Lead Data Analyst

Role Purpose

The Lead Data Analyst is accountable for the end-to-end delivery, quality, governance and adoption enablement of analytics products within a defined domain, ensuring that outputs are trusted, usable and effectively embedded within business processes.

The role leads a team of Data Analysts and acts as the bridge between business demand and analytics execution, ensuring that data is translated into scalable, trusted and commercially impactful insights.

The Lead Data Analyst is responsible for analytical capability development, standardisation and resource allocation, ensuring that analytics outputs are aligned to enterprise goals, built on governed data foundations, and consistently deliver measurable business value.

Role Description

• Own the end-to-end delivery of analytics products across the domain, from problem framing through to the enablement of insight adoption.
• Translate business priorities into a clear, prioritised analytics roadmap, balancing value, complexity and resource constraints.
• Ensure all analytics outputs are:
  • commercially relevant
• actionable
• aligned to enterprise KPIs and ROI expectations
• Be accountable for stakeholder satisfaction and value realisation from analytics delivery.

• Lead, manage and develop a team of Data Analysts, including:
  • performance management
• coaching and mentoring
• career development and upskilling
• Build a high-performing analytics team, fostering strong ownership, quality standards and continuous improvement.
• Drive adoption of new tools, platforms and methodologies (e.g., Snowflake, modern analytics practices).
• Ensure consistent ways of working across the team aligned to agile delivery principles.

• Define, enforce and continuously improve:
  • data modelling standards
• dashboard design principles
• analytics best practices
• Ensure all analytics outputs adhere to data governance, quality and auditability requirements.
• Act as the gatekeeper of quality, ensuring outputs are accurate, consistent, and aligned to single source of truth principles.
• Identify data risks and proactively implement mitigation strategies.

• Provide technical oversight across complex analytics use cases, ensuring:
  • appropriate analytical approaches
• scalable solution design
• efficient use of data platforms
• Guide analysts in solving complex, ambiguous business problems, elevating the quality of thinking and outputs.
• Drive continuous improvement in:
  • data structures and models
• performance of queries and pipelines
• automation and reusability of analytics solutions

• Build strong relationships with senior stakeholders across business, data and technology.
• Act as a trusted advisor, shaping how data is used in strategic decision-making.
• Drive adoption of analytics by embedding insights into business processes and decision frameworks.
• Manage stakeholder expectations, aligning demand with available capacity and strategic priorities.

• Own demand management in line with business priorities across the analytics portfolio.
• Allocate resources effectively across initiatives to maximise impact.
• Ensure alignment to agile delivery processes, continuously improving planning and execution practices.
• Balance short-term delivery needs with long-term capability building.

• Collaborate across domains (e.g., Data Engineering, Data Science, Product, Technology) to ensure:
  • alignment on data definitions
• reuse of assets
• scalable solutions
• Contribute to the broader analytics strategy and capability evolution within ShopriteX.
• Promote a culture of data-driven decision-making and continuous learning.

Qualifications and experience

• Degree or Diploma in Operations Research, Statistics, Engineering, Information Technology, Information Systems or related field – (essential).

Essential:

• +8 years’ experience in a progressive data analytics environment.
• Proven experience leading analytics delivery across multiple complex use cases or domains.
• Extensive experience with:
• Advanced SQL and relational database expertise.
• Experience working with retail data domains (customer, sales, promotions, pricing, etc.).
• Demonstrated experience managing or leading teams and delivering through others.
• Experience engaging and influencing senior stakeholders.
• Large-scale, multi-source data environments
• Advanced analytics, modelling and trend forecasting
• Dashboarding and data visualisation (e.g. Tableau, Power BI)

Desired:

• Experience with modern data platforms (e.g. Snowflake, AWS, PySpark).
• Exposure to building scalable, production-grade analytics solutions.
• Experience contributing to analytics governance and standardisation initiatives.
• Takes full accountability for delivery outcomes, quality and business impact.
• Operates with strong ownership mindset across team outputs.

Key competencies and work ethic

Ownership & Accountability

• Connects analytics work to broader enterprise goals and commercial outcomes.
• Balances immediate delivery with long-term capability building.

• Inspires and develops high-performing teams.
• Builds trust and credibility with senior stakeholders.

• Deep analytical thinker able to solve complex business problems.
• Ensures technical rigour and scalability in all solutions.

• Strong focus on standardisation, auditability and data integrity.
• Proactively manages risks and ensures compliance to best practices.

• Excellent communicator, able to translate complex insights into clear, compelling narratives.
• Drives decision-making through effective storytelling.

• Works effectively across cross-functional teams in a fast-paced environment.
• Adapts quickly to changing priorities and evolving business needs.

Our Group and all its operating companies is committed to creating, embracing, and preserving a diverse workplace that values the unique talents, perspectives, backgrounds, and abilities that enrich our organisation. A place where everyone matters and feels included.

We are committed to Employment Equity when recruiting internally and externally.

Please take note that by responding to this application and providing your personal information, you confirm your express and informed consent for Shoprite Checkers (Pty) Ltd and all its subsidiaries and affiliates companies to process your personal information for the Company to consider your application for this position. All Personal Information which you provide to the Company will be used and/or retained only for the purposes for which it is collected, whereafter it will be permanently destroyed. Your information is only retained if it is required by law or where you have given consent to us to retain such information for an extended period.

If you don’t hear from us within 14 days, please consider your application unsuccessful. Any personal information collected as part of your application will be destroyed, securely, in accordance with South African legislation.