Head of Data

• Shape REA’s enterprise approach to federated data management and data ownership.
• Lead data-as-a-product practices, scalable governance mechanisms and enterprise guardrails that enable speed, trust and scale.
• A Senior leadership role in Launchpad within REA’s Global Technology group.

We’re REA

With bold and ambitious goals, REA Group is changing the way the world experiences property. No matter where you’re at on your property journey, we’re here to help with every step - whether that’s finding or financing your next home.

Our people are the key to our success. At the heart of everything we do is a thriving culture centred around high performance and care. We are purpose driven and collaborative, which drives innovation and our ability to make a real impact. As such, we’re proud to have been named one of Australia’s Best Workplaces four times since 2021 — including third place in 2025 — plus Best Workplace for Women in 2023 and Best Workplace in Technology in 2024 and 2025. These listings are testament to every person who helps make REA a great place to work.

Where the team fits in

This role sits within Launchpad, part of REA’s Global Technology group.

Launchpad’s mission is to empower REA with great technology, including a market-leading data platform and data management capability. Our data mission is to help REA understand, protect and leverage its data.

We do this by building and licensing REA’s data platform, improving the quality, access and usage of data, building reusable data products, and investing in the reliability, quality and security of systems and data.

What the role is all about

Data is central to how REA creates value for our customers, consumers and the business. As Head of Data, you’ll own and actively shape REA’s enterprise approach to federated data management, defining how data is owned, governed and used across the business to enable speed, trust and scale.

You’ll combine hands-on system building with senior leadership, designing and embedding the standards, guardrails and ways of working that enable data domains to operate autonomously while maintaining enterprise coherence, quality and compliance.

In this role, you will:

• Evolve REA’s federated data operating model so it is effective, scalable and fit for purpose.
• Define and embed the enterprise data domain model, with clear ownership, accountability and stewardship.
• Drive data-as-a-product thinking across the enterprise, including consistent practices for quality, documentation, metadata and value measurement.
• Define and maintain enterprise data standards, policies and guardrails across quality, metadata, lineage, privacy, security and interoperability.
• Partner with platform and architecture teams to evolve self-service data capabilities and improve reliability, reuse and consistency.
• Define and track measures of success for the data operating model, linking data initiatives to measurable business outcomes.

Who we’re looking for

• Senior leadership experience in enterprise data, analytics or platform environments.
• Proven experience operating in federated or matrixed models such as data mesh or product-led operating models.
• Deep understanding of the data lifecycle, from capture and modelling through processing, storage and consumption.
• Strong expertise in data governance, data products, metadata, quality, privacy and risk management.
• Demonstrated ability to design, implement and scale practical operating models and sustain execution.
• Strong stakeholder management skills, with the ability to influence across business, technology and risk functions.
• Proven storytelling capability, translating complex data concepts into practical, actionable outcomes.
• A genuine passion for data and its role in powering AI-driven and customer-centric experiences at REA.
• Curiosity and a strong external orientation, staying close to industry best practice and emerging approaches.
• Experience building or operating self-service data platforms or large-scale data ecosystems is desirable.
• Background in product management, platform enablement or enterprise architecture is desirable.
• Experience leading and personally contributing to enterprise-wide change, capability uplift or operating model transformation is highly regarded.

The REA experience

The physical, mental, emotional and financial health of our people is something we’ll never stop caring about. This is a place to learn and grow.

Some of our Perks & Benefits include:

• A hybrid and flexible approach to working.
• Flexible leave options including birthday leave and the option to purchase additional leave.
• Flexible parental leave offering for primary and secondary carers.
• Our Because We Care program offers employees volunteering leave, community grants, matched payroll giving and our Community Café donates 100% of revenue to charity.
• Hackdays so you can bring your big ideas to life.

Our commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

We are committed to providing a working environment that embraces and values diversity, equity and inclusion. We believe teams with diverse ideas and experiences are more creative, more effective and fuel disruptive thinking.

If you’ve got the skills, dedication and enthusiasm to learn but don’t necessarily meet every single point on the job description, please still get in touch.

Join our Talent Neighbourhood

Keen to be part of REA but didn’t find a perfect match with this opportunity? Perhaps the timing isn’t right? You should join our Talent Neighbourhood!