Transformation Director (Data Science)

Transformation Director (Data Science)
Are you passionate about transforming data science strategy into meaningful business impact?
Do you thrive on leading complex transformation, aligning senior stakeholders, and turning ambitious plans into measurable outcomes?
About the team:
A global leader in information and analytics, we help researchers and healthcare professionals advance science and improve health outcomes for the benefit of society. Building on our publishing heritage, we combine quality information and vast data sets with analytics to support visionary science and research, health education, and interactive learning, as well as exceptional healthcare and clinical practice. At Elsevier, your work contributes to the world’s grand challenges and a more sustainable future. We harness innovative technologies to support science and healthcare to partner for a better world.
About the role:
The Data Science function is delivering a significant, multi-workstream transformation. This role manages that portfolio and provides the governance backbone for that change: ensuring programme hygiene is fit for purpose, so delivery is timely and effective, keeping the change portfolio coherent, and giving senior leaders a clear, trusted view of progress, risk and value. The role also helps shape and sharpen new business cases so that the next wave of investment is well founded.
Key responsibilities:
Programme hygiene and delivery assurance
Define, maintain, and continuously improve the standards for programme and project management across the transformation: planning, RAID, dependency management, change control, benefits tracking etc.
Assess hygiene across workstreams, challenge where it is not fit for purpose, and coach programme and project lead to close gaps early.
Provide independent assurance on delivery confidence, flagging slippage and emerging risk before it becomes an escalation.
Apply sufficient technical understanding of data science, ML and AI engineering (e.g. model development and deployment, model registries, LLM optimisation, production-grade code) to challenge plans, estimates, dependencies, and risk assessments, and to spot when reported progress does not reflect technical reality.
Governance and reporting
Run the governance cadence end to end, including operating committee and steering committee forums: agendas, papers, decisions, actions, and follow-through.
Own all reporting materials up to senior leadership level, producing concise, accurate and decision-oriented packs, dashboards, and narratives.
Establish a single source of truth for status, milestones, risks, and benefits, and ensure data quality behind it.
Portfolio coherence
Maintain a coherent view of the whole change portfolio, identifying overlaps, conflicts, dependencies and gaps between workstreams.
Support prioritisation and sequencing decisions, balancing capacity, risk and strategic value.
Align portfolio governance with wider Data Science OKRs and planning cycles.
Business cases and investment
Support leads in building robust business cases: clear problem statements, options, costs, benefits and risks.
Work with Finance to validate assumptions and track realised benefits against the original case.
Help shape the pipeline of future initiatives so new proposals fit the portfolio and strategy
Skills & experience:
Essential
· A data science, ML or AI engineering background, gained through hands-on practitioner experience or through leading or governing data science delivery, sufficient to understand the technical content of the change workstreams and to translate it accurately for senior, non-technical audiences.
· Substantial experience running portfolio, programme, or transformation governance in a complex, technical organisation, with a track record of improving delivery discipline.
· Demonstrated experience producing and presenting reporting to senior and executive audiences, with the credibility to hold the room.
· Strong grounding in programme management methods (e.g. MSP, PRINCE2, P3O, Agile/SAFe or equivalent), applied pragmatically rather than dogmatically.
· Experience building or contributing to business cases, including benefits and financial modelling.
· Sharp analytical and written communication skills; able to turn complexity into a clear message.
· Confident challenger who can influence without relying on formal authority.
Desirable
Exposure to AI governance and regulatory context (e.g. EU AI Act).
Professional accreditation (e.g. MSP, PfMP, P3O, PMP).
Experience in publishing, information services or a comparable data-rich business.
Why join us?
At Elsevier, you will be part of a diverse global product team that sits at the frontline of delivering value to customers. You will play a key role in enabling secure access to our products, shaping how customers experience and adopt our identity platform. We are committed to your success and wellbeing, offering flexible working, family leave, long-service recognition, and a supportive, collaborative environment where everyone has a part to play.
Work in a way that works for you
We promote a healthy work/life balance across the organization. We offer an appealing working prospect for our people. With numerous wellbeing initiatives, shared parental leave, study assistance and sabbaticals, we will help you meet your immediate responsibilities and your long-term goals.
· Working flexible hours - flexing the times when you work in the day to help you fit everything in and work when you are the most productive.
Working for you
We know that your well-being and happiness are key to a long and successful career. These are some of the benefits we are delighted to offer:
Generous holiday allowance with the option to buy additional days.
Health screening, eye care vouchers, and private medical benefits
Wellbeing programs
Life assurance
Access to a competitive contributory pension scheme
Save As You Earn share option scheme.
Travel Season ticket loan.
Electric Vehicle Scheme
Optional Dental Insurance
Maternity, paternity, and shared parental leave
Employee Assistance Programme
Access to emergency care for both the elderly and children
RECARES days, giving you time to support the charities and causes that matter to you.
Access to employee resource groups with dedicated time to volunteer.
Access to extensive learning and development resources
Access to employee discounts scheme via Perks at Work
About the business -
A global leader in information and analytics, we help researchers and healthcare professionals advance science and improve health outcomes for the benefit of society. Building on our publishing heritage, we combine quality information and vast data sets with analytics to support visionary science and research, health education, and interactive learning, as well as exceptional healthcare and clinical practice. At Elsevier, your work contributes to the world’s grand challenges and a more sustainable future. We harness innovative technologies to support science and healthcare to partner for a better world.







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