Applied Methods
~The MetaData & AnalyticsData & Analytics Leader

Data & Analytics Leader

This leader owns the strategic vision and operational execution of data teams that unlock insights driving business outcomes across AI-driven products. They architect scalable data infrastructure and governance frameworks while partnering with cross-functional executives to translate complex data into actionable intelligence that shapes product decisions, operational efficiency, and market strategy. The role distinguishes itself by requiring both hands-on technical depth and organizational leadership—these leaders remain immersed in analytics and data engineering work while building high-performing teams and setting standards for analytical rigor. They typically report to C-suite executives in growth-stage or scale-up AI companies, operating at the intersection of product, engineering, and business strategy where data becomes the foundation for competitive advantage.

$ titles --canonical
Head of Data & AnalyticsHead of Risk Analytics
Open Jobs13
Companies Hiring11
$ expectations --role data-&-analytics-leader

Measured across 12 of 13 open postings.

33%
expect AI in the role's own work
8% state it as a requirement
0%
work directly with customers
92%
manage people
Director
most common level
42% of open postings
WHAT THEY ASK FOR, VERBATIM

“Evidenced use of AI to make a measurable difference to how an organisation uses its data, or how a data team operates — and the ability to lead others into those ways of working.”

Multiverse · Director of Data Products

“Experience with AI or ML data infrastructure: feature stores, model evaluation pipelines, or LLM observability”

Vapi · Head of Data

“Proven experience building or measuring AI products, ideally LLM-powered assistants, agents, chatbots, or copilots”

Figma · Director, Data Science

“AI-enabled analytics that power Databricks' Finance and Accounting organization”

Databricks · Senior Manager, Finance Data and AI
$02

Skills

What companies are looking for in this role.

$ skills --core

Analytics data modeling

58%

Data quality and governance

58%

Experimentation and causal inference

50%

Data pipeline engineering

42%

Metrics and KPI definition

33%

Product analytics & experimentation

33%

Business insight analysis

33%

Predictive modeling and forecasting

25%

ML systems development

17%

SQL query development

17%

Statistical modeling and uncertainty

17%

Infrastructure automation and IaC

17%
$ skills --emerging

Financial and usage data modeling

25%
$ skills --soft

Technical team leadership and mentoring

83%

Cross-functional collaboration

50%

Executive communication and storytelling

17%

Research leadership and strategy

17%
$03

Technology

The tools and technologies that define this role.

$ tech --language
SQLhigh
Pythonmoderate
$ tech --platform
Databricksmoderate
$ tech --concept
Data pipelinesmoderate
$04

Open Jobs

13 open Data & Analytics Leader jobs across 11 companies.

OpenAI3d
Data Scientist, FinEng
San Francisco·Data & Analytics
Multiverse5d
Director of Data Products
London·Data & Analytics
Shield AI2w
Sr. Manager, Enterprise Data (R6103)
Remote·Data & Analytics
Vapi2w
Head of Data
San Francisco·Data & Analytics
Crusoe2w
Senior Director, Analytics & Data Science
San Francisco, CA - US·Data & Analytics
OpenAI3w
Data Engineering Manager, Growth & Revenue
San Francisco·Data & Analytics
CHAOS Industries1mo
Manager of Data Management and Operations
El Segundo, California, United States·Data & Analytics
Clay1mo
Data Science & Analytics Manager
New York·Data & Analytics
Figma2mo
Director, Data Science
San Francisco, CA • New York, NY • United States·Data & Analytics
Waymo2mo
Senior Manager, Product Data Science - Operations & Intelligence
Mountain View, CA, US; San Francisco, CA, US·Data & Analytics
Databricks3mo
Senior Manager, Finance Data and AI
Bengaluru, India·Data & Analytics
DualEntry4mo
Analytics & Data Engineering (Lead or Head)
New York City·Data & Analytics
Waymo4mo
Director, Product Data Science - Fleet Optimization and Orchestration
Mountain View, CA, US; San Francisco, CA, US·Data & Analytics