Data Lead

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