Head of Data Architecture and Governance

Sambla Group is a tech company with a clear goal – to make loans better for all. We need you, your ambition and your skills on our journey. We have become the fast-growing fintech company that we are today - bridging the gap between borrowers and lenders - thanks to all the 300+ amazing people who work here.

Our success is the result of the commitment to deliver the best customer journey and consumer finance products in the industry. Together with well known brands such as Sambla, Advisa, Rahoitu, DigiFinans and Omalaina we help customers improve their personal finances by comparing and consolidating their loans.

We at Sambla Group are looking for a Head of Data Architect and Governance! To lead the design, implementation, and evolution of our data architecture and governance framework. This role is critical in building a scalable, reliable, and secure data foundation that supports current reporting and analytics needs while paving the way for next-generation, AI-driven solutions. You will mentor a talented team, champion data best practices across the organization, and ensure our data assets are managed effectively, ethically, and in compliance with regulations like GDPR and DORA.

We are looking for a unique blend of technical depth, strategic thinking, leadership capability, and a genuine excitement for building something impactful in a fast-paced scale-up environment.

Essential Experience & Skills:

Proven Leadership: Demonstrable experience (minimum 3-5 years) leading, managing, and mentoring technical teams (Data Engineers, Architects, Analysts).

Data Architecture Expertise: Deep understanding and hands-on experience designing, building, and managing modern, scalable data warehouse solutions, particularly on cloud platforms (GCP/BigQuery strongly preferred).

Data Modeling Mastery: Expertise in various data modeling techniques and best practices for analytical workloads. Proven ability to design robust and understandable data models.

Data Governance Implementation: Track record of successfully defining, implementing, and operationalizing data governance frameworks, policies, and processes in mid-to-large sized organizations.

Modern Data Stack Proficiency: Strong hands-on experience with tools like dbt and cloud data warehouses (BigQuery preferred, Snowflake/Redshift acceptable). Solid understanding of ELT paradigms.

BI Tooling Architecture: Experience designing data structures optimized for BI tools, specifically Power BI.

Stakeholder Management: Proven ability to effectively engage with, influence, and manage expectations of diverse stakeholders (technical and non-technical) across different levels in mid-to-large organizations.

Regulatory Awareness: Solid understanding and practical experience working with data privacy regulations, particularly GDPR, within data architecture and governance contexts (tracking, monitoring, compliance).

Technical Foundations: Expert-level SQL skills are mandatory.

Communication: Exceptional communication (written and verbal) and presentation skills in English. (Swedish or another Nordic language is a plus).

Desirable Experience & Skills:

Experience working within the Fintech or Financial Services industry.

Experience thriving in a fast-paced, high-growth scale-up environment.

Direct, hands-on experience with the Google Cloud Platform (GCP) data stack (BigQuery, Dataflow, Pub/Sub, etc.).

Experience evaluating, selecting, and implementing Metadata Management or Data Catalog tools.

Familiarity with designing data solutions that support AI/ML workloads and data science workflows.

Proficiency in Python for data engineering or scripting tasks.

Experience with Data Quality specific tooling.

Knowledge of specific governance frameworks like DAMA-DMBOK.

Personal Attributes:

Dynamic & Ambitious: Energetic, proactive, and eager to take on challenges and drive significant impact. Not afraid to roll up sleeves when needed.

Personable & Collaborative: Excellent interpersonal skills; builds rapport easily and fosters a positive, collaborative team environment. Adept at influencing and working across teams.

Strategic Thinker, Pragmatic Doer: Ability to develop a long-term vision while simultaneously delivering tangible results in the short-to-medium term. Balances perfection with pragmatism.

Passionate & Enthusiastic: Genuinely excited by the potential of data, innovative technologies (including AI), and the opportunity to contribute to a mission-driven scale-up helping customers manage their finances.

Structured & Detail-Oriented: Possesses strong organizational skills and attention to detail, crucial for architecture and governance.

Problem Solver: Analytical mindset with a knack for identifying issues and designing effective solutions.

Adaptable: Comfortable navigating ambiguity and evolving priorities typical of a scale-up environment.

Why Join Us?

This is a unique opportunity to shape the data foundation of a rapidly growing Nordic fintech leader. You will have significant autonomy, lead a talented team, work with a modern tech stack, and play a key role in enabling our next phase of growth and innovation, including harnessing the power of AI. If you are an ambitious, personable leader passionate about data architecture and governance, excited to make a tangible impact in a dynamic scale-up, we want to hear from you.

Please note!
As part of our efforts to foster an unbiased recruitment process, we kindly encourage you to not include picture, gender, ethnicity, religion, disability, sexual orientation or age in your CV.