Microsoft data platform, currently being supported by an external partner. Establish a scalable data platform catering to the requirements of our Data and Regulatory teams.
Implement data platform services that support Ofwat’s Data Strategy. Stay up-to-date with the latest industry trends and technologies.
Working alongside the Data Strategy Team and other key Stakeholders design and maintain robust and scalable data platform services that support various data needs, including data integration, processing, and analytics.
Work closely to support Digital and AI projects and external suppliers to integrate and transition in services that will form part of the Data Platform Services product catalogue.
Lead and mentor a team of Data Engineers, providing technical guidance and support as well as fostering a culture of innovation and continuous improvement:
Responsible for the design, development, and maintenance of data pipelines, ETL processes, and data integration solutions ensuring delivery of secure, scalable, and cost-effective solutions.
Overseeing the process of ingesting, transforming, and integrating data from various sources into a unified platform.
Ensure data accuracy, consistency, and integrity across various data sources and systems.
Implement best practices for data engineering, including code reviews, testing, and documentation
Monitor and optimise the performance of the data platform, ensuring high availability and reliability as well as ensuring efficiency and cost-effectiveness. Work with the Head of IT Operations to implement cost management strategies for cloud resources to maximise ROI.
Ensure the data platform adheres to the highest security standards and work closely with IT and Security teams to manage risks and respond to incidents swiftly.
Foster collaboration and communication between the business and technical teams across Ofwat acting as a bridge between technical and non-technical stakeholders to ensure a shared understanding of data requirements and priorities.

View on member website