Role Purpose
The Manager - Data Science is responsible for supporting on developing the product vision and roadmap in close collaboration with our product owners, data engineers and data analysts who are spearheading the Advanced Analytics transformation across Majid Al Futtaim. The role holder is also responsible for leading a team of data scientists and delivering impactful solutions to the business.
Majid Al Futtaim Retail is continuing to develop and build its analytics talent to support its advanced analytics agenda. The various analytics use cases launched by the Retail Analytics Unit on a start-up mode will establish the unit’s foundation to develop a powerful product portfolio following it’s sustainable growth. As such, team members are given the latitude to shape the trajectory of the unit and bring their ideas and visions into fruition.
He/she will be at the forefront of enhancing the Advanced Analytics value proposition, in line with the long-term digital and non-digital objectives of Majid Al Futtaim.
Key Responsibilities and Accountabilities
Data Science Strategy
- Define a clear data science vision and roadmap and set objectives for the team in alignment with the advanced analytics agenda for the Retail Analytics Unit
- Build and guide the team to create and test advanced algorithms, create impact measurement models, implement new modules, maintain and release production pipelines, etc. Provide hands-on support to the team to build complex algorithms and models as required
- Lead data science discussions in squad meetings, communicate effectively with technical and non-technical audience elaborating on the methodology and recommending data-driven solutions
- Coach the team to leverage modern development techniques to better solve for complex business challenges and unlock new opportunities
- Manage the process of Proof of Concept ideation, development and deployment for all analytics initiatives having a customer-centric approach. Contribute to building new and creative analytics products with the aim of optimizing the user experience and business operations
- Develop talent and build the Data Scientist/Analyst NextGen skilled and fully engaged team
Coordination and Communication
- Act as a thought partner to the analytics team and other key stakeholders, to identify the scope of improvement and drive the right processes to deliver on the business objectives
- Partner with the implementation team and advise on data science approach and solutioning for existing and new projects
- Ensure regular information exchange with all relevant stakeholders and update them on the development progress across projects
- Contribute to the development of presentations on advanced analytics and performance in key areas of the business and communicate results across the organisation
- Build relationships and maintain strong partnerships with key personnel to help achieve organisational goals
- Collaborate with key stakeholders to ensure clarity of the specifications and expectations of the Retail Analytics Unit
Audit and Reporting
- Responsible for the preparation of business presentations and reports related to Retail Analytics for various stakeholders, on periodic and ad hoc basis as and when required
- Perform regular audit of various processes and databases for the Retail Analytics Unit in order to identify gaps and risks, and propose corrective actions
Policies and Procedures
- Develop and review the Retail Analytics policies and procedures and ensure it is implemented and reported on as a part of the policies and procedures for the Retail Analytics Unit
- Develop and implement relevant policies and procedures
Human Capital Responsibilities
- Ensure the implementation of the performance management process
- Provide mentorship for the purpose of developing a continuous talent pipeline for key roles
- Identify training needs and coordinate with the HC department to ensure facilitation of training requirements
- Oversee the development and implementation of on the job-training
- Ensure constant availability of the required competent staff to support the organization in meeting all its responsibilities, plans, and objectives
- Provide inputs while developing MAF Retail’s corporate policies and relevant procedures, and monitor the implementation
Personal Characteristics and Required Background
Minimum Qualifications/education
- Bachelor’s Degree in an IT-related field or Computer Engineering
- Master’s Degree in a similar field is preferred
Minimum experience
- 7+ years in a managerial Data Scientist role in an international environment; building advanced analytics models/solutions/products with the ability to demonstrate value and track record
- 2+ years in the retail/FMCG business in GCC is preferred
Skills
- Strong leadership and people management capabilities with proven ability to develop strategic relationships with senior leadership stakeholders
- Experience in several visualization tools such as Tableau, PowerBI, Qlik, BO
- Expert proficiency in various programming languages is a must, such as R/SAS/Python/SQL/BigQuery
- Expertise in algorithm/modeling techniques is a must, such as Logistic Regression, Linear Regression, Clustering, Decision Trees, Random Forest, SVM, KNN etc.
- Expert in deploying machine learning models on cloud services (Azure, AWS, GC etc.)
- Expert in time series forecasting, boosting algorithms, optimization techniques, NLP, recommendation systems, ElasticNet
- Advanced skills in data visualization software and packages (Matplotlib, d3, highcharts)
- Advanced skills in Azure, Spark, and git-Basic as well as understanding of web application framework (Django, Flask, HTML, JavaScript, CSS, Ajax, jQuery etc.)
- Collaborative, pragmatic and proactive problem solver
- Proven ability to deliver initiatives from conception through to completion, sound understanding of the analytics ecosystem and value chain from both a business and a technical standpoint
- Ability to work independently and in cross-functional teams
- Strong business communication and presentation skills with proven experience managing executive-level communications
- Excellent organizational skills with the ability to prioritize workload
- Strong English language skills (Speaking, Reading and Writing) with exceptional business writing, Arabic is a plus
- Proficient in MS Office (Excel, Word, PowerPoint)