Head of Data Strategy

Role Summary

We are looking for a seasoned data strategist to lead and build the Data Strategy Group (DSG) within DSG — a 3-person team responsible for sourcing, negotiating, integrating, and maintaining external data streams that power Index Pricing Calculations. This is a hands-on leadership role combining commercial data partnership expertise with technical understanding, owning the full data lifecycle from source identification through ongoing operations and compliance.

The ideal candidate has a background in data sourcing strategy within a trading firm, exchange, or financial data business — someone who understands how to identify unique and valuable data streams, negotiate commercial terms, and operationalize them at scale.

Key Responsibilities

Data Source Strategy & Discovery

Define and execute the data sourcing strategy aligned with DSG's Index Pricing roadmap

Identify and evaluate candidate data streams — market data vendors, exchanges, alternative data providers, OTC desks, and novel/non-traditional sources

Build and maintain a scoring framework assessing coverage, latency, reliability, cost, uniqueness, and licensing terms

Conduct proof-of-concept evaluations with shortlisted vendors

Maintain a continuous pipeline of potential future data sources to stay ahead of market developments

Commercial Negotiation & Vendor Partnerships

Lead end-to-end pricing and contract negotiations with data vendors and partners

Structure licensing agreements covering redistribution rights, usage scope, derived data permissions, and audit clauses

Negotiate SLAs for uptime, latency, data correction policies, and support

Manage renewals, amendments, and terminations; benchmark pricing against market rates

Build and maintain long-term strategic relationships with key data partners

Own the full commercial relationship with all data vendors post-signature

Technical Connectivity & Integration

Oversee the design and implementation of data ingestion pipelines (APIs, feeds, FTP, WebSocket, FIX, streaming protocols)

Coordinate with vendors on connectivity requirements (VPNs, cross-connects, credentialing)

Ensure normalization and validation layers meet Index Pricing quality standards

Work closely with the Big Data Team to ensure data is archived per retention policies and available for downstream analytics

Maintain integration documentation and operational runbooks

Data Monitoring & Quality Assurance

Establish and oversee automated monitoring for data reliability (staleness, gaps, anomalies)

Ensure regular soundness checks (statistical validation, cross-source reconciliation)

Define alerting thresholds and escalation procedures

Produce periodic health reports for stakeholders; track vendor SLA adherence

License & Compliance Management

Maintain a complete registry of data license agreements, terms, and obligations

Ensure all reporting requirements are met (usage reports, redistribution disclosures, audit responses)

Guarantee internal usage remains within contractual scope

Manage vendor audits and information requests

Flag renewals and renegotiation windows with minimum 90 days advance notice

Team Leadership

Hire, mentor, and develop the two other DSG team members

Set team priorities and delivery cadence

Foster a documentation-first, cross-trained culture to mitigate single-point-of-failure risk

Cross-Functional Collaboration

This role works closely with:

Financial Logic — Pricing methodology alignment, calculation logic inputs, model validation

Product Innovation — New product requirements driving data needs, feature collaboration

Risk — Risk model data inputs, quality requirements for risk calculations, stress testing data

Big Data Team — Data archival, storage infrastructure, historical backfills

Legal / Compliance — Contract review, regulatory guidance, license interpretation

Finance — Budget management, cost tracking, vendor payments

Technology / Infra — Network connectivity, security review, environment provisioning

Requirements

Must Have

8+ years in data strategy, data sourcing, or data partnerships within trading, exchanges, or financial services

Demonstrated experience identifying and acquiring unique or alternative data sources that provide competitive advantage

Proven track record negotiating commercial data agreements — pricing, licensing terms, redistribution rights, SLAs

Deep understanding of market data ecosystems (exchanges, vendors, alternative data providers, aggregators)

Strong understanding of index pricing or benchmark methodologies and the data inputs that drive them

Technical literacy — comfortable discussing APIs, data pipelines, connectivity architecture, and data quality frameworks

Experience building or managing small, high-performing teams

Excellent stakeholder management across commercial, technical, and senior leadership functions

Nice to Have

Experience at a proprietary trading firm, quantitative fund, or exchange in a data sourcing/strategy capacity

Direct experience with cryptocurrency or derivatives market data (order books, trade feeds, reference data, on-chain data)

Background in alternative data identification, evaluation, and commercialization

Hands-on experience with data engineering tools (Python, SQL, streaming platforms)

Familiarity with data licensing models specific to financial markets (exchange fees, redistribution tiers, non-display usage, derived data policies)

Network of relationships across the market data vendor landscape