At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead a data engineering team to transform operational data into actionable insights.
- Company: Join a forward-thinking company revolutionising manufacturing analytics.
- Benefits: Competitive salary, career growth, and the chance to make a real impact.
- Other info: Collaborative environment with opportunities to influence business strategy.
- Why this job: Shape the future of manufacturing analytics and drive transformation.
- Qualifications: Experience in leading data teams and strong understanding of industrial data systems.
The predicted salary is between 60000 - 80000 £ per year.
Drive Data-Driven Manufacturing Excellence. We are looking for a Business Analytics Lead to play a pivotal role in transforming operational data into actionable business insight across our Paper Division. Leading a small but highly capable data engineering team, you will build and develop the OT-to-business data infrastructure that underpins operational analytics, advanced analytics, and strategic decision-making. By connecting manufacturing systems with business platforms, you’ll help unlock performance improvements, optimise asset utilisation, and support critical 80/20 business priorities. This is an exciting opportunity for a data leader who combines technical expertise with strong stakeholder engagement and a passion for delivering measurable business value.
What You’ll Be Doing
- Lead, mentor, and develop a team of Data Engineers, setting priorities and ensuring high-quality delivery.
- Design, build, and maintain scalable OT-to-business data architectures and ingestion pipelines, supporting both real-time and batch processing.
- Integrate operational technology platforms, including AVEVA PI, with ERP, maintenance, quality, and other enterprise systems.
- Develop and maintain standardised, granular datasets and data models that enable operational reporting, advanced analytics, and business intelligence.
- Establish and champion data governance best practices, including data quality, lineage, metadata management, and documentation.
- Create reusable analytics assets, KPI frameworks, and self-service data products that empower site and corporate teams.
- Partner with Operations, Asset Management, IT, and Business Leadership teams to identify opportunities, prioritise initiatives, and deliver impactful analytics solutions.
- Implement monitoring, automation, and CI/CD practices to ensure reliable and efficient data workflows.
- Translate complex data into clear insights, dashboards, and recommendations that support operational and strategic decision-making.
What We’re Looking For
- Proven experience leading data engineering, analytics, or business intelligence teams.
- Strong understanding of industrial data environments and operational technology (OT) systems.
- Experience working with platforms such as AVEVA PI, industrial historians, or similar manufacturing data systems.
- Demonstrated expertise in building data pipelines, data models, and enterprise analytics solutions.
- Strong knowledge of data governance, metadata management, data quality, and data architecture best practices.
- Experience integrating manufacturing, ERP, maintenance, quality, and other business systems.
- Excellent stakeholder management and communication skills, with the ability to influence at all levels of the organisation.
- A proactive, problem-solving mindset with a focus on delivering tangible business outcomes.
Why Join Us?
This role offers a unique opportunity to shape the future of manufacturing analytics within a large-scale industrial environment. You’ll work at the intersection of operations, technology, and business strategy, delivering solutions that directly influence performance, productivity, and long-term growth. If you’re passionate about turning complex operational data into meaningful business value and leading teams that drive transformation, we’d love to hear from you.
Business Analytics Lead in Kent employer: DS Smith
Join us as a Business Analytics Lead and be part of a forward-thinking company that values innovation and collaboration. Our supportive work culture fosters professional growth, offering you the chance to lead a talented data engineering team while making a significant impact on our manufacturing processes. With a focus on data-driven decision-making and a commitment to employee development, we provide a unique environment where your expertise can thrive and contribute to meaningful business outcomes.
