At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead the development of a groundbreaking data platform for a national recycling initiative.
- Company: Join Exchange for Change, a purpose-driven organisation making a real impact on the environment.
- Benefits: Enjoy competitive salary, generous holiday, hybrid working, and comprehensive health benefits.
- Other info: Collaborate with innovative teams and contribute to meaningful social and environmental impact.
- Why this job: Be part of a historic project that transforms waste management and promotes sustainability.
- Qualifications: Experience in data platforms, product management, and a passion for environmental change.
The predicted salary is between 63000 - 77000 £ per year.
About us
At Exchange for Change, we are building something the UK has never had before. Working across England, Scotland and Northern Ireland, we are designing and delivering a Deposit Return Scheme from the ground up, creating a system that helps reduce litter and waste by encouraging people to return their empty drinks bottles and cans for recycling. We are industry led, and driven by purpose. A national movement with a clear mission. No bottle unreturned. No can left behind.
This is not just another job. This is a rare opportunity to do meaningful work, shape a landmark national programme, and help deliver lasting positive impact for people, businesses and the planet alike.
Your role
As Senior Data Platform & Products Manager, reporting to the Head of Data, AI & Insights, you will define the vision, roadmap and evolution of Exchange for Change's enterprise data platform and data products. Working closely with Technology, delivery partners and business stakeholders, you will ensure Exchange for Change has the data foundations and reusable products needed to operate the Deposit Return Scheme, from participant onboarding and data exchange through to operational reporting, financial reconciliation, analytics, AI and automation.
You will establish Exchange for Change's approach to data products, ensuring trusted data is organised and managed as a reusable business asset rather than repeatedly recreated for individual reports, analyses or applications. Working from business priorities and use cases, you will help identify the data products Exchange for Change needs, define their consumers and requirements, and manage their evolution over time.
Acting as the bridge between business, Data, Product and Technology, you will translate business needs into platform and product capabilities, prioritise delivery, shape technical decisions and ensure Exchange for Change retains clear ownership of what is built and why. You will also help turn opportunities for AI and automation into scalable capabilities, working with business teams, BI & Analytics, Product, Technology and specialist partners to determine where new technology can create meaningful value.
This is a greenfield opportunity to build for both Day One and what comes next, balancing launch requirements with the long-term ambition to make data, analytics, AI and automation fundamental to how Exchange for Change operates. You’ll be based at our Milton Keynes office (30min from Euston) with the option to work from home 2/3 days per week.
Key Responsibilities & Priorities
- Own Exchange for Change's data platform and data product strategy and roadmap, aligned to business priorities and the wider Data & AI Strategy.
- Translate priority business use cases into the data products, platform capabilities and technical requirements needed to enable them.
- Establish Exchange for Change's data product approach and lifecycle, including how products are identified, prioritised, owned, delivered, measured and evolved.
- Own the platform and data product portfolio/backlog, balancing Day One requirements with longer-term value and scalability.
- Partner with Technology, Architecture and engineering partners to shape technical solutions and ensure Exchange for Change retains clear ownership and design authority.
- Ensure the platform supports trusted data exchange, integration, governance, reporting, analytics, AI and automation as the scheme evolves.
- Shape opportunities for AI-enabled products and operational automation, translating promising use cases into scalable capabilities with the right internal and external specialists.
- Work closely with BI & Analytics to ensure the data products and platform capabilities required for reporting, insight, prediction and optimisation are available and reusable.
- Work closely with Data Governance to embed ownership, quality, definitions, access and controls into data products and platform design.
- Connect Data with Product, Technology and business teams, ensuring data products and AI-enabled capabilities fit coherently into Exchange for Change's wider product and technology ecosystem.
- Manage delivery partners effectively, ensuring technical delivery remains focused on business outcomes, capability transfer and long-term value for Exchange for Change.
What success looks like
- Exchange for Change launches with a secure, resilient and scalable data platform that supports the critical information and data needs of the scheme from Day One.
- Exchange for Change has a clear portfolio of trusted, reusable data products, built around priority business needs.
- The same trusted data can be reused across reporting, analysis, prediction, automation and external use, reducing duplication and inconsistency.
- Business priorities and use cases drive platform and product development, ensuring investment is focused on capabilities that create measurable value.
- AI and automation opportunities can move from idea to scalable operational capability without creating disconnected technology or duplicated data.
- Delivery partners and internal teams work against a clear roadmap, with Exchange for Change retaining ownership of its platform, products, priorities and critical knowledge.
- The platform and product landscape evolves as the scheme grows, supporting new participants, greater volumes and new analytical and AI capabilities without fundamental redesign.
About you
You are an experienced platform, product or data technology leader who combines strategic thinking with practical delivery in complex, multi-stakeholder environments. You bring:
- Significant experience owning or shaping enterprise data platforms and/or data products in a complex organisation.
- A strong product mindset, with experience turning business needs into roadmaps, products, capabilities and prioritised backlogs.
- Experience establishing or working with data-as-a-product principles, including reusable data products with clear consumers, ownership and lifecycle.
- Strong understanding of modern cloud data platforms, integration, APIs, data architecture and scalable platform design.
- The ability to translate between business, product and technology, getting underneath requirements rather than simply passing them to engineering teams.
- Experience identifying and shaping opportunities involving AI, automation or other emerging data capabilities, with the judgement to distinguish valuable applications from technology-led experimentation.
- Technically credible enough to challenge architects, engineers and suppliers while remaining business and outcome focused.
- Strong experience working with external engineering or technology partners, retaining client-side ownership rather than deferring to suppliers.
- Comfortable operating in significant ambiguity, bringing structure and making progress without waiting for every organisational or technical decision to be resolved.
- A pragmatic approach that balances long-term architecture and product thinking with the realities of delivering to a fixed deadline.
The opportunity
Work that makes a difference - and a place where you can too. This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to help establish a scheme of national importance, working with purpose-driven colleagues and partners to deliver visible, real-world impact. You'll contribute directly to meaningful environmental and social change and in return, we support and reward our team through a range of benefits and initiatives, including:
- Competitive base salary
- Bonus scheme
- 34 days holiday inclusive of bank holidays, additional holidays for length of service
- Flexibility with holidays. You may work on a local public holiday and take an alternative day off, giving you the freedom to celebrate the days that matter most to you.
- 5% employer pension contribution
- Life Insurance: Cover of 4 times base salary
- Private Medical Insurance: Includes GP access and an Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) for wellbeing support
- Income protection
- Family Leave: Maternity, adoption, parental, and paternity leave policies will be developed to be progressive and inclusive.
- Hybrid Working: 60% office or field-based and 40% home-based, with some flexibility according to business and personal needs.
Senior Data Platform & Products Manager employer: Exchange for Change
At Exchange for Change, we pride ourselves on being an exceptional employer dedicated to creating a positive impact through our innovative Deposit Return Scheme. Our Milton Keynes office offers a collaborative work culture where employees are empowered to contribute to meaningful environmental change while enjoying competitive benefits, including a generous holiday allowance, flexible working arrangements, and comprehensive health support. Join us to be part of a purpose-driven team that values your growth and well-being as we work together towards a sustainable future.
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We think you need these skills to ace Senior Data Platform & Products Manager
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Show Off Your Projects:In the world of data science, your projects can speak volumes about your skills. Make sure to showcase a few key projects in your CV or portfolio, especially those that highlight your ability to work with data sets, build models, or use relevant tools like Python, R, or SQL. Don’t forget to include links to any GitHub repositories if applicable!
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✨Brush Up on Your Statistics
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Prepare a killer portfolio showcasing your data science projects. We should include details about the datasets used, the tools and techniques applied, and the impact of your findings. If we can walk them through a particularly challenging project or a cool visualisation that had real-world implications, it’ll really make us stand out!
✨Get Comfortable with Python and R
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✨Prepare for Case Studies
Expect to encounter real-world case studies during the interview. We might be asked how we’d approach a data problem or analyse a dataset to extract insights. It's essential to think out loud and demonstrate our problem-solving process so that the interviewer can see our logical thinking in action.
