DIRECTOR OF DATA SOLUTIONS

Cox Automotive Europe | Group-Wide Role | UK & EU

Role

Director of Data Solutions

Reports To

Chief Information Officer, Europe

Location

Hybrid – Leeds & Manchester (2 days onsite)

Technology Hubs

Manchester & Leeds

Scope

Group-Wide – All Business Units & COEs across UK and EU

Direct Reports

Circa 4 (Team size currently circa 15 and scaling)

Career Level

M4 – Management & Technology

The Opportunity

This is a defining leadership opportunity at the heart of Cox Automotive Europe’s transformation agenda. As Director of Data Solutions, you will take ownership of how data drives value across every business unit and Centre of Excellence (COE) in our UK and European operations — from Wholesale and Retail to next generation product platforms and customer-facing intelligence.

You will join at a pivotal moment. The business is maturing rapidly, transitioning its relationship with data from a purely engineering-led function to a sophisticated, product-led capability. This is your mandate: to build that capability — to define the vision, develop the strategy, and lead a team that turns our data estate into a genuine source of competitive advantage.

With the full backing of Chief Information Officer, Europe and close collaboration with senior stakeholders across Wholesale, Retail, Next Gear, and all COEs across the UK and EU, this is a rare opportunity to architect something enduring — a data products organisation that powers the future of automotive commerce at scale.

About Cox Automotive Europe

Cox Automotive Europe is one of the world’s largest providers of automotive services, software, and data solutions. Our businesses span the full vehicle lifecycle — from digital wholesale platforms and physical auction operations to retail technology, fleet management, and market intelligence — serving franchised dealer networks, independent traders, OEMs, and fleet operators.

Across the UK and Continental Europe, our integrated group of businesses includes leading brands operating across multiple markets, supported by a central Product & Technology function (CAPTG) with an overall headcount of circa 500. Our technology hubs in Manchester, Leeds, and Lisbon are the engine rooms of our digital transformation.

We believe that the future of automotive commerce is data-driven — and this role is at the centre of that belief.

Scope of the Role

This is a group-wide leadership role. The Director of Data Solutions is accountable for defining, developing, and executing the data product strategy across all business units and COEs throughout the UK and EU. The scope covers four interconnected domains:

Business Operational Reporting

Owning the intelligence layer that powers day-to-day decision-making across the organisation — ensuring leaders and teams have access to timely, accurate, and actionable reporting.

Data Science

Leading the application of advanced statistical modelling and machine learning to generate predictive insight, optimise commercial outcomes, and surface opportunities that are invisible to the naked eye.

Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning

Driving the adoption and productionisation of AI and ML capabilities across the group. This includes developing intelligent decision-support tools, automating complex analytical workflows, and embedding model-driven intelligence directly into customer-facing and operational products. The team will build, evaluate, and deploy AI solutions — from large language model integration to computer vision and real-time scoring — ensuring we harness the full potential of our data estate in a responsible, explainable, and scalable way.

Decision Engine & Data Products

Building and scaling proprietary data products — including the Decision Engine — that serve both internal teams and external customers. This includes identifying and developing commercially viable data products, data sharing agreements, and future monetisation opportunities across the group and wider industry.

The transition of data leadership from engineering-led to product-led is a critical strategic objective, and this role owns that transformation.

What You Will Lead

As a senior leader within CAPTG and a critical partner to business units across the UK and EU, you will:

•      Define and own the group-wide data product vision, strategy, and multi-quarter roadmap — aligned to business priorities across Wholesale, Retail, NGC, and all COEs.

•      Lead, grow, and develop a high-performing Data Solutions team of circa 25 people, spanning reporting, data science, AI/ML engineering, and product management.

•      Embed AI and machine learning into the core of our products and operations — from automated pricing intelligence and demand forecasting to personalised customer experiences and predictive maintenance workflows.

•      Champion the shift to a product-led data organisation, introducing rigorous product management disciplines, OKR-driven metrics, and a culture of experimentation and accountability.

•      Partner with Directors of Engineering to ensure data engineering capabilities are aligned to and focused on delivering the outcomes defined by the Data Solutions team.

•      Collaborate with Sales and Legal teams to build the data agreements and customer permissions required to underpin a scalable data products strategy.

•      Identify and develop opportunities to monetise our data assets — through new products, industry data sharing partnerships, and future P&L contributions.

•      Work closely with senior stakeholders across the group — including Wholesale, Retail, NGC, and COEs — to prioritise and deliver solutions with measurable commercial impact.

•      Present to and engage with customer senior management, demonstrating product capabilities and identifying new value-add opportunities.

•      Define and measure relevant product metrics, including OKRs and North Star Metrics, to demonstrate performance and guide prioritisation.

Our AI & ML Ambition

Artificial intelligence and machine learning are not peripheral to our strategy — they are central to it. Cox Automotive Europe is committed to becoming an AI-native organisation, and the Director of Data Solutions will play a leading role in making that a reality.

Across the group, we are investing in AI-powered capabilities that will reshape how we operate and how our customers experience our products. Key areas of focus include:

•      Intelligent Pricing & Valuation: Deploying ML models that dynamically price vehicles, assess market conditions, and support real-time trading decisions at scale.

•      Predictive Analytics: Building models that forecast demand, identify risk, and surface commercial opportunities across the vehicle lifecycle.

•      Decision Engine: Developing a proprietary data product that automates and enhances complex business decisions — reducing manual effort and improving consistency.

•      Natural Language & Generative AI: Exploring the application of large language models and generative AI to transform how our teams and customers interact with data and insight.

•      Operational AI: Embedding AI-driven automation into back-office and operational workflows across business units, improving efficiency and reducing cost.

•      Responsible AI: Ensuring all AI and ML systems are built, tested, and deployed with appropriate governance, explainability, and fairness standards.

The Director of Data Solutions will establish the frameworks, tooling, and team capabilities needed to industrialise AI across the group — moving from experimentation to scalable, production-grade deployment.

Who We Are Looking For

You are a product leader — not just a data leader. You understand that data’s value is realised through products, and you have the track record to prove it. You are as comfortable defining a three-year data product strategy as you are rolling up your sleeves to shape a roadmap or coach a junior product manager.

You bring together three rare capabilities: deep technical credibility in data, AI, and analytics; the commercial acumen to identify and capture value from data assets; and the leadership presence to influence and inspire across a complex, matrixed organisation.

Essential Experience

•      Exceptional track record developing and bringing software products and data solutions to market, ideally within B2B or B2B2C environments.

•      Proven ability to define, communicate, and execute ambitious product strategies — translating business problems into product roadmaps with measurable outcomes.

•      Direct experience working with data science, AI/ML, and engineering teams — with sufficient technical fluency to challenge, guide, and champion their work.

•      Demonstrated success in senior stakeholder management and executive engagement — you can present with conviction to a board, and partner constructively with peers across functions.

•      Experience transitioning data functions from engineering-led to product-led delivery models.

•      Strong commercial instinct — including experience in product pricing, data monetisation, or commercial contract negotiation.

•      Skilled in Agile, Lean, and Directed Discovery methodologies, with a genuine passion for continuous improvement.

Advantageous

•      Experience in the automotive, marketplace, logistics, or technology sectors.

•      Exposure to data commercialisation — licensing, data products, or industry data partnerships.

•      Degree in Business, Marketing, Science, Psychology, or equivalent.

Why This Role Matters

Data is Cox Automotive’s most strategically valuable, and most underdeveloped, asset. The scale of our operations across the UK and Europe means we sit on a data estate of exceptional depth — vehicle transaction histories, pricing signals, customer behaviour, market trends, and operational intelligence accumulated over decades.

The Director of Data Solutions will be the person who unlocks that value — building the products, the team, and the strategy to turn raw data into revenue, competitive advantage, and better outcomes for our customers and partners.

This is a group-wide, group-defining role. With the full support of the Chief Information Officer and the CAPTG leadership team, and a mandate that spans every business unit and COE across the UK and EU, the opportunity to leave a lasting mark on this business is real and immediate.

You will have:

•      Strategic remit with genuine authority to shape the data direction of a large, complex business.

•      Significant ownership of a product portfolio with direct commercial impact.

•      Cross-market, cross-business influence across one of the world’s largest automotive groups.

•      The resources, the mandate, and the leadership support to build something exceptional.

 

Next Steps

If this opportunity resonates, we would be delighted to tell you more. This candidate brief is intended as an introduction to the role and the organisation — further detail on the business, the team, and the selection process is available upon request.

All enquiries and applications will be treated with the strictest confidence.