Lead Data Analyst
Remote; Canada
$90k-130k plus annual bonus
For more information on benefits and what we offer please visit us at https://www.exlservice.com/us-careers-and-benefits
The posted range is the hiring range for this role — a subset of the broader range available to employees over time — and reflects base salary across our national hiring scale. Final offers are based on several factors, including the candidate's skills and experience, internal pay equity, work location, market conditions for the role, and the specific scope and responsibilities of the position. The top of the range is reserved for candidates who notably exceed the requirements; the lower end applies to those with less experience or fewer preferred qualifications. For positions based in higher-cost zones (e.g., California, New York, New Jersey), actual compensation may exceed the posted range; your recruiter will share specifics during the process.
EXL is looking for a Lead Data Analyst with a passion for sports who will play a key role in providing analytics support to a client within our Sports, Media and Entertainment practice. Based in Toronto, the role sits within the International Fan Data & Analytics team, supporting fanbase growth and engagement across international markets.
The ideal candidate brings 5–7 years of analytics experience, excellent communication and stakeholder management skills, and a strong understanding of the fan lifecycle. You are comfortable working through ambiguity, confident presenting to audiences who are not technical, and motivated by helping the analysts around you do their best work.
Responsibilities
Stakeholder Partnership & Communication
Act as the main analytics point of contact for marketing, international and regional stakeholders, building trusted working relationships across the client organization.
Translate ambiguous business questions into clearly scoped analysis with agreed objectives, success measures and timelines.
Present findings and recommendations to senior stakeholders, tailoring the level of detail to the audience and leading the discussion that follows.
Write clear summaries and narratives that make complex analysis easy to act on, and challenge or reframe requests where the data points to a better question.
Manage expectations on scope, priorities and delivery dates, and keep stakeholders informed as work progresses.
Team Leadership & Mentorship
Serve as the senior analyst on the team: set analytical standards, review other analysts’ work and give constructive, practical feedback.
Mentor and coach junior and mid-level analysts on technical skills, business context and stakeholder communication.
Prioritize and coordinate incoming analytics requests across the team, allocating work and unblocking colleagues.
Build and maintain documentation, reusable code and shared definitions so the team’s work is consistent and repeatable.
Hands-on Analysis
Write efficient SQL and Python to extract, clean, transform and analyze large fan and marketing datasets.
Work within cloud data platforms (Databricks, Snowflake, AWS) to build and maintain analytical datasets and workflows.
Develop audience segments and test/control designs that support 1:1 marketing campaigns and deepen fan engagement.
Summarize large data outputs into clear, business-friendly takeaways.
Reporting, Advanced Analytics & Data Quality
Own the recurring reporting on fan growth, engagement and lifecycle metrics across international markets.
Monitor campaign and go-to-market (GTM) performance against agreed KPIs and success criteria, and recommend where to optimize.
Develop and maintain advanced analytics models, such as segmentation, propensity, churn and customer lifetime value, and translate their output into recommendations stakeholders can act on.
Build and maintain forecasts of fan growth, engagement and campaign performance to support planning and target setting across international markets.
Measure and validate model and forecast accuracy over time, and refine the approach as markets and data evolve.
Support user acceptance testing (UAT) of database changes and help data engineering teams with root cause analysis (RCA) of data issues.
Work with data engineering on business requirements, and liaise with third-party partners on data needs and definitions.
Required Qualifications
Bachelor’s degree in Analytics, Computer Science, Statistics, Economics, Business or a related field, or equivalent experience.
5–7 years of experience in a data analyst or similar role, including experience working directly with business stakeholders.
Demonstrated ability to present analysis to senior, non-technical audiences and influence decisions.
Experience mentoring, coaching or reviewing the work of other analysts.
Strong SQL skills, including complex joins, aggregations and window functions.
Proficiency in Python for data analysis (e.g., pandas, NumPy).
Hands-on experience with at least one cloud data platform: Databricks, AWS or Snowflake.
Experience building advanced analytics models and forecasts (e.g., segmentation, propensity, churn, time series) and applying them to business decisions.
Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with close attention to detail.
Preferred Qualifications
Experience with BI and visualization tools (e.g., Tableau, Power BI, Looker).
Experience in marketing, CRM or customer analytics.
Knowledge of consent management, identity resolution or privacy regulations such as PIPEDA and GDPR.
Experience in a consulting or client-facing environment.
Passion for sport and an understanding of global fan cultures.
Skills Required
- Bachelor's degree in Analytics, Computer Science, Statistics, Economics, Business, or a related field, or equivalent experience
- 5-7 years of experience in data analytics or a similar role
- 5+ years of experience in analytics, business strategy, consulting, or a related field, including meaningful experience with a professional sports club, team, or league
- Experience working directly with business stakeholders to identify and solve business problems
- Ability to present analysis to senior, non-technical audiences and influence decisions
- Experience mentoring, coaching, or reviewing the work of other analysts
- Strong SQL skills, including complex joins, aggregations, window functions, and large datasets
- Proficiency in Python for data analysis, including pandas and NumPy, or a similar analytics programming language
- Hands-on experience with Databricks, AWS, or Snowflake
- Experience building advanced analytics models and forecasts, including segmentation, propensity, churn, or time series models
- Strong analytical, problem-solving, presentation, storytelling, and stakeholder management skills
- Ability to operate independently in ambiguous environments and proactively identify opportunities
- Experience with BI and visualization tools such as Tableau, Power BI, or Looker
- Experience in marketing, CRM, or customer analytics
- Knowledge of consent management, identity resolution, PIPEDA, or GDPR
- Experience in a consulting or client-facing environment
- Passion for sports and understanding of global fan cultures
EXL Compensation & Benefits Highlights
The following summarizes recurring compensation and benefits themes identified from responses generated by popular LLMs to common candidate questions about EXL and has not been reviewed or approved by EXL.
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Healthcare Strength — Medical plan options include HSA, HRA, and PPO choices, with additional health-related programs such as disability coverage and an employee assistance program. Feedback suggests these options provide meaningful flexibility and coverage breadth for many roles.
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Leave & Time Off Breadth — Up to 20 days of paid time off, plus federal holidays and paid sick and safe time, are highlighted. Feedback suggests this leave structure is a notable benefit alongside core compensation.
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Retirement Support — A traditional and Roth 401(k) with up to a 3% company match and full vesting after one year is described. Feedback suggests this match and vesting timeline help bolster long-term savings.
EXL Insights
What We Do
Choosing a digital partner is about more than capabilities — it’s about collaboration and character. Unrealistic overhauls and off-the-shelf products ignore what matters most — your unique needs, culture, goals, and your legacy data and technology environments. At EXL, our collaboration is built on ongoing listening and learning to adapt our methodologies. We’re your business evolution partner—tailoring solutions that make the most of data to make better business decisions and drive more intelligence into your increasingly digital operations. Whether your goals are scaling the use of AI and digital, redesign operating models, or driving better and faster decisions, we’re here to partner with you to help you gain—and maintain—competitive advantage with efficient, sustainable models at scale. Our expertise in transformation, data science, and change management helps make your business more efficient and effective, improve customer relationships and enhance revenue growth. Instead of focusing on multi-year, resource- and time-intensive platform designs or migrations, we look deeper at your entire value chain to integrate strategies with impact. We use our specialization in analytics, digital interventions, and operations management—alongside deep industry expertise — to deliver solutions that help you outperform the competition. At EXL, it’s all about outcomes—your outcomes—and delivering success on your terms. Share your goals with us and together, we’ll optimize how you leverage data to drive your business forward. For more information, visit www.exlservice.com.
