Student Loans Company- Chief Digital & Data Officer (CDDO)

About Student Loans Company 

The Student Loans Company (SLC) is a non-profit making Government-owned organisation providing loans and grants to students in universities and colleges in the UK. Since 1989, we have enabled our customers to invest in their futures through further and higher education by providing trusted, transparent, flexible and accessible student finance services.

We play a critical role in the UK economy by:

  • Supporting 9.6 million customers 
  • Paying more than £23 billion in maintenance loans and tuition fee loans 
  • Managing a total loan book of £294.1 billion 

 

Hear from our Chief Executive Officer,

Chris Larmer

“Person seated indoors wearing a dark suit and white shirt, with a microphone clipped to the shirt. A gold geometric object is visible in the foreground, and the background shows a black draped surface and large windows.”

“This is an exciting time to join the Student Loans Company and play a key role in shaping the future of our organisation. We’re looking for an exceptional digital and data leader to join us. 

As Chief Digital & Data Officer, you’ll play a pivotal role in transforming a complex, high-impact organisation into a data-centric, customer-focused enterprise. You’ll have the influence, autonomy, and resources to deliver cutting-edge digital solutions, harness the power of data and AI, and lead enterprise-wide cultural change.

This is your opportunity to make a measurable difference to millions of customers, lead innovation on a national stage, and leave a lasting legacy in public service. If you have the vision, skills and experience to ensure SLC continues to support the ambitions of millions of students, while ensuring we are widely regarded as a fulfilling place to work, we would be delighted to hear from you. I look forward to your application.”

About the CDDO role

The Student Loans Company is excited to be hiring for a new, key strategic position for their Executive Leadership Team, in the form of a Chief Digital and Data Officer CDDO). In line with the SLC’s new Digital & Data Directorate, which launches in April 2026, the CDDO role will be central to SLC’s mission to become a simpler, modern digital organisation. Through user-centred design, agile delivery, and ethical data use, the Directorate will drive continuous improvement in digital and data services. As part of this transformation, the CDDO will lead the development and execution of SLC’s digital and data strategies, delivering a digital-first channel approach, expanding self-service, and embedding data-driven insights to optimise services and enhance customer experience.

This pivotal role oversees enterprise platforms, data infrastructure, advanced analytics, and the ethical use of AI to improve decision-making, automate processes, and personalise services. Working closely with the Executive Leadership Team and multi-disciplinary teams, the CDDO will champion innovation, reduce cost-to-serve, and ensure digital and data investments deliver measurable value. It’s a unique opportunity to shape SLC’s future, lead transformation at scale, and make a lasting impact on millions of customers.

The full details of this exciting new opportunity can be found in the candidate briefing pack. 

Discover more about the Chief Data & Digital Officer role

Glasgow
Chief Digital & Data Officer
Up to £145000 per annum + plus Civil Service Pension

Our values

Honesty
  • Sharing information openly and honestly, and asking thoughtful questions to show curiosity
  • Acknowledging challenges and addressing them with courage and care
  • Ensuring clarity in decisions and actions to promote alignment and accountability
Empowerment
  • Making decisions and taking actions within our control, in line with our shared goals
  • Continuously learning, adapting and growing
  • Offering support, guidance and resources to help others succeed
  • Recognising and celebrating people for their contributions and taking the initiative
Accountability
  • Delivering on commitments, follow actions through and own both successes and mistakes
  • Striving for quality outcomes and take pride in doing what’s right for customers, colleagues and communities
  • Giving and receiving meaningful feedback and fostering open conversations
Respect
  • Actively listening and giving others space to share their views
  • Fostering an inclusive environment where people feel like they belong and feel safe
  • Appreciating and celebrating the diversity of experiences and ideas and valuing each person’s unique contributions
Trust
  • Collaborating across teams to break down silos and work as one, seeing the bigger picture implications of decisions
  • Upholding ethical behaviours and inspiring trust through actions, not just words
  • Caring for customers, colleagues and communities and building relationships that are grounded in dependability, reliability, kindness and respect

Download our candidate briefing pack 

Find out more about this role by downloading the CDDO candidate briefing pack 

What we offer

At Student Loans Company we provide an excellent benefit rewards package on top of a salary up to £145k, discover the full list of benefits in the candidate briefing pack.

Civil service pension
Civil service pension

Civil Service Pension of up to 28.97% employer contribution.

Generous leave & flexible working
Generous leave & flexible working

28 days annual leave plus 8 public holidays with the opportunity to buy or sell holidays. Flexi-time option, flexible working contracts and digitally enabled blended working. 

Family-friendly policies
Family-friendly policies

52 weeks maternity/adoption leave with six months at full pay. Option to share leave with a partner. Comprehensive family-friendly leave arrangements.

Financial security & lifestyle benefits
Financial security & lifestyle benefits

Life insurance cover worth four times your basic salary. Bespoke SLC Reward+ lifestyle benefits package, including retail discounts.

Career growth & recognition
Career growth & recognition

Structured career development through SLC’s Career Pathways programme. Recognition of success via performance-related pay awards. Opportunity to give back through an annual volunteering day.

Discover more about Student Loans Company

Student Loans Company website
Student Loans Company Linkedin

Meet the Harvey Nash team

Kirsteen Bell
Kirsteen Bell
Director
Fiona Macleod
Fiona Macleod
Account Manager
Speak to the team