VP of Data Management

Let’s be unstoppable together!

Circana is a leading provider of technology, AI, and data solutions for consumer packaged goods companies, manufacturers, and retailers. Our predictive analytics and Liquid Data® platform help clients measure market share, uncover consumer behavior, and drive growth—powered by six decades of expertise and an expansive, high-quality data set.

At Circana, we are fueled by our passion for continuous learning and growth, we seek and share feedback freely, and we celebrate victories both big and small in an environment that is flexible and accommodating to our work and personal lives.  We’re a global company dedicated to fostering inclusivity and belonging. We value and celebrate the unique experiences, cultures, and viewpoints that each individual brings. By embracing a wide range of backgrounds, skills, expertise, and beyond, we create a stronger, more innovative environment for our employees, clients, and communities. With us, you can always bring your full self to work.  Join our inclusive, committed team to be a challenger, own outcomes, and stay curious together. Circana is proud to be Certified™ by Great Place To Work®. This prestigious award is based entirely on what current employees say about their experience working at Circana. Learn more at www.circana.com.

Role Overview

As the Vice President of Business Transformation, Operational Excellence & Integration, you will play a critical role in optimizing business operations, driving strategic transformation, and ensuring the seamless integration of mergers and acquisitions. This position combines visionary leadership with hands-on execution, focusing on identifying efficiency opportunities, reducing costs, and scaling business processes to enable growth and long-term success.

You will work cross-functionally with executive leadership, finance, operations, IT, and other key stakeholders to improve processes, eliminate inefficiencies, and execute cost-saving strategies while ensuring that transformation initiatives and M&A activities align with the company’s overall objectives.

Job Responsibilities

Business Transformation, Operational Excellence & Cost Optimization

• Proactively identify and implement cost-saving opportunities across operations, technology, and service delivery, leveraging data-driven analysis to reduce inefficiencies and improve profitability.
• Lead large-scale process optimization initiatives, applying Lean, Six Sigma, and Agile methodologies to increase efficiency, accuracy, and speed.
• Audit existing workflows and technology stacks to assess redundancies, streamline tools, and eliminate unnecessary operational expenses.
• Develop and execute automation and digital transformation strategies to improve productivity and reduce manual effort.
• Establish and track KPIs and operational benchmarks to measure and report on the success of cost-saving initiatives and process improvements.
• Drive a culture of continuous improvement, equipping teams with best practices in operational excellence and change management.

Cross-Functional Leadership & Strategic Execution

• Serve as a trusted strategic partner to executive leadership, aligning transformation efforts with corporate objectives.
• Collaborate with Product, Engineering, Finance, and Data teams to ensure systems and processes effectively support business transformation initiatives.
• Drive enterprise-wide cost efficiency initiatives, leveraging data analytics to pinpoint areas for optimization and investment.
• Lead change management and training programs, equipping employees with the tools and knowledge to adopt new processes successfully.
• Support strategic initiatives and special projects, working closely with leadership to drive innovation and operational agility.

M&A Integration & Synergy Realization

• Lead end-to-end M&A integration efforts, ensuring seamless alignment of systems, processes, and teams post-acquisition.
• Identify and implement cost synergies across newly acquired entities while ensuring business continuity.
• Partner with Finance, HR, IT, and Operations to standardize processes, integrate technology platforms, and streamline reporting for enhanced efficiency.
• Oversee the integration of compliance, risk management, and governance frameworks to safeguard operational stability.
• Develop post-merger integration roadmaps, ensuring strategic alignment with business goals and driving long-term value realization.

Qualifications

Extensive leadership experience in data‑driven environments

10+ years leading data strategy, data engineering, analytics, or data operations in large, complex, or high‑growth global organizations.

Deep expertise in modern data architecture and platforms

Hands‑on mastery of cloud ecosystems (Azure, AWS, GCP), data warehousing, scalable data pipelines, and modern analytics platforms (e.g., Snowflake, Databricks).

Deep expertise in AI, machine learning, and automation‑ready data architecture

Proven leadership in designing data ecosystems that enable model training, RAG, inference, predictive analytics, and workflow automation across the enterprise.

Expertise in real‑time, event‑driven, and streaming data environments

Skilled in designing pipelines that support real‑time automation triggers, intelligent routing, anomaly detection, and rapid decision loops.

High proficiency with automation-enabling technologies

Hands‑on familiarity with workflow orchestration, RPA, API‑driven automation, agent frameworks, vector databases, feature stores, and cloud‑native automation tools.

Ability to unify multi‑source data to fuel AI and automation initiatives

Expertise integrating structured/unstructured data from product systems, CRM, ERP, support systems, SaaS telemetry, and databases to enable richer automation use cases.

Proven experience managing delivery across multiple workstreams

Ability to manage complex portfolios, ensure execution, remove blockers, and drive alignment across global, cross‑functional teams in fast‑paced environments.

Proven experience building and scaling multidisciplinary data and AI teams

Demonstrated success leading data engineering, ML engineering, analytics, automation developers, and data product teams in fast‑paced, high‑growth environments.

Exceptional stakeholder management and communication skills

Skilled at working with Product, Engineering, Operations, Finance, Compliance, and Executive Leadership to prioritize automation initiatives and drive organization‑wide adoption.  Capable of conveying complex technical concepts to senior, non‑technical audiences and influencing decisions across the C‑suite.

Strong strategic mindset linking AI & automation to business outcomes

Ability to convert organizational strategy into actionable roadmaps, measurable outcomes, and data‑driven insights that accelerate growth and efficiency.  Ability to identify high‑ROI automation opportunities, shorten cycle times, improve customer experience, lower operational costs, and accelerate revenue through intelligent processes.

Experience driving AI/ML, advanced analytics, and automation initiatives

Working knowledge of model development, deployment, governance, and using AI/ML to enhance business processes, forecasting, or decision‑making.

Circana Behaviors

Beyond technical skills, experience, and role-specific attributes, these shared behaviors are fundamental to our culture and success. We seek individuals who consistently demonstrate and champion these behaviors in their daily work:

• Stay Curious: Being hungry to learn and grow, always asking the big questions.
• Seek Clarity: Embracing complexity to create clarity and inspire action.
• Own the Outcome: Being accountable for decisions and taking ownership of our choices.
• Center on the Client: Relentlessly adding value for our customers.
• Be a Challenger: Never complacent, always striving for continuous improvement.
• Champion Inclusivity: Fostering trust in relationships engaging with empathy, respect, and integrity.
• Commit to each other: Contributing to making Circana a great place to work for everyone.

Location: This position can be located in the following area(s): United States

The below range reflects the range of possible compensation for this role at the time of this posting. We may ultimately pay more or less than the posted range. This range may be modified in the future. An employee’s position within the salary range will be based on several factors including, but not limited to, relevant education, qualifications, certifications, experience, skills, seniority, geographic location, performance, shift, travel requirements, sales or revenue-based metrics, any collective bargaining agreements, and business or organizational needs. The salary range for this role is $170,000 - $225,000.

This job is also eligible for bonus pay.

We offer a comprehensive package of benefits including paid time off, medical/dental/vision insurance and 401(k) to eligible employees.

An offer of employment may be conditional upon successful completion of a background check in accordance with local legislation and our candidate privacy notice. Your current employer will not be contacted without your permission.

You can apply for this role through the Circana careers website or Intranet site for internal candidates. This role is subject to AI-assisted screening. Circana uses artificial intelligence (AI) to assess resumes for alignment with job requirements by helping locate details in resumes that relate to the job description.

The anticipated application deadline for this position is approximately 3-20-26.