Lead Data Analyst

We are looking for a high-calibre, hands on Lead Data Analyst to support this transformation embedding analytics as a core driver of commercial decision-making. Working closely with the Head of Insights & Analytics, you will support in shaping an innovative analytics strategy, defining and delivering the roadmap, providing self-service capabilities across the business, developing a high-performing team and producing scalable, high-impact analytics that create measurable business value., Strategy and Transformation

• Partner with the business to define and deliver the Insights and Analytics strategy and roadmap for STARK UK in collaboration with the Head of Insights and Analytics

• Transition the organisation from reactive reporting to proactive and predictive analytics; repeatedly assuring executive stakeholders that the investment in insights is value-add

• Create a demand log for new and value-add data sets in collaboration with the Data Engineering team and analytics team members with specific use cases identified

• Investigate innovative approaches to accessing and creating insights and analytics e.g. natural language querying, power-automate, dashboard orchestration and personalisation

High Value, Market Leading Analytics capability

• Identify high-value use cases for advanced analytics, supporting the business case development to take ideas from concept to delivery, testing and embedding within the user community

• Guide Stark UK in introducing and establishing self-serve analytics, proposing appropriate tooling for end users.

• Develop personalised and sustainable data products e.g. Selectable exec level KPIs that support individual decision making, dashboards which render different visualisations according to individual user preference

Team Management

• Collaborate with Head of Insights and Analytics to develop team ways of working for a team based across two hub locations (Coventry and Huddersfield)
• Lead, Coach and develop a team of data analysts, fostering a high performance and insight driven culture
• Provide training opportunities to data analyst team, empowering them to develop leading analytics products within their areas of expertise e.g. marketing, supply chain, logistics, dynamic pricing

Business as Usual

• Drive consistency, quality, and governance across all analytics outputs; assuring that principles of dashboard design are maintained and analytics outputs are trusted.
• Champion best practices in BI development, data storytelling, and stakeholder engagement within the team and across the wider business
• Establish and evolve an Analytics Centre of Excellence, defining standards for reporting and insight generation across Stark UK
• Embed a data-led decision-making culture across the business
• Set performance objectives and act as line manager for 3 - 4 analysts

What Success Looks Like

• A high performing analytics team partnered closely with key stakeholders and functions across the business
• You and the team producing clear, actionable insights and dashboards that drive measurable value
• Well established Centre of Excellence with clear standards and governance, recognised across the whole business
• Clear trust in insights and reporting produced by the team
• Tangible improvements in commercial performance driven by data-led decisions
• A shift from reactive reporting to proactive and predictive insight generation, * Play a leading role in shaping the future of analytics at Stark UK as we begin our journey into the AI and automation era of data, investing in new platforms and capabilities
• Lead and develop a function with significant influence on commercial levers and organisation wide performance
• Opportunity to create lasting impact across varied brands (Jewson, Minster, Frazer ,…) and business units (UK, Germany, Nordics)

• Strong experience in data analytics, BI, or commercial analytics roles, with proven leadership responsibility
• Demonstrated experience building and leading analytics teams or functions, including embedding new ways of working
• Expertise with SQL, Power BI and Databricks
• Proven ability to translate business problems into analytical solutions and to evidence the value that those solutions provide
• Excellent stakeholder management and communication skills, including at senior levels
• Experienced with predictive analytical methodologies

Desirable

• Experience working with large-scale data environments or data transformations
• Familiarity with tools such as Phocas, Azure Synapse, or Python
• Experience in retail, distribution, or building materials sectors

Stark Building Materials is investing significantly in transforming how data is accessed, understood, and used across the business. We are on a journey from fragmented, reactive reporting toward a modern, insight-led organisation powered by proactive and predictive analytics.