Head of Data & Analytics

Job Summary :

The Head of Data & Analytics will lead the function’s vision, strategy, and execution across Veritiv. The leader understands Veritiv’s business strategy and goals in terms of data needs and develop corresponding data strategy to support business requirements. They stay abreast with data industry trends, foresee changes as required within the IT organization, and incorporate best practices into the overall data strategy at Veritiv. The leader will also own accountability and responsibility for information protection and privacy, information governance, data quality and data life cycle management.

Key Accountabilities:

Primary Responsibilities:

• Lead the Data & Analytics vision, strategy, and execution
• Advocate and communicate the value of data analytics across Veritiv
• Promote the use and implementation of leading industry data trends and data management technologies at Veritiv
• Enable sustainable business growth, profitability, and internal efficiencies through appropriate data structures, data cleanliness, and effective data governance / process
• Work with the enterprise architecture team to establish standard data platforms and tools
• Understand and communicate complex data-related challenges across the organization
• Ensure data and information compliance with Veritiv policies
• Ensure data and information compliance with external legal requirements
• Guide business decisions to exploit most valuable uses of data analytics for business insights and use
• Be a thought leader on current and possible business applications of data analytics
• Participate in Veritiv-wide decision making and a voice in investment prioritization
• Ensure that all data & analytics functions within Veritiv are aligned with business strategy and with each other
• Data Analytics technology experience and capabilities.
• Experience driving an analytics capability model in a cloud based/data lake model.
• AI and ML learning experience and ability to take business concepts and help drive capability in these areas.
• Service Bus / SOA Architecture experience
• Develop the foundational components of data/information to enable the business to develop business insights and work in a self-service model to develop KPI’s.
• Experience monetizing data for a company.
• Partner closely with Infrastructure and Security teams to create and ensure a secure data environment, including:
  • Appropriate access controls
  • Appropriate storage and destruction of data
  • Secure and reliable IT infrastructure (data centers, etc.)
  • Define and ensure appropriate data protection measures

Qualifications / Knowledge & Experience:

Education

• MBA or graduate degree or progressive educational certificate in data science, computer science, information systems, analytics, statistics, or a related field

Experience

• 5- 10 years in a leadership role for a Data Analytics organization
• 3+ years of executive-level experience preferred
• Experience leading a data science organization
• Experience driving successful change across a large, complex business
• Expertise in the design, development, verification, and validation of applied, descriptive, prescriptive, and predictive analytics
• AWS, Microsoft Azure and/or GCP experience

Soft / Behavioral Skills

Communication: Exceptional ability to convey complex information and messages with clarity and precision to a diverse audience

Collaboration: Ability to interact successfully across stakeholders, departments heads, and executives to push the data analytics agenda across the organization

Relationship-building: Ability to listen, build rapport, and credibility as a thought leader across business units, as well as with leadership and functional teams

Strategic thinker: Ability to map joint organizational vision and long-term thinking, imagination, and idea generation

Energy, focus, assertiveness, and diplomacy: Knowing when to push an agenda and when to let a situation develop, rest, or advance. Be able to influence others, using personal rather than positional power

Negotiations: Highly skilled and experienced at negotiating conflict and problem-solving to achieve win-win outcomes at executive levels

Leadership: Exceptional ability to lead change using positive and collaborative methods. Leading by example, mentoring, and motivating others in the data analytics

Analytical: Ability to perceive, organize, and assimilate information to emphasize a logical, rational approach to sorting information and discovering creative solutions. Technical aptitude, requirements management, and the ability to assess and articulate risk variables

Competencies:

• Collaboration, functional/technical skills, innovation management, organizational agility, dealing with ambiguity, comfort around higher management

Direct reports:

Budget/P&L responsibilities:

• TBD
  

Decision Rights:

• TBD
  

Veritiv is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer. Individuals seeking employment are considered without regards to race, ethnicity, color, creed, religion, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, age, disability, gender identity or expression, genetic information, national origin, protected veteran status or any other classification protected by law. Additionally, Veritiv will not discharge or in any other manner discriminate against employees or applicants because they have inquired about, discussed, or disclosed their own pay or the pay of another employee or applicant. However, employees who have access to the compensation information of other employees or applicants as part of their essential job functions cannot disclose the pay of other employees or applicants to individuals who do not otherwise have access to compensation information, unless the disclosure is (a) in response to a formal complaint or charge, (b) in furtherance of an investigation, proceeding, hearing, or action, including an investigation conducted by the employer, or (c) consistent with Veritiv’s legal duty to furnish information.