Senior Head of Product – Data

We’d all like amazing work to do, and real work-life balance. That’s waiting for you at Sainsbury’s. Think about the scale it takes to feed the nation. The level of data, transactions and variety involved. Then you’ll realise this is a modern software engineering environment, because it has to be. We’ve made significant investment in the standards and principles that shape how we work. We iterate, learn, experiment and champion ways of working such as Agile, Scrum and XP. So you can look forward to exciting opportunities across everything from AI to reusable tech.

Please note - This is a 12 month FTC Position

In a Nutshell

At Sainsbury’s Tech, we drive innovation for the UK’s leading multi-channel, multi-brand retailer. Our data product teams comprise talented, multidisciplinary professionals empowered to solve complex challenges, delivering data solutions that provide meaningful business value. The Senior Head of Product – Data is a pivotal leadership role, responsible for shaping the vision and strategy for our data as an asset ensuring data availability for various business outcomes and supports Sainsbury’s mission in data-driven transformation.

The Senior Head of Product in Data oversees the development of data products on our enterprise data platform (Snowflake), as well as the management and enhancement of machine learning and AI platforms and models in production. Leading a team of Heads of Product and Group Product Managers, this role is accountable for establishing and executing a product vision across the most complex and strategic data domains, collaborating closely with Tech, Analytics, and Business stakeholders to define scope, prioritise initiatives, and ensure the highest standards of quality in data product development.

This position spans multiple data product families, including data pipelines, semantic views, and ML/AI solutions. The roadmap is outcome-driven, requiring orchestration across product managers and data teams to deliver scalable, secure, and impactful data products. The Senior Head of Product leads the evaluation and adoption of new capabilities, advocates for diverse thinking, and ensures the delivery of data solutions that balance innovation, usability, and performance.

The role demands a rigorous analytical approach and the ability to operate effectively in a matrix environment, coordinating complex workstreams and fostering collaboration. The Senior Head of Product is responsible for driving innovation and continuous improvement in data product delivery, ensuring that our platforms and models evolve to meet changing business needs and regulatory requirements. The role also synthesises emerging technologies and analytical methods, transforming them into products that enhance business decision-making and customer experiences.

As Senior Head of Product for Data, you’ll drive our vision and strategy to enable Sainsbury’s to harness the power of data and advanced analytics. You will lead the development of data products and ML/AI solutions that empower teams across the business to make smarter, faster decisions, ensuring that our data platform (Snowflake) and production models deliver trusted, scalable, and innovative outcomes. Your remit spans the full lifecycle of data product creation, from discovery and experimentation to deployment and ongoing optimisation.

Through your team of Heads of Product, you will lead, coach, and develop a large group of Product Managers, Senior Product Managers, and Group Product Managers who autonomously deliver on the outcomes you collaboratively set. Your role is to mentor and support them in crafting individual product visions, aligning these with the broader strategic objectives for data at Sainsbury’s.

Apply now to lead the future of data product development at Sainsbury’s Tech, shaping how data, analytics, and AI drive business transformation and competitive advantage.

What you need to do: 

• Partner with senior analytics, and technology and business leaders to align data strategy and technology vision, ensuring that the roadmap supports business priorities.
• Develop and articulate the vision, strategy, roadmap, and backlog for your data product families, focusing on end-to-end customer and colleague experiences, multiple strategic priorities, and responsiveness to market and regulatory changes. Consolidate multiple product visions into a unified strategy and maintain a holistic view of data products.
• Take part in effective prioritisation choices to maximise return on investment for data product development.
• Identify opportunities across the data and analytics landscape, establishing partnerships. Use insight, data, and research to ensure your teams focus on the most impactful opportunities.
• Take accountability for delivery, prioritising work across multiple teams in line with business strategy, and making informed trade-offs to deliver maximum value at pace.
• Lead collaboration with data engineers, analytics experts, other product teams, and external partners to launch new data capabilities and services, maximising reusability and scalability across the organisation.
• Work with Heads of Product to define outcomes, set and track metrics, and establish the north star for your data product family.
• Track post-launch evaluation, validating that data products deliver intended value, measured by appropriate metrics and post-investment reviews.
• Build, lead, coach, and inspire a high-performing team of Product Managers, supporting them to define long-term priorities, focus on building actionable roadmaps, and deliver measurable benefits for the business.

How I will succeed: 

• Be a trusted advisor to business, analytics, and technology stakeholders, influencing the evolution of strategy through a data, customer, and technology lens.
• Champion the data product area, communicating vision, benefits, and long-term strategy to diverse audiences, including technical teams, senior stakeholders, partners, and external parties. Serve as the escalation point for prioritisation and trade-offs within your remit.
• Maintain strong awareness and understanding of current and future technology stacks, including Snowflake, ML/AI platforms, and data interfaces. Clearly communicate and coach others on technical advancements, ensuring seamless integration for customers and colleagues.
• Ensure the team maintains a realistic 90-day roadmap and a prioritised, estimated annual backlog, regularly communicating progress and proactively managing risks and issues.
• Support effective communication and resolution of live data product incidents, prioritising and coordinating swift resolution of production issues.
• Foster highly collaborative relationships with engineering and analytics teams at all levels, working together to solve complex problems for customers and the business.
• Collaborate with Product across the business to ensure consistency, drive shared objectives, and continuously improve data product management practices.
• Develop a strong community of data product managers, building competency and enhancing craft through a culture of learning, empowerment, experimentation, and collaboration.
• Drive your team and their products towards organisational aspirations, providing thought leadership and constructive challenge, inspiring ambition and high performance.

What you need to know: 

• Extensive knowledge of data products management product and technology programme management, and related disciplines
• Understanding of retail business operations, technology landscape, and how to maximise the value of data and analytics products
• Deep expertise in the retail and analytical landscape, including ML/AI platforms and production model management
• Knowledge of Agile and modern engineering and analytics team practices

What you need to show: 

• Exceptional influence and impact with internal and external audiences; excellent stakeholder management skills, ensuring senior stakeholder advocacy for your data product families
• Relentless customer and business focus, understanding and anticipating needs, and collaborating effectively with stakeholders
• Commercial acumen, understanding the drivers of data product value, determining return on investment, and using insight to inform prioritisation and market context
• Strategic vision, championing long-term data product strategy, anticipating implications across teams, and driving collaboration for effective delivery
• Technical curiosity, translating business requirements into technology delivery, engaging in technical discussions, and developing understanding of data, analytics, and ML/AI landscape
• Adaptability across the Product Lifecycle, deep understanding of delivery approaches, prioritising outcomes, motivating teams, and driving continual improvement in ways of working
• Proven experience leading and developing teams, both directly and cross-functionally

We are committed to making Tech a place where people love to work, where diverse and engaged teams make a purposeful contribution. Sainsbury’s is dedicated to being the most inclusive retailer, welcoming flexible working arrangements including job sharing wherever possible. In Tech, we encourage such conversations and are proud to champion a diverse and inclusive culture.

#LI-KF1

We are committed to being a truly inclusive retailer so you’ll be welcomed whoever you are and wherever you work. Around here, there’s always the chance to try something new — whether that’s as part of an evolving team or somewhere else across the business - and we take development seriously and promise to support you. We also recognise and celebrate colleagues when they go the extra mile and, where possible, offer flexible working. When you join our team, we’ll also offer you an amazing range of benefits. Here are some of them:

Starting off with colleague discount, you'll be able to save 10% on your shopping online and instore at Sainsbury's, Argos, TU and Habitat, and we regularly increase the discount to 15% at points during the year. We've also got you covered for your future with our pensions scheme and life cover. You'll also be able to share in our success as you may be eligible for a performance-related bonus of up to 65% of salary, depending on how we perform (in cash and shares).

Your wellbeing is important to us too. You'll receive an annual holiday allowance, and you can buy up to an additional week's holiday, and we provide private healthcare. We also offer other benefits that will help your money go further such as season ticket loans, cycle to work scheme, health cash plans, salary advance (where you can access some of your pay before pay day) as well access to a great range of discounts from hundreds of other retailers. You'll also receive a company car cash allowance unless you are going to travel 10,000 business miles in your role, then you'll be able to choose a car. And if you ever need it there is also an employee assistance programme.

Moments that matter are as important to us as they are to you which is why we give up to 26 weeks’ pay for maternity or adoption leave and up to 4 weeks’ pay for paternity leave.

Please see www.sainsburys.jobs for a range of our benefits (note, length of service and eligibility criteria may apply).