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Director Data Science Startup Jobs in Iowa (NOW HIRING)

Berkshire Hathaway Energy

Sr Data Scientist

Des Moines, IA · On-site

$117K - $146K/yr

Partner with Product Owners to lead end-to-end data science initiatives, from problem definition ... direct authority. Demonstrated initiative and resourcefulness , with the ability to navigate ...

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Director Data Science Startup information

What are some unique challenges a Director of Data Science faces in a startup environment?

As a Director of Data Science in a startup, you will often need to balance hands-on technical work with strategic leadership, since resources and team sizes are usually limited. You'll likely be tasked with building and mentoring a team from the ground up, establishing best practices, and aligning data initiatives with fast-changing business goals. Additionally, you may need to advocate for data-driven decision-making across non-technical teams and adapt quickly as the company's priorities shift. This environment fosters rapid professional growth but requires flexibility, strong communication skills, and a willingness to wear multiple hats.

What is the difference between Director Data Science Startup vs Data Scientist?

AspectDirector Data Science StartupData Scientist
Required CredentialsAdvanced degree (Master's/PhD), leadership experienceBachelor's or Master's in Data Science, Computer Science, or related field
Work EnvironmentLeadership role overseeing teams, strategic planningHands-on data analysis, model development, research
Employer & Industry UsageStartups, tech companies, innovation-driven firmsVaries from startups to large corporations, research labs
Search & Comparison IntentUnderstanding leadership roles, strategic responsibilitiesTechnical skills, project work, data analysis

The Director Data Science Startup typically holds a leadership position with strategic oversight and team management responsibilities, requiring advanced degrees and experience. In contrast, a Data Scientist focuses on technical data analysis and model development, often with less emphasis on leadership. Both roles are common in startup environments and tech industries, but they differ significantly in scope and responsibilities.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as a Director of Data Science at a Startup, and why are they important?

To thrive as a Director of Data Science at a startup, you need deep expertise in statistical modeling, machine learning, and data strategy, often supported by an advanced degree in a quantitative field. Familiarity with tools like Python, R, SQL, cloud platforms (e.g., AWS, GCP), and experience with data pipeline architectures are typically required. Strong leadership, communication, and business acumen are vital soft skills for aligning data initiatives with startup objectives and motivating cross-functional teams. These skills are crucial for driving product innovation, scaling data operations, and delivering actionable insights in a fast-paced, resource-constrained environment.

What does a Director of Data Science do at a startup?

A Director of Data Science at a startup leads the development and execution of data-driven strategies, overseeing teams of data scientists and analysts to drive business growth. They are responsible for aligning data initiatives with the company's goals, building predictive models, and ensuring the integrity and scalability of data solutions. This role often involves close collaboration with engineering, product, and executive teams to translate business needs into actionable data projects. Additionally, they help shape the data culture and mentor team members in a fast-paced, resource-constrained environment.
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Director Data Science Startup jobs near you
Director, Data Analytics & Insights

Director, Data Analytics & Insights

GreatAmerica Financial Services

Des Moines, IA

Full-time

Medical, Dental, Vision, Life, Retirement, PTO

Posted 9 days ago

Job description

GreatAmerica Financial Services is a highly successful entrepreneurial company providing equipment financing to businesses across the United States. Our exemplary customer service, our principle-centered business philosophy and our team-based operating approach are key to our success and growth.

We are looking to add a key member to our Data Team!

The Director, Data,Analyticsand Insightsis responsible forleading data and analytics strategy for enterprise analytics and customer insights that drivethe futureperformanceof our businessand are enabled through scalable data capabilities. This role owns the strategy to deliver data, analytics, and insights to key stakeholders, including high-quality insights and key decision support, as well as the analysis of tradeoffs. Additionally, this leader partners with key stakeholders to deliver modern data products andestablisha strong data-driven culture across the organization. In partnership with Technology, this role ensures data assets, reporting, and analytic solutions are aligned with evolving enterprise priorities and plays a key role in leading and supporting the efforts of our Product teams.

As the Director, Data Analytics & Insights, you will:

Strategy & Business Impact

  • Defines and executes an enterprise data & analytics strategy aligned to business priorities

  • Leads and partners with executive leadership and key stakeholders to identify and prioritize high-value data and analytics initiatives across the enterprise, balancing requests from Product and non-Product teams, and partnering closely with the SVP of Operations to align efforts with product strategy, customer impact, and overall business priorities for growth, efficiency, and risk management.

  • Establishes and evolves the operating model for enterprise analytics, including intake, prioritization, governance, and capacity planning, to ensure resources are aligned to the highest-value business opportunities.

  • Develops a deep understanding of our customers and how our businessoperatesto ensure data and analytics efforts are aligned with real-world needs, operational drivers, and opportunities to enhance customer experience and performance.

  • Builds strong partnerships across Product, Operations, Technology, Finance, Risk, Legal, Compliance, and other key functions to align analytics priorities, data practices, and decision support with enterprise needs.

  • Establishes success metrics (adoption, business impact, decision velocity) and drives measurable outcomes from analytics investments

Enterprise Analytics

  • Own,Develop andmaintainexecutive dashboards and KPIs that provide clear visibility into enterprise performance (e.g., enterprise activity dashboard, ROA analysis).Suggest actions and outcomes based on results.

  • Identifytrends, patterns, and emerging risks to inform proactive decision-making.

  • Synthesize and communicate the enterprise performance story to executive leadership.

  • Translates complex data into clear executive narratives, recommendations, and decision support for senior leadership and board-level discussions.

  • Define and track metrics to measure the outcomes andimpactof strategic initiatives.

Customer Insights

  • Lead customer segmentation to better understand distinct customer groups and value drivers.

  • Develop and refine customer lifetime value models to inform growth and investment decisions.

  • Analyze customer behavior to uncover insights that drive engagement, retention, andability to sell multiple products.

  • Partner with Sales and Operations onVoice of the Customer programsto translate themes/data to outcomes that drive incremental value to our customers.

  • Deliver retention and growth analytics toidentifyopportunities to improve customer loyalty and expand relationships.

Data Products & Insights Delivery

  • Champions scalable self-service analytics capabilities, design standards, and data literacy efforts that enable leaders and teams to confidently use data in day-to-day decision-making.

  • Partners with advanced analytics and data science teams to operationalize insights and integrate predictive capabilities into business processes

  • Ensures consistent definitions, metrics governance, and trusted data sources across the enterprise

Data Governance

  • Partners across business and technology teams to strengthen enterprise data governance practices, including stewardship, data quality, metadata, lineage, access controls, and consistent use of trusted data assets.

  • Applies enterprise data definitions and governance standards

  • Partners with Data Governance to ensure data quality and consistency

  • Leverages governed data assets to deliver insights

People Leadership & Talent Strategy

  • Leads, develops, and scales a high-performing analytics organization (BI, analysts, and potentially data product roles)

  • Establishes role clarity, career paths, and capability models across analytics disciplines

  • Oversees hiring, performance management, and succession planning for the function

  • Builds enterprise data literacy through structured enablement and training programs

To be successful in the role, you will need:

Education

  • Bachelor's degree in BusinessAnalytics, Finance, Math, Information Systems, Statistics, or relevant field

Experience

  • 8+ years of experience in data, analytics, or business intelligence roles

  • 5+ years of experience leading teams or enterprise-level initiatives

  • Experience defining and executing data & analytics strategies at scale

  • Experience partnering with senior business leaders and driving cross-functional outcomes

  • Experience working in an agile or product-based delivery model preferred

  • Experiencewith modern BI and analytics platforms (e.g., Tableau, Power BI, etc.)

  • Workingknowledge of data querying and data models (SQL or equivalent)

  • Familiarity with data architecture concepts, pipelines, and analytics ecosystems


Skills and Abilities

  • Experience working within modern cloud-based data and analytics ecosystems and partnering with technology teams on scalable data platform capabilities preferred.

  • Strong business acumen with ability to translate data into actionable insights

  • Ability to balance strategic leadership with operational execution

  • Strong prioritization and decision-making skills

  • Extensive experience with data visualization tools such as Tableau, QlikView, PowerBIetc.

  • Experience with Microsoft SQL and ability toacquiredata sets via moderately complex queries

  • High levelofproficiencywith Microsoft Office suite

  • Experience with reporting capabilities withinSalesForcea plus

  • Strong business acumen with the desire to understand the core drivers of business behaviors

  • Sense of accountability for thetimelydelivery ofhigh quality, consistentinformation visualizationat the enterprise level

  • Accountability for delivering measurable business value from analytics investments

  • Ability tooperatein a fast-paced, evolving environment while driving organizational change

Sharing rewards is an integral part of our culture. We believe in the value of hard work and reward our employees beyond the paycheck. Our total rewards package is based on eligibility and includes:

Financial Benefits

  • Competitive Compensation
  • Monthly Bonuses for Eligible Employees
  • 401(k) and Company Match
  • Annual Profit Sharing
  • Paid Time Off

Health, Wellbeing, and Family Planning Benefits

  • Paid Vacation - starting at 80 hours annually for employees in their first year of service.
  • Paid Sick Days - Ten (10) per year with a conversion option for unused time.
  • Ten (10) Paid Holidays per year
  • Gym Reimbursement
  • Health Insurance
  • Dental Insurance
  • Vision Insurance
  • Short-Term and Long Term Disability
  • Company Paid Life Insurance
  • Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA)
  • Health Savings Accounts (HSA)
  • Employee Assistance Program
  • Parental Leave

Education and Career Planning Benefits

  • Tuition Assistance
  • Networking Opportunities
  • Leadership Development Opportunities

Perks

  • Paid Parking
  • Service Awards
  • Hybrid work arrangements
  • Business casual environment
  • A strong organizational culture focused on our greatest asset: you!

If your experience aligns closely, please apply. We value diverse backgrounds and adding new perspectives. We encourage you to apply if you can make a strong impact in this role at www.greatamerica.com/careers.

Please note, applicants must be authorized to work for any employer in the U.S. We are unable to sponsor or take over sponsorship of an employment visa.

Apply