Head of Data & AI

Trade Nation is seeking an experienced and forward-thinking Head of Data & AI to lead our data and artificial intelligence strategy across the organisation. Reporting to the Chief Operating Officer, this role combines two interconnected mandates: enabling self-service access to data across the business and embedding AI into everyday operations. As a multi-jurisdictional CFD and spread betting broker with regulated entities across the UK, Australia, the EU, the Bahamas and Seychelles, we are looking for a leader who can build on our existing data foundations, scale successful initiatives, simplify organically grown processes and drive measurable business impact through AI. The role is weighted approximately 60% towards AI and 40% towards Data, leading a team of Data Analysts while partnering closely with Data Engineering, Compliance and senior business stakeholders. Key Responsibilities - Own and drive Trade Nation's AI strategy from opportunity identification through to deployment, adoption and value realisation - Redesign business workflows around AI, focusing on practical outcomes rather than tool adoption. - Build AI capability through training, prompt libraries, templates and a network of AI champions. - Measure and report AI adoption, success metrics and lessons learned. - Own the business-facing gold layer of the data warehouse, including metrics, definitions and quality standards. - Develop and extend the semantic data model to ensure consistent, trusted access to business data. - Champion data self-service, empowering teams to answer their own questions efficiently. - Establish and maintain best practices for analytics engineering, including testing, version control, documentation and code reviews. - Simplify and improve the quality of the data estate. - Deliver proactive insights and recommendations to senior leadership. Requirements Essential Experience - Proven leadership experience within Data, Analytics or AI functions. - Demonstrable success implementing AI solutions that have transformed business workflows and delivered measurable impact. - Strong track record of delivering projects from concept through to production and adoption. - Hands-on expertise in SQL, data modelling and analytics engineering. - Experience with dbt or similar version-controlled transformation frameworks. - Strong understanding of data warehouse architecture and semantic modelling. - Experience working with Redshift, Snowflake, BigQuery or similar cloud data platforms. - Background in financial services, trading, brokerage or capital markets. - Experience leading, coaching and developing analytics teams. - Excellent stakeholder management and communication skills with both technical and non-technical audiences. Desirable Experience - Experience with CFD, spread betting or brokerage platforms. - Knowledge of trading systems and back-office financial services data structures. - Experience in multi-entity, multi-regulator environments. - Exposure to regulatory reporting frameworks such as MiFID II, MiFIR or ASIC requirements. - Experience implementing AI solutions within regulated financial services environments. Personal Attributes - Curious about how businesses operate and eager to understand commercial processes before recommending solutions. - Strategic thinker with a practical, delivery-focused mindset. - Self-starter who proactively identifies opportunities and drives change. - Comfortable challenging the status quo and being challenged in return. - Passionate about enabling others through data and technology. Benefits - Competitive salary, and discretionary annual bonus. - Private healthcare. - Active Lifestyle allowance. - Annual leave above minimum entitlement. - Up to 3 weeks allowance to work in any location.