At Nielsen, we are passionate about our work to power a better media future for all people by providing powerful insights that drive client decisions and deliver extraordinary results. Our talented, global workforce is dedicated to capturing audience engagement with content - wherever and whenever it’s consumed. Together, we are proudly rooted in our deep legacy as we stand at the forefront of the media revolution. When you join Nielsen, you will join a dynamic team committed to excellence, perseverance, and the ambition to make an impact together. We champion you, because when you succeed, we do too. We enable your best to power our future.
Job DescriptionAbout the Role
As a Senior Analyst in Master Data Governance within our FP&A organization, you will serve as the critical bridge between finance operations, commercial/supply chain teams, system architecture, and strategic planning. You will play a pivotal role in designing, implementing, and maintaining SAP Master Data Governance for both Financial and Enterprise Data. By ensuring absolute data integrity across financial structures, materials, and business partners, managing workflows, and acting as the centralized gatekeeper for data sanity, you will directly enable accurate financial reporting, profitability analysis, forecasting, and cross-functional business transformation.
QualificationsKey Responsibilities
1. Data Governance & Maintenance
Process Design & Implementation: Design and execute governance processes, data standards, and definitions for core financial and enterprise master data within systems like SAP S/4HANA. This includes:
Financial Data: Cost Centers, Profit Centers, General Ledgers, and Chart of Accounts.
Commercial & Supply Chain Data: Material Codes, Business Partners (Vendor Names, Customer Names), and Sales Groups.
Centralized Gatekeeping: Act as the central control point for all master data updates before they are released to controllership or procurement/sales, ensuring strict adherence to global financial and business standards.
Workflow Management: Streamline request intake workflows, standardize templates, and refine exception-handling procedures utilizing SAP MDG, S/4HANA, and internal IT ticketing systems.
Execution: Execute complex master data creation, extension, and modification requests across all relevant domains within the MDG tool to support evolving business needs seamlessly.
2. Data Quality & Hygiene (Data Sanity)
Business Partnership & Pushback: Actively challenge business stakeholders on requests for new data creation (e.g., unnecessary Profit Centers, duplicate Vendor/Customer records, or redundant Material Codes) to prevent data bloat.
Cross-Functional Alignment: Play a critical role in ensuring financial structures align perfectly with operational data. Guarantee accurate mapping of Material Codes and Sales Groups to the correct Profit Centers and financial dimensions to ensure flawless downstream profitability reporting.
Audits & Root Cause Analysis: Establish data quality KPIs and conduct regular data audits. Lead proactive data cleansing initiatives and execute root-cause analyses for recurring data anomalies across the P2P (Procure-to-Pay), O2C (Order-to-Cash), and R2R (Record-to-Report) value chains.
3. System Implementation & Enhancements
Technical Translation: Collaborate closely with IT and business stakeholders to translate complex financial and FP&A requirements into technical MDG solutions spanning finance, material, and business partner domains.
Project Leadership: Lead workshops, map future-state data architectures, and support the testing and deployment of system enhancements.
Automation & Transformation: Continuously evaluate the MDG landscape to outline and champion areas for workflow automation and process transformation.
User Empowerment: Develop training materials and conduct workshops to educate end-users on new processes, governance standards, and system enhancements.
4. Reporting & Stakeholder Management
Documentation: Maintain comprehensive, up-to-date documentation regarding data standards, workflow rules, process flows, and system configurations for all data objects.
Subject Matter Expertise: Act as the primary SME for enterprise MDG, guiding end-users, managing Service Level Agreements (SLAs), and resolving master data-related escalations effectively.
Additional InformationQualifications & Requirements
- Education: Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Accounting, Information Technology, or a related field. An MBA, CA, or CPA is highly preferred.
- Experience: [Insert, e.g., 5–7] years of professional experience in master data governance.
- Deep, hands-on experience utilizing SAP MDG, with exposure across multiple domains including SAP MDG-F (Finance), MDG-M (Material), and MDG-BP/C/S (Business Partner/Customer/Supplier).
- Strong foundational understanding of FP&A processes (budgeting, forecasting, variance analysis) and how upstream data (materials, vendors, customers) impacts downstream financial reporting.
- Technical Skills:
- Expert proficiency in SAP S/4HANA Master Data frameworks.
- Strong knowledge of data modeling, data quality management tools, and workflow configurations.
Soft Skills:
- Exceptional analytical and problem-solving capabilities.
- Strong stakeholder management skills, with the confidence to push back on non-compliant business requests across various departments (Finance, Sales, Procurement).
- Ability to work independently in a fast-paced, highly compliant, and matrixed environment.
Please be aware that job-seekers may be at risk of targeting by scammers seeking personal data or money. Nielsen recruiters will only contact you through official job boards, LinkedIn, or email with a nielsen.com domain. Be cautious of any outreach claiming to be from Nielsen via other messaging platforms or personal email addresses. Always verify that email communications come from an @nielsen.com address. If you're unsure about the authenticity of a job offer or communication, please contact Nielsen directly through our official website or verified social media channels.
Skills Required
- Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Accounting, Information Technology, or a related field
- MBA, CA, or CPA
- 5–7 years of professional experience in master data governance
- Hands-on experience with SAP MDG across Finance, Material, and Business Partner/Customer/Supplier domains
- Strong understanding of FP&A processes, including budgeting, forecasting, and variance analysis
- Expert proficiency in SAP S/4HANA Master Data frameworks
- Strong knowledge of data modeling, data quality management tools, and workflow configurations
- Exceptional analytical and problem-solving capabilities
- Strong stakeholder management skills and ability to challenge non-compliant requests
- Ability to work independently in a fast-paced, highly compliant, matrixed environment
Nielsen Compensation & Benefits Highlights
The following summarizes recurring compensation and benefits themes identified from responses generated by popular LLMs to common candidate questions about Nielsen and has not been reviewed or approved by Nielsen.
-
Parental & Family Support — Paid parental leave is described as generous for all parents, with birthing parents receiving substantially longer time, and the program is complemented by adoption, fertility, and surrogacy support. Employer-verified entries and company communications consistently highlight family benefits as a standout.
-
Leave & Time Off Breadth — Paid time off is considered solid, with some teams using flexible or unlimited PTO models and additional offerings like paid volunteer time. These time-away policies often contribute meaningfully to work-life balance.
-
Wellbeing & Lifestyle Benefits — Smart Work flexibility, an Employee Assistance Program, and broader well-being initiatives are emphasized as part of a holistic package. These elements are frequently cited as strengths that enhance day-to-day experience.
Nielsen Insights
What We Do
For over 100 years, Nielsen has been a global leader in audience measurement, data and analytics, shaping the future of media. Measuring behavior across all channels and platforms to discover what audiences love, we empower our clients with trusted intelligence that fuels action. As the global media industry continues to evolve, Nielsen will be at the forefront of delivering audience insights that empower marketers and content developers, and ultimately help connect consumers to what matters most to them. We will be guided by our values of inclusion, courage and growth; and we will continue to innovate our products and technology while investing in our talent to drive sustainable and scalable long-term growth.
Why Work With Us
At Nielsen, we have big dreams and aspirations, all of which are achievable if we work as a team. Our culture helps us come together and clarifies how we work together to achieve these goals
