Data & AI Strategy and Governance Coach

You've made an organisation's data something people can trust and use, and you know most of that work is persuading people. Now you want to do something different with that experience.

At iO-Sphere you'd coach working professionals to do the same in their own organisations, and get good at it.

What you'd do

Your learners are working professionals on a 15-month data and AI strategy apprenticeship, learning alongside their jobs. Most already work with data, in governance or in operations, and want a bigger say in how their organisation uses data and AI. The programme covers data management and data quality, governance frameworks, UK GDPR and AI ethics, and making the case for data and AI investment. They bring you work from their own organisations, like a plan to fix the data a leadership report depends on, a data protection impact assessment or a framework for how their teams can use AI, and you coach them on it. They finish with a portfolio of workplace projects and a nationally recognised qualification.

You keep the same learners for the whole programme. You'll also coach teams on our commercial training.

That's your main area, but most of our coaches cover more than one. Some of our governance coaches also coach business analysis or work on our bootcamps, and we build your mix around what you know.

Your week

• Running your live sessions. Each cohort has a two-hour session online at the same time every week, during working hours. You're leading it on camera, so you need to be good at holding a room and making it a session people want to turn up to. Full-time, that's usually three or four of these a week, plus other delivery on our commercial training as needed.
• Onboarding new learners, including their information, advice and guidance (IAG) at the start of the programme.
• Looking after a caseload of around 40 learners if you're full-time (pro rata if you're part-time), and noticing early when someone's stuck.
• A one-to-one with each learner every month about their work and how they're getting on.
• A review every quarter with each learner and their manager.
• Feedback on their work within 48 hours.
• Keeping good records. We're a regulated provider, and learners' qualifications depend on the evidence.

Your live sessions are fixed. Most of the rest you can fit around your week. If you're part-time, we agree your days up front and build your cohorts around them. And because we're a startup, there'll be other things to pick up as we grow, so we'd expect you to help where it's needed.

Why you'd want it

You'll work across a dozen different organisations at once.

You'll watch people go from unsure of themselves to the person their organisation trusts on data and AI. That never gets old. We're rated 4.8 on Google, and that's because of our coaches.

And we're a startup at an inflection point. 2027 is when we scale, with new programmes and a bigger team. We haven't finished working out how we coach, and we want your ideas. If you see a better way to teach something, we'll actually do it.

Who you are

You've worked in data management, quality, governance or strategy, or in data protection or AI governance. The more of that range you've seen the better, but you don't need all of it. We don't ask for a set number of years, and we hire from junior to senior. You're good in front of a group. You can explain something complicated to someone from a different background without talking down to them. You take ownership, you're organised, and you're comfortable in a fast-moving environment.

You don't need teaching experience. Our coaches came from places like Accenture, Dialpad, Black Swan Data, BT and Three, and we'll teach you to coach. We pay for the Level 3 Award in Education and Training and support you with observation and feedback while you settle in.

You do need to really want to coach, because that's most of your week. If that's what you want to do, we want to hear from you.

About iO-Sphere

We train people in data and AI by having them do the work. Over 1,000 people have trained with us, and companies including PwC, BAE Systems, Dunelm, Motorway and CBRE send their teams to us. We're one of the UK's fastest-growing data and AI training companies, and a small, tight-knit team that takes ownership, sets a high bar and has a lot of fun.

What the role must achieve

1. 1Learners build real capability and use it in their jobs, with workplace projects that show it.
2. 2Live sessions people want to turn up to, with attendance and learner feedback to show it.
3. 3Every learner is onboarded properly, with their information, advice and guidance (IAG) at the start, then has a monthly one-to-one and a quarterly review with their employer, on time and recorded.
4. 4Work gets feedback within 48 hours, and anyone who's stuck is spotted early and helped to get moving again.
5. 5Learners finish with portfolio evidence that holds up, and records that stand up to inspection.

What you'll need

We shortlist against these, scored the same way for everyone:

• Hands-on work in data management, data quality, data governance, data strategy, data protection (GDPR) or AI governance in an organisation
• Able to explain complex ideas clearly to people from different backgrounds
• The unrestricted right to work in the UK
• Available at least two days a week

Good to have, but not needed:

• Experience running live sessions, workshops or talks
• Data quality or master data management experience
• Data strategy experience
• AI governance or AI strategy experience
• Experience coaching, training or mentoring others
• Apprenticeship or adult education delivery
• The Level 3 Award in Education and Training, or willingness to complete it (funded)