Head of Data

Waystone leads the way in specialist services for the asset management industry.

Partnering with institutional investors, investment funds and asset managers, Waystone builds, supports and protects investment structures and strategies worldwide.

With over 20 years’ experience and a comprehensive range of specialist services to its name, Waystone is now serving assets under management in excess of $2Tn. Waystone provides its clients with the guidance and tools to allow them to focus on managing their investment goals with confidence.

About Waystone

We are a leading financial services provider delivering ManCo, ACD And Fund Administration services to a wide range of public and private funds across multiple jurisdictions. With an increasing focus on digital transformation and data-driven oversight, we are building a modern data platform to power fund management, regulatory compliance, risk oversight, and performance analysis.

Role Overview

We are seeking an experienced Head of Data to lead the design, development, and governance of a comprehensive data platform that will support our ManCo operations. This role will be pivotal in building a centralised data lake on AWS, integrating internal and market data, and embedding data governance practices across the enterprise.

This is both a strategic and hands-on leadership role, requiring the ability to shape data architecture, oversee engineering and governance efforts, and collaborate across business, compliance, and technology teams.

Key Responsibilities

Data Strategy & Leadership

• Define and drive the data strategy aligned to the firm’s objectives and regulatory obligations.
• Lead the development of a cloud-native enterprise data lake to consolidate public and private fund data, market data, operational data, and compliance-related information.
• Establish data as a strategic asset and build a roadmap for data maturity, literacy, and value delivery across the organisation.

Architecture & Platform Development

• Oversee the design and implementation of the data lake, using AWS services (e.g., S3, Glue, Redshift, Athena, Lake Formation).
• Guide the selection and deployment of ETL/ELT tools, orchestration pipelines, and data transformation frameworks.
• Ensure high-quality data ingestion, cataloguing, metadata management, lineage tracking, and security across the platform.

Data Governance & Controls

• Define and roll out a robust data governance framework, including data ownership, stewardship, quality controls, and privacy standards.
• Work with Legal, Risk, and Compliance to ensure regulatory and data protection obligations are met (e.g., GDPR, AIFMD).
• Champion data integrity, accuracy, and transparency for all stakeholders.

Team Management & Stakeholder Engagement

• Build and lead a cross-functional team including data engineers, analysts, and governance professionals.
• Engage with internal users, investment teams, operations, and senior management to understand data requirements and promote adoption.
• Serve as the senior point of contact for all data-related initiatives within the organisation.

Required Skills & Experience

• Proven experience in a senior data leadership role within financial services, ideally with exposure to fund management or ManCo services.
• Deep expertise in AWS data technologies including but not limited to: S3, Glue, Redshift, Lambda, Step Functions, Athena, Lake Formation.
• Strong understanding of data architecture principles, ETL pipelines, data warehousing, and orchestration frameworks (e.g., Airflow or Step Functions).
• Track record of implementing data governance and quality frameworks in regulated environments.
• Familiarity with integrating market data feeds, portfolio data, and fund administration systems.
• Experience with regulatory data reporting and risk oversight systems is a strong advantage.
• Excellent leadership, communication, and stakeholder management skills.

Desirable Qualifications

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Data Science, Computer Science, Finance, or a related field.
• AWS certification (e.g., AWS Certified Data Analytics, Solutions Architect).
• Familiarity with financial regulation (e.g., UCITS, AIFMD) and fund reporting standards.

Why Join Us

• Play a central role in transforming how fund management data is harnessed across the organisation.
• Join a dynamic leadership team committed to innovation, accountability, and client excellence.
• Work with cutting-edge technology in a highly visible and impactful position.