Who We Are
VML is a global creative company that combines brand experience, customer experience, and commerce to create connected brands that drive growth. Guided by a Human First philosophy, VML is known for its innovative work for brands and consistently ranks among the world’s leading creative companies, including the WARC Creative 100. VML’s global network spans 55+ markets with principal offices in Buenos Aires, Kansas City, London, New York, São Paulo, Shanghai and Singapore.
VML is part of WPP, the trusted growth partner for the world's leading brands. Powered by exceptional talent and our agentic marketing platform WPP Open, WPP unites cutting-edge media intelligence and data solutions, creativity, production, enterprise solutions and expert strategic counsel.
For more information, please visit www.vml.com and follow along on LinkedIn #WeAreVML.
The opportunity
The Data Lead is responsible for building and governing the data foundation that enables executive visibility across strategic initiatives. This role transforms fragmented business information into trusted portfolio intelligence, ensuring leaders have accurate, timely, and actionable insights to make strategic decisions.
What you’ll be doing
Develop Enterprise Data Strategy
- Define and execute the enterprise data strategy supporting portfolio governance, business intelligence and executive decision-making.
- Build a scalable data architecture that integrates information from multiple sources into a trusted reporting ecosystem.
- Standardize business definitions, KPI methodologies, and data governance across functions.
Build Portfolio Intelligence
- Develop portfolio intelligence frameworks, executive dashboards, and scorecards providing visibility into strategic initiatives, financial performance, resource utilization, risks, dependencies, and business outcomes.
- Establish leading indicators that proactively identify execution risks and opportunities.
Lead Data Governance
- Define enterprise data governance standards covering ownership, quality, integrity, stewardship, lifecycle management, and reporting controls.
- Continuously improve data quality and governance practices to ensure trusted executive reporting.
Enable Workforce and Resource Intelligence
- Build analytical models for workforce planning, capacity forecasting, demand management, resource allocation, utilization, and operational efficiency.
- Partner with PMO, and program manager to optimize workforce investments and support strategic planning.
Drive Executive Decision Support
- Translate complex business data into actionable executive insights that support portfolio prioritization, investment decisions, and operational planning.
- Identify trends, risks, dependencies, bottlenecks, and opportunities, providing recommendations that enable proactive decision-making.
Partner Across the Enterprise
- Collaborate with Strategy, Finance, Operations, Technology, Product, Resource Management, and Program teams to align enterprise reporting, analytics, and business metrics.
- Serve as the strategic data partner supporting executive governance and cross-functional decision making.
Advance Analytics and AI
- Partner with data science and engineering teams to develop predictive analytics, forecasting models, scenario planning, and AI enabled insights.
- Evaluate emerging analytics technologies and promote modern data practices that strengthen business intelligence.
Modernize Reporting and Analytics
- Design scalable reporting architectures that automate reporting, enable self-service analytics, and improve executive visibility.
- Standardize dashboards, reporting methodologies, and visualization practices to ensure consistency, accuracy, and timeliness.
Build Organizational Data Capability
- Establish repeatable governance frameworks, metadata standards, reporting templates, and documentation that improve organizational data maturity.
- Mentor analysts and promote a culture of data-driven decision making across the organization.
What we want from you
- 10+ years of progressive experience in Data Strategy, Business Intelligence, Analytics, Business Operations, Portfolio Management, Data Governance, or Management Consulting within a global technology or SaaS organization.
- Bachelor's degree in engineering, Computer Science, Information Systems, Business Analytics, Statistics, Mathematics, Economics, or a related discipline; Master's degree or MBA preferred.
- Proven experience designing enterprise reporting architectures, executive dashboards, and business intelligence solutions.
- Strong expertise in enterprise data governance, master data management, and data quality frameworks.
- Experience supporting executive decision-making through advanced analytics and strategic reporting.
- Demonstrated success working with Director, VP, and Executive-level stakeholders.
- Strong understanding of portfolio management, workforce planning, resource management, financial reporting, and business operations.
- Experience with Azure, Snowflake, Databricks, Microsoft Fabric, or modern cloud analytics platforms.
- Advanced expertise in Power BI, SQL, Excel, and enterprise visualization tools.
- Experience working with enterprise platforms such as Salesforce, Workday, SAP, Oracle, Microsoft Dynamics, ServiceNow, Anaplan, or similar business systems.
- Experience collaborating with Data Engineering and Data Science teams to deliver scalable analytics solutions.
- Working knowledge of AI-powered analytics, predictive modeling, and modern business intelligence platforms.
- Strong commercial acumen with the ability to translate data into strategic business recommendations.
- Excellent executive communication skills with the ability to simplify complex analytical concepts for senior business leaders.
- Experience leading cross-functional analytical initiatives within highly matrixed organizations.
Beyond the Resume
- Business-First Mindset: Solves business problems through data, not just reporting.
- Strategic Thinker: Connects data across operations, finance, workforce, and business performance.
- Trusted Advisor: Delivers objective, insight-driven recommendations that influence executive decisions.
- Builder Mindset: Creates scalable data, governance, and reporting capabilities that endure.
- Analytical Curiosity: Challenges assumptions and uncovers meaningful insights from complex data.
- Executive Storyteller: Translates complex analysis into clear, decision-ready narratives.
- Collaborative Influencer: Aligns business and technical teams around common goals and standards.
- Innovation-Driven: Leverages AI and modern analytics to continuously improve business intelligence and decision-making.
What we can offer you
Alongside the opportunity to work with some of the most exciting brands around the world, we’ll also prioritise your career development and help you grow your skills. We’ll empower you to make a difference, allow you to be yourself, and respect who you are.
Our culture thrives on our core values, designed for impact-driven individuals: Heart, Brains and Courage.
We lead with Heart, fostering empathy and trust where genuine connections and human-centric work flourish.
We empower your Brains for innovation, valuing relentless curiosity and collaborative intelligence to solve complex challenges.
And we champion Courage, inspiring you to speak up, embrace experimentation, and advocate for bold solutions that push our thinking to be better than yesterday.
AT VML Enterprise Solutions
Our Enterprise Solutions division houses strategic consultants, creative and technical architects and skilled developers and operators that together help some of the world’s leading organisations to deliver outstanding digital experiences across all major routes to market worldwide: marketplaces, online retailers, D2C, B2B and social platforms. With over 4,200 experts in 55 operational centres across 34 countries, our capabilities span the entire buying journey from customer acquisition, through engagement, to conversion and loyalty, driving multi-channel growth for world-leading brands.
We work with some of the most exciting brands such as The Coca-Cola Company, EY, Bosch, Unilever, Ford, DFS, Mercedes-Benz, Johnson & Johnson, Nestlé, Sainsbury’s, Selfridges, Shell and Tiffany & Co. We’ve built over 500 platforms for brands and retailers and generate in excess of $29bn annually for our clients and work with over 50 strategic partners including Adobe, SAP, Salesforce, HCL, Shopify, Sitecore, BigCommerce, commerce tools and Acquia. Our reputation is based on our people, and we believe we have some of the best in the business.
As our business grows internationally, we’re looking for new people to join us on our journey to inspire and take a key role in shaping some of the best commerce solutions, services, and websites in the world. Working as a team, no problem is insurmountable; we share in our client’s successes and believe that anyone can show creative bravery no matter what their role is in the team.
We believe the best work happens when we're together, fostering creativity, collaboration, and connection. That's why we’ve adopted a hybrid approach, with teams in the office an average of four days a week. If you require accommodations or flexibility, please discuss this with the hiring team during the interview process.
WPP (VML) is an equal opportunity employer and considers applicants for all positions without discrimination or regard to characteristics. We are committed to fostering a culture of respect in which everyone feels they belong and has the same opportunities to progress in their careers.
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