Head of Data Research

Impact in this role

Data is at the core of everything ComplyAdvantage offers. The breadth, quality, and depth of our data is what sets our financial crime prevention platform apart, and this role is responsible for keeping it that way.

As Head of Data Research, you will lead the research teams that identify, evaluate, and integrate the data sources behind our platform. You will set the direction: deciding which initiatives matter most, prioritising them against product strategy and regulatory change, and assigning delivery to your managers and team leads. They implement; you make sure the team is working on the right things, at the right time, for the right reasons.

You will also be the team's voice at the leadership level and in the industry, presenting research findings and strategic recommendations to product leadership, supporting commercial conversations with prospects and clients, and raising the profile of data research inside and outside the company.

What you will own

Strategy and prioritization

• Define and maintain a global data research strategy aligned with product strategy, market demands, and regulatory developments, translating it into a prioritized roadmap of initiatives for the team.
• Monitor global legislative and regulatory change affecting our customers, and turn that intelligence into concrete data sourcing and coverage decisions.
• Work with Product and Technology leadership on build, buy, or partner decisions for key initiatives, contributing data expertise to ensure sound choices and efficient use of resources.

Team leadership

• Lead a team of researchers, team leads, and managers, setting clear objectives and creating the conditions for high performance while delivery of initiatives sits with your managers.
• Develop team capability through training plans, mentoring, and career development, building a bench of leaders who can operate independently.
• Own workload planning and capacity forecasting, so the business has a reliable view of what the team can deliver in any given period.

Performance and reporting

• Own the team's metrics and KPI reporting on an ongoing basis, tracking output through the lens of client impact, ARR contribution, and operational efficiency, and presenting progress to senior management. The framework exists; this role keeps it accurate, current, and useful.
• Uphold the quality and reliability of data sources through the team's validation and testing processes, ensuring sourcing decisions meet both regulatory standards and our own benchmarks for ethical data use and privacy.

Cross-functional and external impact

• Partner with Data Science, Engineering, Product Management, Compliance, and Regulatory Affairs to keep data research aligned with platform goals and release plans.
• Support commercial teams in client and prospect conversations, articulating the value and depth of our data with authority.
• Champion the adoption of AI across the team's ways of working, including regulatory research, process automation, and client self-service, and represent our data expertise at industry conferences, publications, and forums.

Experience and qualifications critical in the role

• A proven data leader: substantial experience leading research or data teams, with a track record of setting strategy, prioritizing competing initiatives, and delivering results through managers rather than through direct execution.
• Demonstrated experience working with large, complex datasets, integrating analysis into research findings that support evidence-based decisions on non-routine questions.
• Experience running team performance frameworks: KPIs, capacity planning, and output forecasting, with the discipline to keep reporting accurate and decision-ready.
• A current understanding of AML legislation, global compliance recommendations, and industry practices, with the judgment to translate regulatory change into data requirements.
• Strong stakeholder management across product, technology, and commercial functions, including experience presenting to executive audiences.
• A university degree in a relevant field such as Data Science, Economics, Law, International Relations, or Political Science. A Master's degree or significant compliance research experience strengthens the profile.
• Fluency in English, written and spoken.

Experience and qualifications nice-to-have in the role

• Professional compliance certification (e.g., ACAMS, ICA, or ACFCS).
• Hands-on familiarity with tools such as Looker, Power BI, SQL, or Jira, enough to challenge and improve how the team measures itself.
• Experience applying AI, including agentic approaches, to research, compliance, or data workflows.
• Experience in a high-growth scale-up environment.
• A record of industry thought leadership through conferences, publications, or professional forums.

Benefits

• Competitive Salary 
• Equity as we want you to have a part of what we are building 
• Unlimited Time Off Policy- A work-life balance and focus on our wellbeing are critical to keeping us performing at our best.
• We embrace a hybrid approach that requires employees to be in the office for two days a week. We strongly believe that this approach fosters collaboration and enables the building of meaningful relationships.
• You will also get an annual budget to kit out your home office
• Opportunity to work on innovative projects with smart like-minded people who are keen to share their knowledge and continuously improve
• Annual learning budget to drive your performance and career development
• Working from home budget
• Meal Vouchers 45 RON/ Day
• Access to an Employee Assistance Programme (Atlas) 
• Medical Insurance
• 7Card Subscription (upon request)

The base salary range for this role is 216,000 - 240,000 RON + equity and benefits. The actual pay may vary based on factors such as location, experience, and skills.