Head of Data-VIVO - Corporate Functions

Who we are

VIVO provides facilities management and accommodation maintenance for the UK military and its partners. VIVO embodies both experience and innovation.

What we do

We put our Customers and Families First. They are the driving force behind everything we do. We drive forward improvements for them to ensure the service they receive, whether reactive repairs or a major project, is completed safely and on time. In order to achieve this, we have 4 core values: open, caring, agile and collaborative. These are at the heart of everything we do.

Head of Data

Strategic Data Leadership | Operational Intelligence | Future AI Readiness

Location: Hybrid Working with Travel Across the UK
Benefits: Senior Leadership Salary and Benefits Package Reflective of the Scope and Impact of the Role

VIVO is seeking an exceptional data leader to shape and lead our enterprise data, analytics and insight capability across one of the UK’s most critical defence infrastructure portfolios.

This is a rare opportunity to lead and further develop a modern enterprise data function within a complex operational environment, transforming how data is used across operations, commercial performance, finance, supply chain and strategic decision-making.

Working across a national defence estate portfolio, the successful candidate will play a pivotal role in strengthening data foundations, improving operational insight, enabling trusted reporting and helping prepare the business to responsibly adopt future AI and advanced analytics capabilities.

The Opportunity

As Head of Data, you will define and lead VIVO’s enterprise-wide data strategy, establishing a trusted and scalable data capability that supports operational excellence, commercial performance and future innovation.

You will lead the continued development of a consolidated enterprise data platform across operational, commercial, financial and supply chain data, enabling consistent reporting, improved decision-making and greater organisational confidence in data.

Success in this role will depend as much on influencing operational thinking and building trusted business partnerships as it will on technical capability. You will work closely with operational, commercial and finance leaders to understand challenges, identify opportunities and embed more data-led decision-making across the organisation.

Alongside strengthening data governance and reporting foundations, you will help shape VIVO’s longer-term approach to AI and advanced analytics, identifying where emerging technologies may create practical operational and commercial value as organisational capability and use cases mature over time.

This role combines enterprise data leadership, operational business partnering, people leadership and organisational influence within a highly visible and business-critical function.

Key Responsibilities

Enterprise Data Strategy & Platforms

• Define and lead VIVO’s enterprise data strategy aligned to operational priorities, transformation objectives and Ministry of Defence reporting requirements.
• Develop a consolidated enterprise data platform across CAFM, IoT, ERP and finance systems.
• Establish trusted, governed and scalable reporting and analytics capabilities across the business.
• Improve consistency, transparency and confidence in enterprise reporting and insight.

Operational Business Partnering & Data Adoption

• Partner closely with operational, commercial and finance leadership teams to understand challenges, identify opportunities and shape practical data-led solutions.
• Bring new ideas, methodologies and ways of thinking to operational environments, helping leaders use insight more effectively in decision-making.
• Create engagement and demand for analytics by demonstrating practical operational and commercial value.
• Translate operational challenges into scalable reporting, analytics and future automation opportunities.
• Act as a trusted advisor to senior stakeholders, balancing strategic thinking with practical operational delivery.
• Build data literacy and confidence across leadership teams, helping move decision-making from instinct-led to insight-led approaches.
• Ensure dashboards and analytics are practical, engaging and actionable for operational users.

Data Governance & Assurance

• Lead enterprise standards for data quality, governance, ownership and lineage.
• Ensure reporting integrity across operational, commercial and external stakeholder reporting.
• Support data security, privacy and assurance activities across operational and client environments.

Future AI & Advanced Analytics Readiness

• Explore future opportunities for AI and advanced analytics across the business.
• Ensure the right data foundations, governance and operational understanding are in place to support responsible adoption over time.
• Identify practical opportunities where predictive analytics and automation may improve operational performance and decision-making.
• Help build wider business understanding and confidence around emerging AI technologies and their potential application.

Leadership

• Lead and further develop VIVO’s enterprise data, analytics and insight capability.
• Coach and develop a high-performing data team within a collaborative and commercially focused environment.
• Develop strong partnerships across operations, commercial, finance and technology teams.
• Support the wider business in embedding modern data practices, consistent standards and continuous improvement methodologies.

About You

We are looking for a commercially minded and operationally credible data leader who can combine strategic thinking with practical delivery.

You will bring experience leading enterprise data and analytics functions within large, complex operational environments and will be comfortable influencing both technical and non-technical stakeholders.

You will likely bring:

• Proven experience leading enterprise data, analytics or insight functions within complex operational organisations.
• Experience delivering modern data platforms and enterprise reporting capabilities at scale.
• Strong knowledge of Microsoft Azure data technologies and the Power Platform ecosystem.
• Strong business partnering and stakeholder influencing capability, with the ability to translate technical concepts into practical business outcomes.
• Experience building trust, engagement and adoption of data-led decision making across operational leadership teams.
• Experience leading and developing teams within data, analytics or insight environments.
• Strong commercial awareness with the ability to connect data investment to measurable business outcomes.
• Naturally curious, with the ability to challenge existing approaches and introduce new ways of thinking around operational performance and decision-making.
• Curiosity around emerging AI technologies and an understanding of the data and governance foundations required to support future adoption.
• Comfortable operating within complex, matrix and operationally driven environments where influence and credibility are critical to success.
• Experience within defence, infrastructure, facilities management, utilities, transport or similarly regulated operational environments would be highly advantageous.

VIVO Defence Services

The role you have applied for is with VIVO Defence Services, a joint venture between Serco and EQUANS. By applying for this role, please be aware that information contained within your CV may be shared between VIVO Defence Services, Serco and EQUANS during the recruitment process.

At VIVO, we are committed to building a diverse and inclusive organisation that supports the needs of all. Therefore, we will make reasonable adjustments at interview through to employment for our candidates and strongly encourage applications from a diverse candidate pool.

We are open to discussions around flexibility and flexible working and operate a hybrid work structure in many of our business areas. We are proudly a Disability Confident Leader. Disabled applicants who meet the minimum criteria for the job will be given the opportunity to demonstrate their abilities at an interview.