Head of Data Solutions

Head of Data Solutions in Operations

At Sanoma Learning, we all share a deep-rooted passion for education and are committed to support teachers to help all students to reach their potential, so they can be at their best in class.

We are proud of the impact we make together across Europe, local as well as international. As our teams and the scope of our impact grows, so do the opportunities for us to learn from each other – across country borders and areas of expertise. With over 3.000 colleagues, we work on seamlessly integrated print, digital and blended learning solutions to help teachers and schools develop the talents of every child.  Our people are passionate and committed and always willing to go the extra mile for students, teachers, schools, our shareholders and each other. 

We have recently launched a strategic transformation program that will have special focus on Data and AI as one of its streams, given we believe that Data and AI can uncover multiple opportunities for education, including both internal efficiencies and new product opportunities. 

Head of Data solutions in Operations

This role will be responsible for developing and maintaining data platform for internal analytics in Sanoma Learning. The role will report to Head of Data and AI in Operations, and will work closely with Head of Internal analytics and cross-functional teams, including product owners, project managers, privacy champions, TechOps, architects, analytics leaders in our operating companies, and key leaders in Operations, to ensure that data solutions are enabling business results. The role will manage a team of data engineers (including tech lead, scrum master, architect and potentially other roles).

Key Responsibilities:

This role will be responsible for the following:

Lead Data Solutions team in Data and AI domain in developing a unified data platform that supports business needs

• Manage various analytical and other data-related needs with flexible and compliant data solutions, ensuring continuous development by facilitating the data solution development process (scrum) and priorities.
• Develop and maintain a scalable and efficient data infrastructure that enables the collection, storage, processing of large volumes of data (current tool: Snowflake).
• Collaborate with various departments, including central and local analytics, platform & architecture, operational stakeholders, and product management, to ensure seamless integration and functionality of data solutions.
• Lead a team of data engineers, providing guidance and support to achieve project goals and deliver high-quality results.
• Support data engineering tech lead in developing team’s data engineering competence
• Facilitate the development and execution of SL’s data-driven strategy, aligning it with business objectives and foreseen future needs.
• Manage data tools (e.g., Snowflake, DBT) and discussions with vendors and data-related third parties in collaboration with procurement and techops.
• Oversee data governance at Sanoma Learning
• Support the advancement of SL AI topics by considering suitable supporting data structures.

A successful candidate will have the following:

Education:

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Mathematics, Engineering, Business Administration, or a related field. Advanced degree or MBA is a plus.

Experience:

• 7+ years of relevant professional experience, including at least 3-5 years in a leadership role overseeing data-related teams, initiatives, or platforms.
• Proven track record in in leading and delivering scalable and robust data platforms, ideally leveraging cloud-based data solutions (e.g., Snowflake, Databricks, SAP Datasphere, Google BigQuery) and cloud infrastructure providers (AWS, Azure, Google Cloud)
• Experience managing cross-functional teams, ensuring alignment of technical solutions with business objectives and operational priorities.
• Familiarity with modern data engineering and analytics tools, such as DBT, Apache Airflow, ETL/ELT frameworks, orchestration tools, SQL, and Python
• Experience in establishing and overseeing data governance frameworks, data privacy regulations (e.g., GDPR), and data security standards
• Background in agile project management methodologies and proven experience facilitating iterative development processes.
• Experience in managing vendor relationships and procurement processes related to data infrastructure and engineering services.

Skills:

• Strong business and strategic mindset, with the ability to align data engineering solutions to organizational goals.
• Proven ability to lead and develop diverse teams, fostering high