Data Analyst

Job Summary :

We are seeking a highly experienced and strategic Lead Procurement Data Analyst & Strategic Insights Specialist to drive data-driven decision-making across our procurement organization.

This long-term, critical role requires a professional with deep expertise in both procurement workflows and advanced data analytics to transform complex, messy datasets into actionable business intelligence.

Operating remotely from India, this role will be pivotal in shaping sourcing strategies, managing supplier relationships, and identifying key opportunities to optimize spend through expert reporting and proactive recommendations.

Core Responsibilities :

Strategic Data Analysis and Insight Generation :

- Proactively apply a deep understanding of procurement-related business needs to design and execute complex data analyses that directly address strategic objectives.

- Utilize data insights to actively shape sourcing strategies, identify non-compliant spend behaviors (e.g., "catch and release" patterns), and support critical vendor rationalization and management efforts.

- Drive smarter decisions by not just reporting on data, but by understanding the underlying procurement dynamics and asking the right business questions.

Reporting, Visualization, and Dashboard Development:

- Serve as the expert user of Power BI, collaborating directly with procurement leads to design, develop, and maintain intuitive, high-impact Power BI dashboards and reports.

- Establish and track key pilot success metrics for new procurement initiatives, providing clear, data-driven assessments of performance and ROI.

- Ensure all dashboards provide clear visualization and storytelling of data, turning complex analytics into digestible information for stakeholders at all levels.

Data Preparation and Technical Proficiency:

- Take ownership of preparing and cleaning complex, often messy, procurement datasets using advanced proficiency in tools like Excel, SQL, and/or Python.

- Apply expert SQL skills for complex querying, data validation, and extraction from various procurement and ERP data sources.

- Utilize Python (e.g., Pandas) for complex statistical analysis, data modeling, and automation of data preparation workflows.

Consultation and Proactive Solutioning:

- Communicate clearly and persuasively with stakeholders, translating analytical findings into pragmatic, proactive solutions and actionable recommendations that align directly with specific business goals.

- Act as a data consultant to procurement leads, guiding them on metric definition, data governance, and the analytical approach to complex spend problems, especially in tail spend management.

Required Skills & Experience:

Experience: 7 years of dedicated, hands-on experience as a Business Analyst or Data Analyst, with a significant majority of experience focused specifically within the procurement domain.

Domain Expertise: Strong, verifiable grasp of core procurement workflows, especially deep functional knowledge and analytical experience in tail spend management.

Visualization Expertise: Expert-level proficiency in using Power BI for end-to-end dashboard development, data modeling within the tool, and deployment of enterprise-level reporting solutions.

Technical Analytics: Highly proficient in utilizing:

- Advanced Excel functions (VBA is a plus) for rapid analysis and modeling.

- SQL for complex querying, data manipulation, and extraction.

- Python (e.g., Pandas) for efficient data cleaning and exploratory analysis of large datasets.

Business Acumen : Proven ability to proactively translate strategic procurement needs (e.g., vendor rationalization) into technical data requirements and clear analytical insights.

Preferred Skills & Experience :

Procurement Platforms: Familiarity with major procurement and sourcing platforms such as SAP Ariba and specific tail spend or sourcing optimization tools like Candex, Keelvar, or Fairmarkit.

Emerging Technologies: Exposure to emerging trends, including analytics related to AI-driven sourcing, autonomous procurement, or general agentic AI/automation in the procurement function.

Consulting Background: Previous experience in a consulting role or leading technical aspects of large-scale procurement digital transformation projects.

Lead Procurement Data Analyst & Strategic Insights Specialist