Global Business Insights Strategic Projects Director

at  Dentsu

The purpose of this role is to define and implement the People Analytics strategy across the organisation. This will include coordinating people and/or a direct team of HR analysts to deliver complex insight and analysis to drive people performance across the organisation. The role will also be responsible for leading large projects across the HR function.
Job Description:
Introduction
Dentsu is the network designed for what’s next, helping clients predict and plan for disruptive future opportunities and create new paths to growth in the sustainable economy. Taking a people-centered approach to business transformation, we use insights to connect brand, content, commerce and experience, underpinned by modern creativity.
Dentsu International is a global leader that specialises in Sales, Marketing, Customer Experience, and Retention to enable clients to keep “winning” whilst ensuring customer growth and experience is at the very forefront for their businesses.
We’re hiring a Global Business Insights Strategic Projects Director as part of our team in London working on a hybrid basis.
Purpose of the Role
The Global Business Insights Strategic Projects Director is a pivotal leadership role in the Business Insights and Workforce Management team. You will be focused on connecting teams and leveraging the right skills to drive key programs across the organization. You will be responsible for fostering collaboration among diverse functions, ensuring that each project is executed with a strong foundation in data, analytics, and insight creation.
This position offers a unique opportunity to lead, scope, and deliver cross-market and business data and insights projects, uniting the business, finance, technology, HR, and business operations to achieve strategic objectives. Your ability to connect teams and harness their collective expertise will be essential in delivering innovative solutions and driving impactful outcomes.
Job description

Key accountabilities

• Program Leadership: Lead and manage the delivery of cross-market and business projects, ensuring alignment with strategic objectives and successful execution.
• Collaboration: Work closely with diverse teams across finance, technology, HR, and the business insights team in operations to scope, design, and implement strategic initiatives.
• Data-Driven Insights: Utilize data analytics to create actionable insights that inform decision-making and drive project success, ensuring that all initiatives are supported by robust evidence.
• Stakeholder Engagement: Build strong relationships with stakeholders at all levels, facilitating clear communication and collaboration throughout the project lifecycle.
• Risk Management: Identify potential risks and challenges associated with projects, developing and implementing effective mitigation strategies to ensure continuity and success.
• Reporting & Insights Creation: Develop comprehensive reports and dashboards to present insights and recommendations to key stakeholders, promoting a culture of data-driven decision-making.
• Continuous Improvement: Champion best practices and process improvements within project management and delivery, enhancing the overall effectiveness of strategic initiatives.

Candidate Profile

• Consulting Skills: Experience in consulting with stakeholders to understand their needs, provide tailored solutions, and facilitate strategic discussions that drive business improvements.
• Leadership and Team Management: Ability to inspire and lead teams, fostering collaboration and driving high performance.
• Strategic Thinking: Strong aptitude for aligning project goals with business strategy and long-term objectives, ensuring that initiatives deliver meaningful impact.
• Data Analysis and Interpretation: Proficiency in analyzing complex data sets to extract actionable insights that inform decision-making and project direction.
• Stakeholder Engagement: Proven ability to build and maintain relationships with stakeholders at all levels, effectively managing expectations and fostering collaboration.
• Problem-Solving: Strong analytical and critical thinking skills, with the ability to identify issues and develop innovative solutions quickly.
• Adaptability: Flexibility to thrive in a dynamic environment, adjusting strategies and approaches as needed to respond to changing business needs.
• Communication Skills: Exceptional verbal and written communication skills, enabling clear articulation of project goals, progress, and insights to diverse audiences.

Complimentary Skills – not a must

• Financial Acumen: Understanding of financial principles and budgeting processes to effectively manage project budgets and resources.
• Workforce Optimisation and analytics – Have a good understanding of Workforce and people data and how it can be used to drive business improvements. This could include utilisation, shoring mix and other analysis.
• Risk Management: Ability to anticipate potential risks and challenges, developing proactive strategies to mitigate them and ensure project continuity.
• Technical Proficiency: Familiarity with data and technology solutions utilised to support business insights (eg, Power BI, SQL Server, Logic Apps, Data Factory, Azure SQL DB, etc) for effective data handling and reporting.

Key Experiences

• Experience: Minimum of 10 years in delivering strategic business and analytics projects that have driven business insights and outcomes, with at least 5 years in a leadership role; experience managing cross business and market level projects.
• Technical Skills: Proficient in analytics tools (e.g., Tableau, Power BI, SQL); strong ability to interpret and present data.
• Leadership Skills: Demonstrated ability to lead cross-functional teams and foster collaboration, influencing stakeholders across various business functions.

What we offer
This is a permanent role. The team is based from our UK office in London on a hybrid working basis.

As well as a competitive salary, you’ll enjoy a benefits package that you can tailor to your needs which includes:

• Ongoing Training
• Unparalleled professional development
• Company-provided Medical Healthcare
• Generous Pension provisions
• Health and Wellness benefits
• Life Assurance
• Working in diverse teams where you can make a real impact.
• Exciting and rewarding environment.
• Varied work across industries

Great additional benefits

• 25 holidays per year, plus bank holidays, additional Christmas leave and your birthday off. We also offer 2 paid volunteer charity days and 3 well-being each year

Inclusion and Diversity
Our diverse and inclusive culture enables our employees to bring their whole selves to work and be proud of doing so. For us, this is the foundation for great innovation which, in turn, generates better outcomes for our people, partners and communities. This is why we encourage applications from people with disabilities, and of all ages, nationalities, backgrounds and cultures.
We are happy to discuss flexible and agile approaches to working for all our roles – we can’t promise we will be able to offer you everything you want or need but we do promise to discuss it with you openly and honestly. If you have any reasonable adjustment needs arising from a disability or medical condition to fully participate in the recruitment process, please discuss this with our recruitment teams.
About dentsu
Taking a people-centered approach to business transformation, we use insights to connect brand, content, commerce and experience, underpinned by modern creativity. As part of Dentsu Group Inc. we are headquartered in Tokyo, Japan and our 65,000 employee-base of dedicated professionals work across four regions (Japan, Americas, EMEA and APAC). Dentsu combines Japanese innovation with a diverse, global perspective to drive client growth and to shape society.
Diversity, equity, and inclusion sits at the heart of our Social Impact strategy – our fully integrated sustainability strategy which includes our ambition to build a fair and more equal society, where everyone is equipped to thrive.
Location:
London
Brand:
Global Business Operations
Time Type:
Full time
Contract Type:
Permanen

Please refer the Job description for details