Today, the role of analytics in technology-driven companies goes far beyond numbers — it is about strategy and the speed of decision-making. This is especially true in fast-growing industries, where data becomes a core competitive advantage.

That is why the client approached Benchmark Executive with a request to find a leader capable of building a full-scale data function at the company level — from architecture to managing a team of hundreds of specialists. Below, we share how we identified and attracted such a candidate.

The position was a key one: Director of Analytics — a leader responsible for building a unified analytical ecosystem across the company and heading the development of the Data Platform.

The scope of responsibility included not only designing the analytics architecture, but also managing a large-scale function of more than 150 professionals: analysts, BI engineers, data engineers, and machine learning experts.

The search was strictly focused on top leaders from delivery and mobility companies, as well as digital banks, where analytics and machine learning directly influence product and business decisions.

Experience requirements included leadership of teams of 100+ people, deep expertise in machine learning, and hands-on experience building data infrastructure at scale.

The role combined several domains at once: analytics, the data function, and strategic business partnership.

The market for such leaders is extremely limited. Most strong candidates were already holding key positions in international companies such as Delivery Hero, Just Eat, Uber, and Wise — and were not actively considering new opportunities.

In practice, this meant that many candidates were either strong in business but lacked sufficient depth in data and architecture, or were technically strong but did not have a mature understanding of analytics as a management decision-making tool.

Leaders who can confidently operate across data, analytics, technology, and at the same time speak to the business in the language of strategy are significantly rarer — effectively a very small, niche talent pool.

Therefore, the task was not only to identify such a leader, but also to engage them: to demonstrate the scale of the challenge, the opportunity for real business impact, and the level of influence associated with the role.

One distinctive feature of this case was the remote-first format.

While many major players are returning teams to offices (for example, Delivery Hero is centralizing its headquarters in Berlin), our client maintained flexibility: the specialist could work from anywhere, provided they were located within the European time zone ±1 hour.

This approach became a competitive advantage, enabling access to a broader pool of high-caliber candidates.

The market compensation range for this role was €250,000–€400,000 per year, depending on the level of responsibility and the scale of the function.

The market for Senior Director–level data leaders is narrow, global, and increasingly overheated.

Roles that offer both flexibility and meaningful challenges in building systemic data solutions become a magnet for top candidates — even those who are not actively looking.

Through systematic work with digital companies and international product organizations, we have built an extensive network of candidates who combine expertise in analytics, data, and technology with a strong understanding of business strategy.

This allows us to work not only with active candidates, but also with rare data leaders who are willing to engage only when presented with a truly large-scale, substantive role and a clear space for impact.

Trust Be EXEC — we know where to find rare talent and how to engage them in your project. Contact us to discuss your search.