Insights Lead
Location: Preston / Hybrid (2 days in office, 4 office days minimum for those living 50+ miles away).
Salary: £55-60k DOE + bonus & benefits; 37 hours a week.
A glance at the Role:
The Insights Lead provides expert analytical insight across the Planning & Insights function, transforming operational, forecasting and performance data into actionable intelligence, whilst managing performance and delivery through your team.
The role elevates data maturity, ensures high‑quality insight for operational decision making, and acts as the analytical lead for both strategic and tactical initiatives. The ability to tell a story with data is essential.
What we offer
* Competitive salary £55k–60k DOE + annual bonus scheme
* 25 days’ holiday plus public holidays, 2 additional concessionary days and ½ day for birthday; ability to buy & sell leave
* Excellent pension scheme (Local Government Pension Scheme) with generous employer contributions
* Health or dental plan
* Employee Assistance Programme
* Employee Referral Scheme
* Reward Discount Scheme ("Your Perk Site") and wellbeing webinars & social events
* Daily free fruit and snacks
* Free car parking in Preston City Centre
* A collaborative & inclusive organisational culture
Key Responsibilities
* Lead the design, development and automation of dashboards, reporting suites and analytical tools.
* Translate complex data into clear insight for decision makers, providing narrative‑driven recommendations.
* Partner with Planning to validate forecast assumptions and produce performance variance analysis.
* Drive data quality improvements and define data governance standards within Planning & Insights.
* Own the analytical roadmap, prioritising high‑value insights and ensuring timely delivery.
* Coach and technically develop the Insights Analysts in modern analytical techniques and tools.
* Support strategic projects with scenario modelling, trend analysis and evidence‑based recommendations.
* Support wider stakeholder population, e.g. Change, IT, HR & Finance.
* Communicate clearly to ensure team members are working harmoniously and to the same standard.
* Make effective decisions to aid with the progression of projects and problem‑solving.
* Motivate, support and drive the team towards their goals.
* Undertake full responsibility for the management and development of the team.
What you will bring
* Extensive experience in data, analytics, or insights roles, including leading BI/analytics teams (ideally 5–10+ years).
* Proven ability to manage, coach and develop analysts, foster a high‑performance culture, and set clear standards.
* Experience shaping and delivering a data and insights strategy aligned to organisational goals.
* Able to manage multiple deadlines, prioritise effectively, and take ownership for delivery in a fast‑paced environment.
* Strong experience in analytics, insight, or BI within operations, financial services, or similar data‑driven environments.
* Proven data storytelling ability.
* Excellent ability to communicate complex data clearly to non‑technical audiences.
* Strong communication and report‑writing skills, presenting complex information simply and persuasively.
* Proven ability to influence stakeholders at all levels and build strong internal and external working relationships.
* Confident representing the team, challenging constructively, and providing thought leadership.
* Commercial and strategic insight mindset – translating ambiguous business questions into clear analytical approaches.
* Stakeholder leadership without authority – influencing senior stakeholders and acting as a trusted advisor without formal line management.
* Advanced skills in SQL, Python or R, and data visualisation tools (Power BI, Tableau).
* Experience influencing senior stakeholders.
* Experience of Contact Centre WFM & Telephony platforms – Avaya, Verint, NICE, others.
* Strong lateral thinking and analytical creativity.
* High level of accuracy, attention to detail, and ability to identify trends, anomalies and underlying drivers.
* Able to interpret data with a clear commercial mindset – articulating the "so what" and the operational/strategic implications.
Nice to have
* Comfortable working in an environment with ambiguity, shifting priorities, and evolving information.
* Creative, open to new ideas and new ways of working; willing to challenge established approaches constructively.
* Experience designing analytical strategy or data standards.
* Data governance practices and procedures.
* Experience supporting change and/or continuous improvement (technology deployments, systems migration, benefit realisation tracking).
* Coaching, mentoring and quality assurance – supporting the development of junior analysts.
* Experience working in a regulated environment and with external clients.
* Proactive, self‑motivated, and able to manage a high personal workload with multiple deadlines.
* Industry‑based qualifications or certification – e.g., The Forum, CCMA, Microsoft, Google Analytics, DAMA, LSS (Green – Black).
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