Head of Data & Insights

You own the discipline across the agency, including its commercial performance and the team. You hold ultimate accountability for the discipline, driving its operational excellence, market reputation and commercial success across the business. You are accountable for the data work delivered across the agency's client projects, through your team. You own the function's expertise in data and insights and where it needs to go next.

EquivalentAssociate Director, Data & Insights

How this role differs

You become accountable for a capability rather than a collection of accounts. What the function is good at today, and what it needs to be good at in two years, is now your problem to solve.

Both roles own the discipline agency-wide. The Head of owns it including the headcount and the stack. The Associate Director, Data & Insights owns it through expertise, standards and external standing, carrying a commercial number without owning the team.

Roles and responsibilities

Set the agency's Data & Insights strategy, service offering and investment priorities, aligning them with client needs and business goals.
Own the function's commercial performance, including revenue, profitability, utilisation and the value it contributes to integrated services.
Define how research, analysis and measurement are scoped, priced and resourced, making sure commitments are credible and commercially sustainable.
Own the team structure, hiring priorities, performance, development and succession planning.
Hold managers accountable for team performance, delivery quality and the value of the work to clients, while developing their leadership and commercial judgement.
Own the agency's data and reporting tools, budgets and supplier decisions, making sure there is clear responsibility for access, maintenance and data handling.
Set agency-wide standards for research quality, measurement, documentation and reporting, with clear accountability for applying them.
Work with PR, SEO and AI visibility leaders so data informs strategy from the outset and integrated reporting uses defensible measures of success.
Plan the capabilities the function will need over the next twelve months and beyond, making evidence-based decisions on recruitment, training, tools and partnerships.
Define the development pathway for the discipline: what good looks like at each level, and how people are trained towards it.
Build the leadership bench beneath you so that the function is not dependent on you being in the room.
Represent the function to clients in pitches and senior conversations, and externally in the industry.
Lead senior recruitment for the function, including roles that do not exist yet.
Support new business where Data & Insights is the differentiator.