Analytics Craft Lead

We are X, bigly labs, Dis-Chem’s high-performance innovation hub; a place where bold ideas meet data, design, and radical customer focus to reimagine what healthcare can be. Our mission is to power the future of healthcare by lowering costs, unlocking new possibilities, and improving access to healthcare for all South Africans. We do this through cutting-edge digital solutions that deliver smarter, more human, and truly patient-focused experiences. Here, your work is not limited to a whiteboard; it becomes real. It drives decisions, shapes experiences, and moves healthcare forward. We are driven by one big question: How do we use data and today’s technology to build breakthroughs to better health? There’s only one question left: are you ready to make healthcare smarter, and actually mean it? The Analytics Craft Lead is the custodian of the analytics craft across X, bigly labs, covering Business Intelligence, Data Analysis and Analytics Engineering. He/she will ensure that analytics practitioners embedded in the tribes and domains deliver work that is of consistently high quality and that addresses the underlying business problem, not only the stated requirement. The Analytics Craft Lead will establish Centres of Excellence, define and uphold craft standards, and ensure that all analytics roles are aligned to those standards. He/she will own the analytics talent lifecycle, including recruitment of permanent staff, contractors and consultants, onboarding, career development, training and the coordination of performance matters, working in partnership with tribe and domain leadership and the Data Analytics Chapter Lead. WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR? Minimum - Bachelor’s degree in Information Systems, Computer Science, Statistics, Data Analytics, or a related field. - 10+ years of experience across business intelligence, data analytics and/or analytics engineering. - 5+ years in a people leadership role leading analytics professionals, ideally across multiple teams in a matrix (tribe, squad and chapter) environment. - Demonstrated experience in establishing analytics standards, frameworks, communities of practice or Centres of Excellence. - Hands-on depth in at least one of data analysis or analytics engineering, with sound working knowledge of the other two. - Strong proficiency in SQL and data modelling (dimensional modelling, semantic layers) and experience with BI tools (e.g., Power BI, Tableau, Qlik, SAP BusinessObjects BI Suite). - Experience with modern data platforms and tooling (e.g., SAP BW/4HANA, dbt, Azure, AWS or GCP) and version control practices for analytics code. - Proven experience in recruitment, onboarding, performance management and career development of technical staff. - Experience in engaging and managing contractors, consultants and third-party vendors against agreed standards and statements of work. Advantageous - Postgraduate qualification (Honours, Master’s or MBA) in Data Science, Business Analytics or a related field. - Relevant certifications (e.g., Microsoft Power BI / Fabric, dbt, or cloud data certifications). - Experience in a retail, pharmacy or healthcare environment. - Familiarity with Agile ways of working, data governance and data quality frameworks. - Exposure to AI/ML and GenAI applications in analytics and reporting. WHAT YOU WILL BE DOING? - Define, publish and maintain craft standards for BI development, data analysis and analytics engineering, covering modelling, coding, visualisation, documentation and version control. - Establish quality gates across the analytics lifecycle (e.g., design reviews, peer code reviews, dashboard and dataset certification) for work delivered in tribes and domains. - Establish and run Centres of Excellence for BI, Data Analysis and Analytics Engineering, each with a clear charter, ownership and roadmap. - Own the recruitment process for analytics roles, including role definition, assessment design (technical tests and case studies), interview panels and hiring recommendations, in partnership with tribe and domain leads. - Design and run a structured onboarding programme for analytics staff, contractors and consultants, covering access, tooling, the data landscape, standards and ways of working. - Partner with the Data Analytics Chapter Lead on chapter strategy and report regularly on the health of the analytics craft. WHO YOU ARE? - Broad and deep understanding of BI, data analysis and analytics engineering practices, with the credibility to review and challenge work across all three disciplines. - Strong knowledge of data modelling, SQL, BI tools and modern data platforms, including version control and CI/CD practices for analytics. - Ability to test whether analytics work addresses the root business question rather than only the stated requirement. - Proven ability to lead and influence in a matrix environment where practitioners have delivery accountability to other leaders. - Ability to link analytics work to business value and to prioritise where the craft can have the greatest impact. - Exceptional ability to communicate complex data concepts in a clear, concise, and compelling manner. Our values show up in how we think, build, and make choices that make an impact. We are building a culture that drives progress; one that fixes friction, chases what changes, and owns the outcome. We design with tomorrow in mind, ask sharper questions, and answer them with care, urgency, and systems that scale. Think you’ve got energy, curiosity, and guts? Come hold the space, make it matter, and own a breakthrough.