Senior Manager, Business Intelligence

At 2U, we are all in on purpose. We are motivated by our mission – to make learning limitless– and connected by our shared passion to deliver world-class higher education at scale. As the parent company of edX, a leading online learning platform, 2U powers thousands of  higher education offerings – from free courses to full degrees. Together with our college, university, and corporate partners, we are helping accelerate careers and transform lives. 

What We’re Looking For:

This senior leadership role functions as a strategic head of Business Intelligence, establishing the foundational data strategy, governance, and architecture necessary for mission-critical reporting and advanced data modeling. 

The Senior Manager is tasked with translating complex business questions into robust, scalable data solutions, providing actionable, high-impact data-driven insights critical for achieving organizational goals and informing C-level operational and strategic decisions.  This role manages a global team of 8-10 BI Developers, and significantly influences project strategy and direction across multiple business functions and/or product lines.   This role also acts as the product owner for our BI tools (primarily Tableau and Sigma), responsible for creating best practices, supporting a robust user community, and fiscal responsibility of the vendor contracts.

Responsibilities Include, But Are Not Limited To:

The responsibilities are structured to reflect the core pillars of a BI Functional Leader: Strategy & Governance, Technical Excellence, Team Leadership, and Business Partnership.

• Strategy & Data Governance
  • Define and execute the BI roadmap and long-term vision in collaboration with Data Engineering and business stakeholders, focusing on scalability and future-proofing.
  • Establish and enforce data governance standards, quality assurance procedures, and documentation practices to ensure data reliability, integrity, and security across all BI assets.
  • Provide input in the design, development, and governance of the canonical analytical data models (using tools like dbt), focusing on creating a robust, optimized, and business-friendly semantic layer for consumption by all BI tools and analysts.
  • Oversee data quality checks specifically at the reporting layer, ensuring that metrics and dimensions displayed in dashboards are accurate, consistent, and documented for business users.
  • Stay abreast of emerging technologies and best practices in BI, Data Science, and Analytics Engineering to proactively introduce innovative tools and methodologies that enhance team productivity and analytical capability.
• BI Development & Data Visualization Excellence
  • Executive Dashboard Design: Guide the team in designing and developing high-impact, user-centric dashboards and dynamic data visualizations (Tableau) that adhere to best practices in data storytelling and information design, ensuring clarity and driving clear calls-to-action for executive and operational stakeholders that clearly communicate findings, drive strategic discussions, and enable informed decision-making.
  • Visualization and Reporting Architecture: Drive the end-to-end reporting strategy and architecture, ensuring the BI platform (Tableau Cloud/Server) is structured for optimal performance, security, and user self-service.
  • Technical Escalation: Serve as the technical expert and escalation point for complex visualization challenges, BI tool performance tuning, and advanced SQL query optimization within the reporting environment.
• Team Management & Mentorship
  • Lead, mentor, and develop a high-performing global team of BI Developers, focusing on technical skill-building, career growth, and adherence to high standards of quality.
  • Effectively manage project delivery using Agile methodologies, overseeing team dynamics, prioritizing backlogs, and ensuring timely, high-quality execution of deliverables in partnership with Scrum Masters and Business Analysts
  • Foster a culture of data curiosity, accountability, and continuous improvement, setting clear performance expectations and providing constructive feedback.
  • Communicate the company vision with clarity and enthusiasm, ensuring the team understands how their work directly contributes to organizational success.
• Business