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Head of data resume example

A head of data’s resume with 15 years of experience and six in data leadership. CEOs and CTOs hiring for this role want three things: a team the business trusts, a platform that is cost-controlled, and a few data products with revenue or risk results. The resume leads with all three.

Head of data resume example, page 1 of 2GRACIELA MONTOYAHead of Datagraciela.montoya@example.com · (212) 555-0191 · New York, NY · linkedin.com/in/gracielamontoyaSUMMARYData leader with 15 years in analytics and data science, the last six building and running data functions of 10to 30 people at fintech and media companies. I build teams that the business asks for first, platforms thatcost less each year, and a short list of data products that move revenue.EXPERIENCEHead of DataJun 2022 – PresentHudson Lane LendingNew York, NY•Lead a 28-person organization (analytics, data engineering, data science, data governance) through 4managers, reporting to the CEO.•Set the 3-year data strategy approved by the board: one platform, certified metrics and models in the corelending flow.•Launched an underwriting model with risk that raised approvals 12% at the same loss rate, adding $38million in annual originations.•Consolidated 3 warehouses onto Snowflake and dbt, cutting platform costs by $1.1 million a year whiledoubling users to 450.•Led data governance for a state lending exam and SOC 2 Type II with no data findings; introduced an AIuse policy and model inventory.Director of AnalyticsMar 2018 – May 2022Meridian StreamingNew York, NY•Built the analytics team from 3 to 14 people covering content, growth and finance for 6 millionsubscribers.•Created the content valuation model used to decide $200 million a year in licensing spend.•Introduced an experimentation platform that took the company from 10 to 150 tests a year.Senior Data Scientist, then Analytics ManagerJul 2013 – Feb 2018Brightwater Media GroupNew York, NY•Built audience forecasting for ad sales and managed a team of 5 analysts.Data AnalystAug 2011 – Jun 2013Lexington Card ServicesNew York, NY•Built credit card response models and campaign reports for the marketing team.EDUCATIONM.S. in Statistics2009 – 2011Columbia UniversityNew York, NYB.A. in Economics2005 – 2009University of Texas at AustinAustin, TXGraciela Montoya · 1 / 2
Head of data resume example, page 2 of 2SKILLSData strategy · Building and leading teams · Data governance · Budget ownership ·Modern data stack (Snowflake, dbt, Airflow) · Experimentation · Credit risk modeling ·AI and model risk policy · Board reporting · Vendor managementLANGUAGESEnglish Native · Spanish NativeGraciela Montoya · 2 / 2
Head of dataUse this example

What recruiters look for

  • Organization built and led: size, structure, managers, and which functions (analytics, engineering, science, governance) report to you.
  • Business outcomes from data products: revenue, losses avoided, decisions changed. One or two large ones beat a long list.
  • Platform and cost ownership: the data stack you chose, its budget and the savings or scale you achieved.
  • Governance, privacy and AI risk: regulatory exams, audits, AI policies. Increasingly part of the job description.
  • Executive presence: who you report to, board work, and how you set priorities with other leaders.

Writing the summary

Years in data, years leading, team sizes, the industries, and the three things you deliver. It should read like a leader’s summary, not a senior individual contributor’s.

The summary in this example

Data leader with 15 years in analytics and data science, the last six building and running data functions of 10 to 30 people at fintech and media companies. I build teams that the business asks for first, platforms that cost less each year, and a short list of data products that move revenue.

First head of data at a startup

Data leader with ten years in analytics and data engineering, most recently the first data hire at a Series B health-tech company, where I built the platform and a team of 8 from scratch. I set up the metrics, tooling and habits a company needs between 50 and 500 people.

Aiming for chief data officer

Head of data with 17 years of experience, leading a 60-person data and AI organization at a national insurer. I own data strategy, governance and the AI program across underwriting, claims and distribution, and report to the executive committee and the board risk committee.

Bullet points that work

Strong lines for this role, beyond the ones in the example. Borrow the shape and put in your own numbers.

  • Grew the data team from 6 to 30 over 3 years while keeping regretted attrition under 5% a year.
  • Cut time to answer standard executive questions from a week to same-day by creating 40 certified metrics in a semantic layer.
  • Owned a $6.5 million data budget (people, platform, vendors) and delivered 3 consecutive years under plan.
  • Led a fraud detection program with engineering and operations that cut losses by $9 million a year.
  • Set up the AI governance board with legal and security, approving 18 AI use cases in its first year with a documented risk review.
  • Replaced 4 reporting tools with one, retiring $400,000 in annual licenses.
  • Created career levels and a promotion process for data roles, adopted across the company’s 3 data teams.
  • Built the customer data platform behind personalized marketing, lifting repeat purchase 9%.
  • Presented data strategy and AI risk to the board twice a year.

Skills to list

Hard skills

  • Data strategy and roadmapping
  • Data platform architecture (warehouse, lakehouse, semantic layer)
  • Budget and vendor management
  • Data governance, privacy and regulation (GDPR, CCPA, sector rules)
  • AI and model risk management
  • Experimentation and measurement programs
  • Hiring and organization design
  • Your domain’s core models (credit, pricing, churn)

Soft skills

  • Executive communication
  • Prioritizing across competing leaders
  • Building managers
  • Saying no to low-value requests
  • Board-level storytelling

Certifications and licenses worth listing

  • Rarely decisive at director level: your outcomes and the teams you built carry the decision.
  • CDMP (Certified Data Management Professional) from DAMA International: relevant where governance is a large part of the role.
  • Executive education in data or AI strategy: a short line at most, never instead of results.

Length and format

Two pages. Page one should hold your current and previous leadership roles in full; earlier individual contributor roles can shrink to one line each to show your technical base. The executive template’s strong header suits this level.

Common mistakes

  • Writing as the best analyst in the room. At this level, results come through people, budgets and priorities.
  • Platform migrations without business reasons. Say what the new stack made possible or cheaper.
  • No numbers on team size or budget, which leaves a reader guessing your scope.
  • Ignoring governance and AI risk, which boards and regulators now ask data leaders about directly.
  • Listing tools in the summary. A CEO cares that the stack works and costs less, not which vendor you chose.

Questions and answers

How is a head of data resume different from a data science manager’s?

A manager resume shows one team and its work. A head of data resume shows a function: several teams, a strategy, a budget, governance and results the executive team tracks.

Should a head of data list technical skills?

Briefly. Name the platform areas and methods you are fluent in so a CTO can see you can lead technical people, but keep leadership and business results first.

How far back should my experience go?

Detail the last ten to twelve years. Earlier roles can be one line each, or grouped, unless they show something the employer needs, such as deep experience in their industry.

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