Head of Analytics and Data Science

Head of Analytics and Data Science

Develop, accelerate, and evolve the analytical practice at Staples Canada as the principal leader for analytics and data science. Take responsibility for a Center of Excellence (COE) model, including overall strategy, enterprise-wide analytics execution, and leadership of a centralized data science team.

Staples Canada operates in a dynamic environment where analytics is valued and benefits from continuous management support for investment and prioritization. The company has a strong vision, a broader mission than just commercial success, and a customer-centric strategy with a constant drive to deliver the best possible experience. It's an environment where experimentation and new ideas are encouraged and frequently tested – the status quo is never enough. Silos are discouraged, while transparency and collaboration are naturally fostered.

Responsibilities:

• Develop and implement the vision, strategy, and execution of a world-class customer insights, data science, and analytics function, ensuring scalability of systems, governance, tools, capabilities, processes, and talent.
• Consolidate and structure all transactional, behavioral, and operational data (online, in-store, off-site, third-party) into a set of easily actionable and reliable views for near real-time decision-making, with a direct link to the customer and their journeys.
• Develop a suite of self-service reporting tools, defining the business impact and success of projects, while providing deep insights into integrated datasets to evaluate short- and long-term ROI.
• Build and maintain a democratized AI infrastructure, quickly accessible by internal and extended analytics teams, while establishing programmatic best practices at all levels; enable SaaS and no-code solutions for rapid deployment.
• Implement a unified experimentation platform and promote best practices and training to support rapid A/B testing for feature deployment, customer pilots/experiences, and other customer experience (CX) related elements.
• Develop, implement, and utilize machine learning algorithms and data science approaches to deliver solutions for customer segmentation, retention, attribution modeling, and other customer-oriented (front-end) solutions, then gradually evolve to demand forecasting, time-series modeling, fraud/risk detection, assortment/space/product optimization (back-end).
• Foster a continuous learning environment, using the latest methodologies, advanced technologies, and illustrative best practices to tell stories that influence business decisions.
• Build consensus and gain alignment around the data and analytics strategy, while defining the roadmap for ecosystem-wide capabilities, including change management needs, organizational structure evolution, and communication strategy.
• Collaborate with key internal stakeholders to ensure internal qualitative research needs are met and that all data collection and analysis efforts are streamlined and optimized.

Qualifications:

• Post-secondary education in AREA or a related field.
• Any required or desired certifications are an asset.
• 10+ years of progressive management experience in analytics and data.
• 5+ years of progressive experience in machine learning and AI.
• 5+ years of experience leading teams.
• Ability to navigate large organizations and build strong relationships with diverse business partners.
• Ability to influence at all levels of the organization, with a thorough understanding of stakeholder needs and expectations.
• Previous experience with AI systems is an asset.
• Aptitude for conceptualizing, evaluating, and negotiating partnerships with third parties.
• Ability to break down complex problems and develop plans to solve them.

Physical Requirements/Working Conditions:

• Office environment – Hybrid model, with 4 days on-site in Richmond Hill.

What You'll Receive:

• Employee discounts
• Medical and dental benefits
• RRSP/DPSP
• Performance bonuses
• Learning and development programs
• And more…

About Us:

We value transparency in our hiring processes. Artificial intelligence may be used at certain stages to pre-screen, assess, or select candidates. However, a human evaluator makes all final decisions. This posting is for an existing vacancy.

About The Team:

At Staples Canada/Bureau en Gros, we are dynamic and inspiring partners for our customers and the communities in which we live. As the Company of Work and Learning, we inspire people to work smarter, learn more, and grow every day. We are looking for curious, welcoming, passionate people who love to find solutions. If this describes you, we can work, learn, and grow together.

We are creating an inclusive and diverse team. Staples Canada/Bureau en Gros constantly strives to establish an inclusive and diverse work environment. We appreciate, value, and leverage the perspectives and contributions that come from backgrounds varying by race, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, lifestyle, age, educational background, national origin, religion, or physical ability. If you have a disability or special need requiring accommodation, please let us know.

Key skills/competency:

• Analytics Strategy
• Data Science Leadership
• Machine Learning
• Artificial Intelligence (AI)
• Customer Insights
• Data Governance
• Business Intelligence
• Team Leadership
• Experimentation Platforms
• ROI Analysis