Data Strategist

At Datashift we believe in the power of data, analytics and AI to solve the complex challenges in today's industries. As a Data Strategist you set the direction: where data and AI will create value, what has to be built first, and how the organisation must be set up to keep it running.

Are you ready to lead from first idea to adoption? Grasp business value, work with different teams to design the data & AI driven solutions and push true until it’s fully realized. In the role of Data Strategist you’ll have a chance to design & deliver data & AI solutions, and lead structural change by defining ownership and stewardship, workout target operating model and ensure adoption in the organization.

Key Responsibilities

• Work with client stakeholders to identify the business challenges that could benefit from data, analytics and AI, and assess the data environment - sources, reporting landscape, governance, capabilities and maturity;
• Develop an actionable data and AI strategy aligned with business goals, and translate it into a prioritised roadmap with value cases, phasing and measurable indicators;
• Advise on the evolution of the reporting and data landscape, enabled by AI: what to strengthen, simplify or build next, and in which order;
• Design the target data operating model with client leadership: roles, competencies, decision rights, governance bodies, data ownership and stewardship, and governance and quality standards that fit the client's reality;
• Follow up the operating model implementation and competency assessment, advise on the set-up of data teams, and support the adoption of the demand management process;
• Shape the change approach that carries the strategy into the organisation, host workshops, demos and leadership syncs, report to the steering committee, and adjust the roadmap based on adoption and value indicators

Skills & Qualifications

• 5 to 10 years of relevant experience in data strategy, data governance, transformation or strategy consulting, in a consulting firm or a highly dynamic business environment;
• Master's degree (Business Engineering, Computer Science, Information Systems, Business Analytics, ...);
• Understanding of the impact of data and AI in organizations, ability to fully grasp business value and clear judging on potential and limitations;
• A strategic thinker with strong analytical and problem structuring skills, excellent communication at all levels, and a healthy dose of creativity;
• Experience translating a strategy into a roadmap that actually got executed, including in an evolving data and reporting landscape, data operating model design, roles and responsibilities, data ownership and stewardship, and governance frameworks;
• Strong affinity with data & AI in practice (e.g. SQL/Python, BI tooling such as Power BI, Copilot/Claude), enough to be credible with technical teams;
• Taking ownership and leading projects is a given, in different type of environments from corporate structures to SME;
• Fluent in English and Dutch, French is a plus.

This Data Strategist role might be a fit if you have a background in:

Strategy, data or technology consulting, an internal data strategy or data office role, a data domain leadership role where you shaped the direction, or a business transformation role in a data or BI environment.

Interested?

If this resonates with you, we would love to talk to you! Don't hesitate to apply!