Data Lead for Performance & Data Management in Leicester

Permanent | South West Leicestershire, close to the M1 | Hybrid Working Available

Salary: £70,000-£80,000 DOE

The Organisation: This is a rare opportunity to join a well-established, member-owned co-operative with a turnover of £2.3bn. Operating as the sector's leading trading platform — both digital and physical — the organisation supports over 1,300 independent merchants across the UK, delivering financial resilience, streamlined supply chains and stronger commercial outcomes for its members. Headquartered in south west Leicestershire with excellent motorway access, the organisation employs circa 70 people and punches well above its weight in terms of commercial reach and industry influence.

The Opportunity: As Business Continuity, Risk, Compliance and Resilience Lead, you will design, implement and own an integrated framework that strengthens IT security and operational resilience across the business. This is a practitioner role — you will be the person writing the plans, running the exercises, carrying out the assurance work and managing supplier risk directly. There are no direct reports; this role suits someone who gets things done themselves rather than directing others to do it, and who is energised by the breadth of hands-on delivery that brings. You will report directly to the Chief Data & Information Officer and have direct access to Board level through regular reporting to senior leadership and the Audit & Risk Committee.

Key Responsibilities:

• Business Continuity & Resilience: Lead and continuously improve the Business Continuity Management (BCM) framework; Assess and test disaster recovery arrangements through simulations and resilience exercises; Coordinate assurance with third-party suppliers to ensure resilience requirements are met; Take a lead role in crisis management planning and incident response.
• Technology Resilience Assurance: Work with IT to define and maintain technology resilience standards, including disaster recovery, backup and recovery time objectives; Provide independent assurance that critical systems are resilient and recovery plans are regularly tested; Support review of access controls, credentials management and authentication controls for critical platforms.
• Third-Party Risk Management: Develop and maintain a framework for assessing and managing supplier and partner risk; Ensure appropriate due diligence and ongoing monitoring is in place for key suppliers supporting critical services.
• Governance & Reporting: Provide regular reporting to the Board and Audit & Risk Committee; Maintain oversight of key controls and assurance activities across the business.

What We're Looking For:

Essential: Significant practical experience in business continuity and operational resilience; Strong grounding in IT and technology risk; Experience managing supplier and third-party risk; Comfortable presenting at Board or Executive level; A track record of managing crises or major incidents.

Desirable: Professional certifications such as CISM, ISO 22301, ICA or PRINCE2; Experience with operational and technology resilience frameworks.

Key Skills & Competencies: Strategic thinking and sound judgement; Strong stakeholder influence and communication skills; Crisis leadership and the ability to make clear decisions under pressure; Analytical mindset with strong risk assessment capability.

If you are an experienced resilience professional looking for a high-impact role within a collaborative, purpose-driven organisation, we would love to hear from you.