Are you a creative problem-solver who thrives in a fast-paced, experimental environment? Do you relish the challenge of building complex data systems, testing ideas, and learning from failure as much as success? Mustard Systems is seeking a Head of Data to join our talented and high growth Horse Racing team, where you'll collaborate with a unique blend of mathematicians, statisticians, international chess masters, and Countdown Octo-Champs to tackle some of the most complex and exciting problems in sports prediction. The Horse Racing team specialises in predicting the outcomes of Horse Racing around the world with the primary focus of the team being building in-house sophisticated trading systems and predictive models. You will be responsible for structuring our data systems and processes and for the delivery of data to the end users. As the data team grows this role will require leadership and willingness to manage a team. Success in this role will require close collaboration with the quant team to understand the data requirements as well as being the point of contact for any data queries whether internally or from external suppliers. What You’ll Do Lead our goal of building the most complete and accurate horse racing dataset that is easy for our quant team to work with. This includes: Setting the structure and processes used for processing data in the Horse Racing team. Working with external data suppliers to integrate with data feeds and ingest large stores of historic data. Experimenting on a wide range of data sources and formats to test innovative approaches and iterate quickly, embracing failure as part of the process. Collaborating closely with a team of experts across disciplines to bring diverse perspectives to problem-solving. Using your technical skills and creativity to identify the best tools and technologies for the task at hand. Working predominantly in-office, fostering close collaboration and a team-driven approach. Being responsible for delivering and maintaining a rich dataset from a range of multiple sources up to the standard that is required by the team. Scaling the data operation as the Horse Racing team grows, ensuring the quality of data remains high and putting in place suitable monitoring procedures. Requirements What We’re Looking For At least 5 years of experience working with data with at least one example of a role leading the design and implementation of a full data structure. A proven ability to work independently and innovate. Experience working in environments where the speed of development is prioritised over formal processes. Very strong domain knowledge such as understanding data value chain, building data products from end-to-end, database designs, etc… A self-starter attitude, with the confidence to take ownership of data systems. Strong leadership skills and the ability to communicate well with users of data systems. Someone who takes a lot of pride in their work and will strive to deliver the best dataset possible. A willingness to work mostly in the office, recognising the value of face-to-face teamwork for this role. No prior knowledge of horse racing is required. Our Tech Stack You’ll have the freedom to choose the tools and technologies that fit each problem best, including new tech you suggest, but here’s a snapshot of what we currently use: Python 3.10 for most of our development. Linux servers. PostgreSQL for data storage. ZeroMQ and RabbitMQ for backend communication. Basic web front ends for internal tools. Your Portfolio or Personal Projects – If you have built something outside of your day job, we’re keen to see it. Whether it’s a passion project, an experimental tool, or something a little quirky, we’d love to hear about it. Benefits Why join Mustard Systems? Work on cutting-edge systems in a competitive and innovative field. Collaborate with a smart, driven team, where your contributions directly impact business performance. Opportunity to drive the company’s technical direction and double its revenue in the next three years. Comprehensive benefits, including: Competitive salary and significant bonus potential (up to 30%). Enhanced pension match with salary sacrifice option. Health insurance and life assurance. Sabbatical leave after five years. 33 days of annual leave (including bank holidays). We have a hybrid working approach at Mustard Systems. We enjoy working and collaborating together and require people to be in our Hammersmith office four days a week. If you require any additional flexibility, please let our hiring team know as part of the recruitment process.