Director of Product - Data Platform and Decision Tooling in Edinburgh

Director of Product - Data Platform and Decision Tooling in Edinburgh

Edinburgh Full-Time 80000 - 100000 £ / year (est.) Home office (partial)
SkyScanner

At a Glance

  • Tasks: Lead the development of a trusted data platform and drive impactful decision-making.
  • Company: Join Skyscanner, a global leader in travel planning tools.
  • Benefits: Hybrid work model, inclusive culture, and generous parental leave.
  • Other info: Dynamic team environment focused on curiosity and collaboration.
  • Why this job: Shape the future of travel with innovative data solutions and make a real impact.
  • Qualifications: Experience in leading data platforms and a strong product mindset.

The predicted salary is between 80000 - 100000 £ per year.

About Skyscanner

Everyone loves travelling, but planning is not without its challenges. That's why we've spent 20 years building tools that turn travel-planning chaos into a breeze. Today, around 160 million travellers count on us every month to skip the whole “47 browser tabs open” phase and find flights, cars, and hotels quickly and easily. Joining Skyscanner means becoming part of a global brand that's striving to become the planet's go-to travel hack accessible for all. Our vision? To be the world's number one travel ally.

About the role (Hybrid)

Data has been at the heart of Skyscanner’s decision-making for over 20 years, and now our platform capability is stepping into an even bigger spotlight. You’ll own the foundations that help us turn data into trusted decisions, personalised product experiences, and measurable business impact at scale. You’ll keep today’s platform dependable while building what comes next: faster experimentation, production-ready ML and decisioning, stronger data quality, clearer ownership, and scalable delivery that does not need a small army to keep it moving.

What you’ll be doing:

  • Owning a trusted data platform: You’ll lead the reliability, usability, governance, and economic performance of the platform the whole data organisation depends on.
  • Making experimentation fly: You’ll ensure product teams can test, learn, and make decisions quickly, with clean assignment, accurate exposure capture, and confidence in the numbers.
  • Powering production-ready ML: You’ll help data and ML signals move from promising ideas to dependable traveller-facing experiences, without bespoke rework every time.
  • Enabling AI-assisted self-serve analytics: You’ll help create the foundations for teams to ask better questions, find trusted answers faster, and consume analytics through AI-native experiences grounded in governed metrics, clear definitions, and reusable knowledge.
  • Building for agentic data engineering: You’ll shape how AI and automation can support data engineering workflows, from discovery and documentation to pipeline development, testing, monitoring, incident response, and faster delivery of trusted data products.
  • Scaling data delivery: You’ll strengthen how data is moved, transformed, maintained, and served, so Skyscanner can support more use cases without scaling complexity at the same speed.
  • Making quality visible: You’ll turn data quality into a managed organisational capability, with clear ownership, measurable health, and faster issue detection and resolution.
  • Shaping the operating model: You’ll define the interfaces between data platform, AI platform, product engineering, analytics, data science, and business teams.
  • Turning platform work into impact: You’ll connect technical investment to outcomes like experimentation velocity, personalisation, revenue impact, cost control, and better product decisions.

About you:

  • Platform leader at scale: You’ve led business-critical platforms that many teams rely on, and you know how to make shared infrastructure trusted, adopted, and economically sustainable.
  • Product-minded and commercially sharp: You connect platform choices to company priorities, from revenue impact and product learning to operational risk and ROI.
  • Confident with data-powered products: You’ve enabled experimentation, ML, decisioning, or similar capabilities where data moves into real product experiences.
  • Quality and ownership obsessed: You know how to make standards, measurement, accountability, and support models stick without wrapping everyone in red tape.
  • Cross-functional by nature: You build alignment across product, engineering, AI, analytics, data science, and business teams, while keeping boundaries clear and useful.
  • Direct and pacey: You move with the speed the business needs, make decisions with incomplete information, and are honest when something is not working.
  • Strategic but sleeves-rolled-up: You can zoom out to shape the future state, then zoom in to unblock teams, sharpen priorities, and get the platform humming.

What it's like here:

We are the real deal— no corporate gloss, no empty promises. Just a team of genuinely curious, caring humans, building things that help travellers explore the world a little easier. Skyscanner is made up of brilliant humans from every corner of the world. We believe travel makes the world better — and that the same is true of our diverse teams. We're proud to be an equal opportunities employer and are committed to building an inclusive workplace where everyone can thrive and products that are accessible to all.

Sound like your kind of adventure? Apply now and help us shape the future of travel. We're committed to ensuring our application and recruitment processes are inclusive and accessible to everyone. If you require any reasonable adjustments or accommodations for interviews, and/or wish to apply under the Disability Confident scheme, please let your recruiter know.

Director of Product - Data Platform and Decision Tooling in Edinburgh employer: SkyScanner

Skyscanner is an exceptional employer that fosters a vibrant and inclusive work culture, where innovation meets collaboration. With a commitment to employee growth, we offer opportunities for professional development and a hybrid working model that promotes work-life balance in dynamic cities like Barcelona, Edinburgh, and London. Join us to be part of a passionate team dedicated to transforming travel planning into a seamless experience for millions around the globe.

SkyScanner

Contact Details:

SkyScanner Recruitment Team

StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫

We think this is how you could land Director of Product - Data Platform and Decision Tooling in Edinburgh

Tip Number 1

Network like a pro! Reach out to people in your industry on LinkedIn or at events. A friendly chat can lead to opportunities that aren’t even advertised yet.

Tip Number 2

Prepare for interviews by researching the company and its culture. Show them you’re not just another candidate; you’re genuinely excited about what they do!

Tip Number 3

Practice your pitch! Be ready to explain how your skills align with their needs. Keep it concise, engaging, and tailored to the role you’re after.

Tip Number 4

Don’t forget to apply through our website! It’s the best way to ensure your application gets seen by the right people. Plus, we love seeing candidates who take that extra step!

We think you need these skills to ace Director of Product - Data Platform and Decision Tooling in Edinburgh

Data Platform Management
Experimentation Methodologies
Machine Learning Implementation
AI-assisted Analytics
Data Engineering Workflows
Data Quality Management
Cross-functional Collaboration

Some tips for your application 🫡

Show Your Passion for Travel:When you're writing your application, let your love for travel shine through! Mention how you relate to Skyscanner's mission and how your experiences can contribute to making travel planning easier for everyone.

Be Specific About Your Experience:We want to see the nitty-gritty of your past roles. Highlight specific projects or achievements that demonstrate your platform leadership and product judgement. The more details, the better!

Tailor Your Application:Don’t just send a generic application. Make sure to tailor your CV and cover letter to reflect the skills and experiences mentioned in the job description. Show us why you’re the perfect fit for this role!

Apply Through Our Website:We encourage you to apply directly through our website. It’s the best way to ensure your application gets into the right hands and shows us you’re serious about joining our team!

How to prepare for a job interview at SkyScanner

Know Your Data Inside Out

As a Director of Product for the Data Platform, you need to be well-versed in data governance and quality. Brush up on your knowledge of data management principles and be ready to discuss how you've previously ensured data reliability and usability in your past roles.

Showcase Your Leadership Skills

This role requires strong platform leadership. Prepare examples of how you've led cross-functional teams and made shared infrastructure trusted and economically sustainable. Be ready to discuss specific challenges you faced and how you overcame them.

Connect the Dots Between Data and Business Impact

Skyscanner is looking for someone who can link technical investments to business outcomes. Think about how your previous work has driven revenue impact or improved product decisions. Be prepared to share metrics or case studies that demonstrate your commercial acumen.

Emphasise Your Experimentation Mindset

Since experimentation is key to this role, come equipped with examples of how you've enabled teams to test and learn quickly. Discuss any frameworks or methodologies you've implemented that helped streamline decision-making processes and improved product outcomes.