Role report · Product and management
Head of Data: what employers ask for
Of 267 Head of Data job ads from 207 employers in the United States and Canada over the last 180 days, 57% ask for SQL, 42% for Python, 39% for Statistics, 39% for Data Quality and 36% for Data Governance.
From 267 Head of Data job ads in the United States and Canada, May 6, 2026 to November 2, 2026. Updated November 2, 2026. How we count. Free to reuse with credit: CC BY 4.0
The role and its demand
- Job ads read
- 267from 207 employers
- Remote
- 21%of job ads
- Most common level
- Manager57% of job ads
- Experience asked
- 5 yearsmedian, from 185 job ads that state it
- Advertised pay
- $167,000median a year, from 160 job ads in US dollars; Canadian-dollar pay left out
- Rank by job ads
- 31stof the 39 roles with a page
October 2026 at a glance
The latest complete month against the three before it. Only moves clear of the month-to-month noise are named, so a quiet month shows none.
Share of tech job ads
124 of the 22,810 tech job ads read in October; not clearly different from July to September (0.5%)
Median advertised pay
From the 75 job ads published in October that state it in US dollars
Moved most
Which skills moved is in the app. Sign in
Share of October's 124 job ads, against July to September (127)
October 2026: 124 Head of Data job ads; refreshed every month
Demand, month by month
Each month's Head of Data job ads as a share of every tech job ad Mettlespark read that month.
Demand month by month is in the app. Part of Forge, free during early access.Part of Forge.
Advertised pay
160 of these job ads state pay in US dollars. Job ads that pay in Canadian dollars are left out rather than converted. The middle half of their ranges' midpoints runs from $138,000 to $225,000 a year, with a median of $167,000. Its median is the 22nd highest of the 39 roles with enough job ads stating pay. Advertised pay is what job ads offer, not what anyone is paid.
The range
How the stated ranges spread across pay bands, and the five figures that sum them up.
- Low end
- $93,00010th percentile of the ranges' lows
- Lower quarter
- $138,00025th percentile of midpoints
- Median
- $167,000the middle midpoint
- Upper quarter
- $225,00075th percentile of midpoints
- High end
- $315,00090th percentile of the ranges' highs
The numbers
| Pay band | Share of the ranges reaching it |
|---|---|
| $88,000 to $110,000 | 22% |
| $110,000 to $132,000 | 42% |
| $132,000 to $154,000 | 51% |
| $154,000 to $176,000 | 52% |
| $176,000 to $198,000 | 50% |
| $198,000 to $220,000 | 41% |
| $220,000 to $242,000 | 31% |
| $242,000 to $264,000 | 32% |
| $264,000 to $286,000 | 24% |
| $286,000 to $308,000 | 19% |
| $308,000 to $330,000 | 12% |
160 job ads stating pay in US dollars, May 6 to November 2, 2026
By level
Advertised pay at each level, from the job ads that state it.
Pay by level is in the app. Part of Forge, free during early access.Part of Forge.
By place
US metro areas, and remote job ads. Each with at least 30 job ads stating pay.
| Place | Middle half | Median |
|---|---|---|
| New York36 job ads | $136,000 to $227,000 | $176,000 |
| Remote32 job ads | $135,000 to $171,000 | $156,000 |
68 job ads stating pay, May 6 to November 2, 2026
Which skills are linked to higher advertised pay
What each of the skills Head of Data job ads ask for most is linked to in advertised pay, from Mettlespark's weekly pay model, with how sure it is.
What each skill adds to pay is in the app. Part of Forge, free during early access.Part of Forge.
What it asks for
The skills employers ask for most
The share of Head of Data job ads that name each skill, and how often a job ad that names it lists it as required rather than nice to have.
| Skill | Share of job ads | Required when named |
|---|---|---|
| SQL | 87% | |
| Python | 66% | |
| Statistics | 81% | |
| Data Quality | 98% | |
| Data Governance | 96% | |
| Tableau | 69% | |
| Data Visualization | 86% | |
| Power BI | 63% | |
| Machine Learning | 68% | |
| ETL/ELT | 93% | |
| Data Modeling | 96% | |
| Data Analysis | 96% | |
| Excel | 98% | |
| Data Warehousing | 88% | |
| Snowflake | 69% | |
| Project Management | 95% | |
| Databricks | 61% | |
| Problem Solving | 97% | |
| R | 50% | |
| AWS | 49% |
267 Head of Data job ads, May 6 to November 2, 2026
What's moving
The skills taking a larger or a smaller share of Head of Data job ads, month on month and comparing like with like.
What's moving is in the app. Part of Forge, free during early access.Part of Forge.
Experience asked
The years asked for, in the job ads that say.
| Years | Share | Job ads |
|---|---|---|
| Up to 2 years | 11 | |
| 3 to 4 years | 45 | |
| 5 to 7 years | 72 | |
| 8 years or more | 57 |
185 job ads, May 6 to November 2, 2026
Seniority
The level each job ad is for, read from the title and the text.
| Level | Share | Job ads |
|---|---|---|
| Manager | 153 | |
| Director+ | 114 |
267 Head of Data job ads, May 6 to November 2, 2026
Professional skills
Asked for alongside the technical ones.
- Stakeholder Management74%
- Communication73%
- Leadership69%
- Collaboration23%
- Executive Communication20%
267 Head of Data job ads, May 6 to November 2, 2026
Who hires and where
Employers with the most job ads
The employers behind the most Head of Data job ads lately.
The employers hiring most is in the app. Part of Forge, free during early access.Part of Forge.
Where the job ads are
Metro areas in the United States and Canada (a job ad can name several).
| Metro area | Share | Job ads |
|---|---|---|
| New York | 48 | |
| San Francisco Bay Area | 33 | |
| Atlanta | 16 | |
| Chicago | 16 | |
| Boston | 15 | |
| Seattle | 14 | |
| Dallas | 14 | |
| Charlotte | 7 |
267 Head of Data job ads, May 6 to November 2, 2026
Remote, hybrid or on-site
How the Head of Data job ads say the work is done.
- Remote21%
- Hybrid31%
- On-site24%
- Not stated24%
267 Head of Data job ads, May 6 to November 2, 2026
Related roles
More in Product and management
Other roles in the same family, with their job ads in the last 180 days.
Quick answers
What skills does a Head of Data need?
The skills named most often in Head of Data job ads are SQL, Python, Statistics, Data Quality and Data Governance. SQL appears in 57% of them.
Are Head of Data jobs remote?
21% of the 267 Head of Data job ads in the last 180 days were remote.
Is demand for Head of Data jobs growing?
In October 2026, Head of Data job ads were 0.5% of the tech job ads Mettlespark read, not clearly different from the 0.5% of July to September.
How much experience do Head of Data jobs ask for?
Job ads that state it ask for a median of 5 years. The most common level is Manager (57% of job ads).
What do Head of Data job ads pay?
Job ads that state pay advertise a typical $138,000 to $225,000 a year, with a median of $167,000, from 160 job ads in US dollars. Job ads that pay in Canadian dollars are left out.