Data & AI Manager 

Job Description and Person Specification  

Job Title: Data & AI Manager 

Salary: £48,500 - £52,500  

Contract Type: Permanent, ideally, full-time (35 hours per week) although 28 hours or flexible hours may be considered 

Working location: Home based. The post holder should expect to come into the London based office a maximum of three days per quarter.  

Reporting to: Head of Technology & Transformation 

BACKGROUND    

For more than 20 years, Magic Breakfast has been helping children and young people start the day with the nourishment they need to learn, grow, and thrive. But the impact of breakfast goes far beyond food. Every morning, we help pupils arrive at school feeling valued, included, and ready to reach their potential. 

Today, 2.1 million children across the UK are at risk of hunger, the equivalent of four pupils in a classroom of 30. Working with schools in disadvantaged communities across England and Scotland, Magic Breakfast is committed to ensuring no child is too hungry to learn. One breakfast at a time, we are helping children and young people build brighter futures. 

This is a pivotal moment to join Magic Breakfast. Governments in both England and Scotland have committed to expanding access to free school breakfasts, recognising the vital role they play in children’s wellbeing and attainment. Yet significant gaps remain. Pupils in secondary schools, alongside younger children in nursery and early years settings, are still at risk of starting the day hungry. Hunger does not begin at age five, nor end at age 11, and neither does our mission. 

By joining Magic Breakfast, you will become part of a passionate, ambitious organisation driving lasting change for children and young people across the UK. 

JOB PURPOSE  

We are seeking an enthusiastic Data & AI Manager to play a key role in driving Magic Breakfast's new Data and Technology Strategy and supporting the organisation's transition towards more product-led, data-informed and AI-enabled ways of working.    In this new role, you will take on specialist management and be the subject matter lead for this evolving, business critical area and be responsible for the delivery, adoption and continuous improvement of Magic Breakfast’s data platform, reporting, AI and digital product capabilities. 

You will manage a small specialist team responsible for: 

• the development of a secure, scalable data platform (Microsoft Fabric, Power Platform and Salesforce) 

• the delivery of high-value reporting and data products 

• the identification and rollout of AI and data-enabled use cases across the organisation 

You will ensure that data, reporting and AI capabilities are aligned to organisational priorities, well-governed, widely adopted and delivering measurable impact. 

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:   

Data Platform, Systems and External Partnerships 

• Lead the ongoing development, management and maintenance of Microsoft Fabric and the organisation’s data products, ensuring they are embedded and remain reliable, scalable and aligned with evolving business needs. 

• Maintain an overarching view of systems, data flows, integrations and dependencies across the organisation, including ETL/ELT processes, data modelling, APIs, orchestration and monitoring, ensuring they are appropriately managed and documented 

• Own decision-making relating to significant system changes, enhancements and upgrades, ensuring impacts across data, reporting, automation and integrations are understood and managed. 

• Direct the design and implementation of scalable, reliable data pipelines from diverse sources, ensuring data integrity, consistency, and compliance with governance standards. 

• Own the relationship with the organisation’s Business Central support and development partner, acting as the primary point of contact for system support, upgrades and enhancement projects.  

• Collaborate with external partners and internal technical colleagues to ensure solutions align with organisational standards, priorities and long-term direction. Also supporting how capability is enabled and ways of working established to ensure non-technical colleagues can operate effectively in these areas. 

• Balance external partner delivery with the development of internal capability, reducing dependency over time. 

Product-led Delivery and AI Enablement 

• Support the delivery of data, AI and digital products by providing technical leadership, platform expertise and delivery oversight across the product lifecycle. 

• Work with direct reports and stakeholders to assess technical feasibility, dependencies, integration requirements and delivery approaches for new initiatives. 

• Lead and support the technical implementation of AI-enabled automation, integrations and supporting platform capabilities through the Data and Solutions Engineer, ensuring solutions enable reporting on KPIs, ROI and impact reporting in a secure, scalable and maintainable way. 

• Champion the safe, responsible and effective adoption of AI-enabled tools and ways of working across the organisation.  

• Identify opportunities to improve organisational efficiency through automation, workflow optimisation and effective use of existing technology. 

• Monitor the performance, reliability and adoption of delivered solutions, using insight and feedback to inform ongoing improvements. 

• Work collaboratively with stakeholders to balance innovation and experimentation with appropriate governance, security and risk management. 

Data Governance and Organisational Insight 

• Maintain and embed the organisation's data governance framework, ensuring data, reporting and AI-related activity is aligned with organisational standards, policies and priorities. 

• Ensure business-critical data, reporting, metrics and KPIs are trusted, accessible and aligned with strategic objectives. 

• Ensure data required for internal and external reporting is identified, prioritised and aligned with organisational standards and strategic objectives. 

• Promote evidence-based decision making and support colleagues to make effective use of organisational data, reporting and insight. 

• Provide expert guidance on data, reporting and governance considerations to support organisational change and improvement initiatives. 

• Support the delivery of the Data and Technology Strategy, ensuring data, reporting and AI capabilities contribute to organisational priorities and outcomes. 

Line Management, Delivery and Adoption  

• Lead and develop the Data team in line with Magic Breakfast’s values, policies and procedures ensuring clarity of roles, responsibilities and priorities  

• Set objectives, monitor performance and support professional development across the team, building capability in data, product delivery and AI-enabled ways of working.

• Translate the Data and Technology Strategy into team plans, priorities and deliverables, monitoring progress and adapting to changing organisational needs. 

• Ensure the team’s work is prioritised effectively, balancing strategic initiatives, operational support and available capacity. 

• Support the successful adoption of data, reporting and AI-enabled tools across the organisation, helping colleagues build confidence and capability in their use. 

• Build strong collaborative relationships across the organisation to support effective delivery, adoption and continuous improvement. 

• Foster a culture of curiosity, innovation, learning and continuous improvement that reflects Magic Breakfast’s values and mission. 

General 

• Contribute to team meetings, sharing best practice and supporting team members where necessary 

• Help to maintain a positive working environment, keeping the vision of Magic Breakfast at the heart of everything we do 

• Uphold a culture that encourages curiosity, continuous improvement, optimism, and a steadfast commitment to social impact 

• Work collaboratively across the organisation more widely to build good working relations across the organisation and provide ad-hoc support to other teams and members of staff 

• Adhere to all Magic Breakfast policies and procedures 

• Ensure that all activity is compliant with current legislation, GDPR and child safeguarding requirements 

• Undertake any other duties commensurate with the role 

• Participate in occasional work-related events at external venues and perform support related activities as required be willing to undertake occasional work outside of regular office hours and UK travel. 

PERSON SPECIFICATION: 

Skills and abilities   

• Able to balance strategic priorities with operational delivery and support. 

• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to understand data quality issues, system impacts and dependencies and develop effective solutions 

• Strong technical understanding of Microsoft Fabric, AI technologies and data engineering concepts, with the ability to provide technical leadership, evaluate delivery approaches and make informed decisions across the team's specialist areas.

• Strong stakeholder management and relationship-building skills, with the ability to work effectively and communicate complex technical concepts across technical and non-technical audiences. 

• Effective and focused development of services, procurement activity and maintaining commercial relationships and contracts review and sign off as required. 

• Ability to assess opportunities, risks, dependencies and trade-offs when making decisions 

• Strong planning, prioritisation and organisational skills, managing competing demands effectively 

• Ability to champion innovation and change, inspiring and motivating colleagues to adopt improved data, systems and ways of working 

• Ability to anticipate risks and issues across systems, data and integration and act proactively to mitigate them 

• Strong organisational skills to manage and prioritise multiple demands, ensuring alignment with strategic priorities and available capacity 

• Collaborative leadership style with the ability to influence, coach and support others. 

• Curiosity and eagerness to explore the new technologies and approaches for data systems, governance and digital innovation 

• Commitment to safe, ethical and responsible use of data, AI and technology. 

Knowledge and experience   

• Experience in data engineering, including designing, building or maintaining data pipelines and solutions, is essential. 

• Experience leading or managing data, technology or business systems functions. 

• Experience working with Microsoft Fabric, Power Platform, Salesforce and/or the Microsoft data ecosystem. 

• Experience designing, implementing or overseeing data pipelines, integrations and reporting solutions. 

• Experience managing third-party suppliers, support partners and technology vendors. 

• Experience overseeing business-critical systems, system upgrades and technology change initiatives. 

• Understanding of data governance, data quality, information management, federated data models and reporting best practice. 

• Experience translating organisational needs into technical requirements and deliverable solutions. 

• Knowledge of AI-enabled tools, automation technologies and their practical application within organisations. 

• Experience supporting the adoption of new technologies, systems or ways of working. 

• Experience leading and developing teams, including setting objectives, managing performance and building capability.

• Proven experience in influencing behavioural and cultural change, particularly in relation to data ownership, governance or ways of working 

Other   

• Passion for Magic Breakfast’s mission of ensuring that no child is too hungry to learn.  

• Shared commitment to our values and active contributor to our enabled and empowered culture  

APPLICATION PROCCESS

• View our recruitment pack here: Magic-Breakfast-recruiment-pack-2026.pdf

• More information on our website here: Children's Food & Education Charity | Magic Breakfast

Should you wish to discuss the role before applying please email our People and Culture Team (recruitment@magicbreakfast.com)

Application close date: 13th September

Shortlisting: 14th – 17th September

Interview 1: 22nd – 23rd September 

Interview 2 and Informal Panel: 28th-29th September

Due to the high volume of applications, this role is likely to close early and we reserve the right to do so. This is to ensure that we can manage application levels whilst maintaining a positive candidate experience. Unfortunately, once a vacancy has closed, we are unable to consider further applications.