Head of Data and Insight (12 Month Maternity Cover)

Job Description

Head of Data and Insight (12 Month Maternity Cover)

Location:

London

Department

Technology

Salary Range:

Not Specified

Advertising End Date:

18 Oct 2026

Your role: As Head of Data and Insight , you will play a critical leadership role in shaping the strategic direction of data, analytics, and insights across News Broadcasting. Reporting to the Director of Strategy and Operations, you will lead a team of experts to harness audience data, customer insights, and analytics tools, enabling the business to make informed, customer-centric decisions.

Your work will span our award-winning brands, including talkSPORT, Virgin Radio, Talk, Times Radio, and the Onic network in Ireland. You will champion best practices, drive innovation, and deliver actionable insights that fuel audience growth, enhance product development, and optimise commercial outcomes.

Day to day you will:

• Implementa strategic vision that leverages data and insights to achieve News Broadcasting’s business goals.
• Retain and develop a high-performing team of data and insight professionals across our national brands.
• Manage external audience measurement tools (e.g., RAJAR and JNLR) to optimise audience growth and commercial trading requirements.
• Work with technology teams to deliver effective internal analytics reporting across streaming platforms, websites, video, CTV, and user registration data.
• Collaborate with technology and marketing teams to deliver the customer strategy, inclusive of driving growth in logged-in monthly active users, enhancing personalised experiences, and utilising first-party data for targeted advertising campaigns.
• Deploy the department’s budget to deliver qualitative and quantitative consumer insight projects, including engagement throughtalkSPORT’s listener panel, The Dugout.
• Identify, define, and champion best practice tools and methodologies to enhance project output and efficiency.
• Promote the use of AI to improve existing data mining and analysis processes and develop team initiatives to promote self-serve of data and insights among stakeholders.

What we are looking for in you:

• Significant experience with media analytics and audience measurement tools, ideally within a Broadcasting context (e.g., RAJAR, podcasts, digital and social media, and streaming analytics).
• Expert understanding of qualitative and quantitative customer research techniques.
• Ability to write effective insight briefs and commission research through internal panels or external agencies.
• Proven ability to use audience insights and internal/external data sources at a senior level to inform content, brand, and product decision-making.
• Strong understanding of customer and brand measurement and analytical techniques, inclusive of data modelling and campaign evaluation/effectiveness methodologies.
• Strong consulting skills, business acumen and stakeholder influencing skills, with the ability to translate complex data into actionable insights for diverse audiences and manage multiple stakeholder demands.
• Experience leading and developing high-performing teams, inspiring subject matter experts, and fostering growth within your department.
• Excellent skills in using data to craft compelling narratives.
• Familiarity with BI tools (e.g. Omni, Tableau).
• Growing knowledge of AI and its application to traditional insight techniques, in addition to emerging AI tools and analysis techniques (e.g. synthetic research, AI-supported qual).

We are News Broadcasting:

Driving digital innovation, our people create award-winning audio, TV and video content for millions of people across the UK, Ireland and beyond. Life sounds good with Virgin Radio - home to The Chris Evans Breakfast Show. talkSPORT is the home of live sport and even livelier opinion across the UK and beyond, delivers the very best live sport and analysis and is an official broadcaster of the Premier League. Launched in June 2020, Times Radio brings together the peerless journalistic expertise of The Times and The Sunday Times with world-class broadcast talent including John Pienaar and Kate McCann. Plus Talk, The Home Of Common Sense, hosting Jeremy Kyle and Julia Hartley-Brewer.

Life at News

Driven by passion, guided by principles and acting with purpose. We represent, reflect and reach the nation, telling the stories that matter. We inform our audiences so that they can make decisions based on trusted information.

We represent, reflect and reach the nation, telling the stories that matter most. To ensure these stories resonate with as broad a audience as possible, it is essential that our organisation reflects the diversity of the people we reach. Whether through age, gender, ethnicity, disability, social class or sexuality, we are committed to representing the rich variety of voices that make up our society. And we champion a culture where everyone has the opportunity to contribute and thrive as we continue to innovate and drive long term sustainable growth. This is done through our Diversity Strategy.

At News UK, we take pride in our exceptional employee-led networks that bring together individuals with shared interests and create a vibrant sense of community. We believe our networks play a vital role in fostering a collaborative and supportive work culture at News UK. Groups that we support include the African & Caribbean Network, Parents and Carers, and LGBTQ+ group News Is Out, and the Apprentice Society.

Benefits

Some of our benefits include:

• Private medical insurance including coverage for pre-existing conditions
• Discounted gym memberships, free ClassPass at Home, weekly in person/ virtual exercise classes
• ‘Bikes for Work’ and ‘Electric Car’ scheme
• Up to 60% discount on Harper Collins books
• Maternity leave up to 18 weeks full basic salary & paternity leave up to 2 weeks
• Access to exclusive events and competitions with exciting brands such as talkSPORT, Virgin Radio UK & The Times. Weekly virtual panel chats with top journalists and celebrity …
• Access to wellbeing benefits such as EAP, physio/massage and counselling
• A generous pension scheme with employer contributions of up to 5%
• Wide range of training available, plus full LinkedIn Learning access
• 25 days holiday plus bank holidays, as well as an extra anniversary day off
• Up to 3 paid volunteering days per year to support causes you care about

We are committed to providing an inclusive recruitment process. If you require reasonable adjustments due to a disability or health condition at any stage of your application or interview, please let us know. You can contact us at (email protected) to discuss how we can support you to perform at your best.

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