Chief Data Officer (Assistant Director) - National Savings and Investments - SCS1

Location

Can be based at any one of our four offices in the UK. These are London (SE1 9HA), Durham (DH1 1SL), Lytham (FY8 4TS) or Glasgow (G2 8JX)

In late summer 2026 our Lytham office will be moving to Preston (PR4 1TE)

About the job

Job summary

Every day, NS&I safeguards the savings of 25 million people across the UK and behind every product, every decision and every pound protected, sits data.   

We're looking for a Chief Data Officer to take single, accountable ownership of our data to help set the strategy, build governance and turn a complex, multi-supplier landscape into a genuine competitive and public service advantage.   

This is a rare opportunity to shape data strategy at board level, sit at the heart of a major transformation programme which includes our banking engine migration and you’ll leave a lasting mark on how a national financial institution uses data to serve its customers and deliver public value.   

A small company with a big reach, we offer a range of benefits including flexible working, a 9-day fortnight scheme, a performance-related variable pay bonus, a generous pension scheme and great opportunities for development. We care for colleagues, respect one another, invest in our people and manage talent effectively. 

We are currently working in a hybrid way with colleagues expected to work at their chosen office location for 40% of their working month. 

• You'll call the shots on data: As NS&I's owner for data, you'll set the vision and strategy, one that doesn't just work for us, but plugs straight into the wider government data agenda.
• You'll have a seat at the top table: Sit side by side with the executive team as a key decision maker in NS&I's transformation story, with real influence over our banking engine migration and data readiness.
• You'll build a data obsessed culture: From governance and risk to skills and community, you'll turn NS&I into an organisation where everyone gets data and gets excited about using it well. 

Job description

In this role, you will: 

• Define and lead NS&I's data vision and strategy, working with suppliers and the wider business to bring it to life. 
• Design and own NS&I's enterprise data control framework, embedding governance across the organisation and its suppliers. 
• Partner with the Chief Technology Officer to determine the data and data technology NS&I needs and how to deliver it. 
• Own data risk end to end: quality, security, ethics and compliance, working closely with Security colleagues. 
• Grow data skills and literacy across NS&I, creating a thriving, connected data community. 
• Play a central role in NS&I’s transformation, providing data leadership, readiness assurance and decision-making support for the banking engine migration and future enterprise architecture.
• Embed clear data requirements into supplier contracts, governance and assurance so data quality, integrity and accountability are managed consistently across the enterprise. 

Person specification

• A proven data leader: You’ve led data at senior level, ideally in financial services or the public sector and know how to deliver impact in a regulated, high  stakes environment. 
• Governance: You've got real, hands on experience managing data governance, transformation and tooling across multi-supplier landscapes and you enjoy untangling that complexity rather than being daunted by it.
• A confident communicator and influencer: Boardrooms don't faze you. You can walk into an exec meeting and talk data risk, strategy and ROI with clarity and conviction, bringing senior stakeholders with you rather than losing them in the detail.
• A change maker: If you've helped steer an organisation through major transformation or change before or can navigate through change, we’re looking for individuals who see disruption as an opportunity to help us grow and thrive.