Head of Analytics in Doncaster

Head of Analytics in Doncaster

Doncaster Full-Time 75600 - 92400 £ / year (est.) Home office (partial)
O

At a Glance

  • Tasks: Lead analytics for Last Mile, optimising delivery and enhancing operational efficiency.
  • Company: Join Ocado Group, a leader in online grocery automation and innovative technology.
  • Benefits: Enjoy 25 days annual leave, private medical insurance, and flexible working options.
  • Other info: Be part of a diverse team that values individuality and fosters innovation.
  • Why this job: Make a real impact by transforming data into actionable insights for a global operation.
  • Qualifications: Experience in complex stakeholder management and a strong understanding of AI tools.

The predicted salary is between 75600 - 92400 £ per year.

We are Ocado Group, and we're bringing world-class automation to online grocery. Our Ocado Smart Platform (OSP) combines cutting-edge robotics, AI, and IoT within our advanced CFCs (Customer Fulfilment Centres). We've mastered the single pick, transforming online delivery for our global partners. Join us and be part of a team pushing the boundaries of retail technology.

As the Head of Analytics for Last Mile, you will take full ownership of the insight agenda for one of the most operationally intensive domains at Ocado. Last Mile oversees the critical final stage of our operation - ensuring the right orders reach the right customers on time - and encompasses delivery routing, fleet operations, slot management, and performance tracking across our global partners.

This is a highly influential, cross-functional position sitting on the Data & Analytics leadership team. While our underlying AI capability is already advanced, this role is less about inventing the technology and heavily focused on the human and operational element: turning advanced capabilities into tangible business value, driving stakeholder adoption, and bringing together teams that do not normally work closely together.

You will drive delivery through influence rather than direct authority, collaborating closely with VP-level leaders across Product, Engineering, and Partner Success, as well as peer Heads of Analytics in Fulfilment and Ecommerce. Additionally, you will ensure solutions are built in a way that serves Ocado Retail today, with a view to potentially releasing successful solutions to external Ocado partners in the future.

Key Responsibilities

  • Drive Last-Mile Efficiency: Conceptualize opportunities, develop strategic approaches, and pull together the right cross-functional teams to optimize current operations.
  • Deliver Operational Value: Drive initiatives focused on turning advanced analytical/AI capabilities into operational reality, including improving store operations, maximizing fulfillment efficiency, and optimizing the use of chiller totes and capacity.
  • Enable Better Decision-Making: Enable a higher volume of orders to be successfully fulfilled through better operational and data-driven decisions.
  • Lead and Develop the Team: Manage the Last Mile analytics team, establishing clear standards for work prioritization, scoping, and communication.
  • Nurture Talent: Oversee the technical and communication development of analysts to ensure insights are actionable, highly impactful, and easily understood by the business.
  • Foster an Experimentation Culture: Champion a culture of innovation and experimentation, negotiating decision rights, setting clear evidence standards, and encouraging testing over instinctual decision-making.
  • Manage AI Foundations: Own the semantic and context layers for Last Mile, ensuring business definitions and metric logic remain accurate so AI-generated outputs align seamlessly with real-world operations.
  • Optimise Feedback Loops: Work with the central AI enablement function to design and maintain tight feedback loops between AI outputs and ground truth, helping stakeholders adopt and use these tools confidently.

What We're Looking For:

Essential

  • Complex Stakeholder Management & Influence: A background in management consultancy or a similarly complex multi-stakeholder environment. Proven ability to operate in complex environments, structure ambiguous problems, create alignment around a shared vision, and comfortably challenge existing thinking at a senior/VP level.
  • Influence Without Authority: Exceptional communication and leadership skills, with a track record of driving change and bringing together disparate teams through pure influence rather than direct reporting lines.
  • High Energy & Change Leadership: Energetic, charismatic, and collaborative mindset with experience leading an analytics or change function through substantive operational methodology shifts.
  • Tech & AI Landscape Literacy: A strong, grounded understanding of current AI tools and data platforms. The ability to distinguish genuinely useful solutions from noise and successfully translate complex AI/data capabilities into commercial, operational business value.
  • Analytical Foundations: Solid analytical foundations necessary to set team standards for experimentation, metric architecture, and validating model efficacy alongside Data Science partners.

Nice to Haves

  • Domain Familiarity: Experience within operational, logistics, or last-mile environments, bringing strong real-world context to data analysis (highly valued, but a nice-to-have rather than essential).
  • Data Science Exposure: History of working alongside data science or machine learning functions, understanding how to bridge analytics and operational modeling.
  • Modern Data Tooling Experience: Exposure to semantic layer tooling, data cataloguing, or AI evaluation frameworks.

Benefits:

We believe in supporting our people with meaningful, flexible benefits that prioritise well-being and work-life balance. Here’s a snapshot of what you can expect:

  • 25 days annual leave (rising to 27 after 5 years), plus the option to buy more – and 30 days a year to work from anywhere in the world.
  • Private Medical Insurance from your first month, wellbeing support through specialist apps and EAP, plus Income Protection and Life Assurance.
  • 22 weeks paid maternity/primary carer leave and 6 weeks paid paternity leave.
  • Pension with employer matching up to 7%, share schemes (Sharesave & BAYE), and interest-free loans for train tickets.
  • Cycle to Work Scheme and free shuttle buses to/from Hatfield and Welwyn Garden City stations.
  • 15% off at Ocado.com with free delivery (starting in your first month).

Be bold, be unique, be brilliant, be you. We are looking for individuality and we value diversity. We are an equal opportunities employer and we are committed to treating all applicants and employees fairly and equally. We are committed to making reasonable adjustments to provide a positive, barrier-free recruitment process and supportive work environment. If you have any support or access requirements, we encourage you to advise us at the time of application.

Head of Analytics in Doncaster employer: Ocado Technology

At Ocado Group, we pride ourselves on being an exceptional employer, offering a dynamic work culture that fosters innovation and collaboration. As a GA4 Implementation Specialist in Hatfield, you'll enjoy flexible working arrangements, comprehensive benefits including private medical insurance and generous leave policies, and ample opportunities for professional growth within a cutting-edge technology environment. Join us to be part of a diverse team dedicated to pushing the boundaries of retail technology while supporting your well-being and career aspirations.

O

Contact Details:

Ocado Technology Recruitment Team

StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫

We think this is how you could land Head of Analytics in Doncaster

Get Involved in Data Science Meetups

Tap into local data science meetups or workshops to connect with fellow enthusiasts and professionals. These events are goldmines for networking, and sometimes even lead directly to job openings at companies like Ocado Technology!

Show Off Your Projects

Start building a public portfolio showcasing your data science projects on platforms like GitHub or personal websites. Highlight unique analyses or models you've developed. This not only demonstrates your skills but also gets your name out there for roles like Head of Analytics at Ocado Technology.

Leverage Professional Networks

Join professional bodies related to data science, like the Data Science Society or similar organisations. Getting involved can lead to mentorship opportunities and insider knowledge about full-time positions at companies like Ocado Technology.

Apply Directly through Our Website

When you find a suitable opening like Head of Analytics at Ocado Technology, make sure to apply directly through our website. It gives you an edge and shows you're keen to join our team. Plus, who doesn’t love a direct application? It’s easier than navigating through job boards!

We think you need these skills to ace Head of Analytics in Doncaster

Complex Stakeholder Management
Influence Without Authority
Change Leadership
Tech & AI Landscape Literacy
Analytical Foundations
Operational Efficiency Optimisation
Data-Driven Decision Making

Some tips for your application 🫡

Show Off Your Projects:In the world of data science, your projects can speak volumes about your skills. Make sure to showcase a few key projects in your CV or portfolio, especially those that highlight your ability to work with data sets, build models, or use relevant tools like Python, R, or SQL. Don’t forget to include links to any GitHub repositories if applicable!

Quantify Your Achievements:Employers love numbers! When drafting your CV, highlight your achievements with quantifiable results. For instance, mention how your data analysis led to a certain percentage increase in efficiency or revenue at a previous job or project. These details can really make your application pop!

Craft a Tailored Cover Letter:For a full-time role at Ocado Technology, your cover letter should reflect your passion for data science and your excitement about the specific projects or values of the company. Dive into why you’re a good fit, how your skills align with their needs, and any unique perspectives you can bring to the team.

Stand Out with Relevant Courses and Certifications:Although experience talks, relevant courses or certifications can be your ticket to impressing hiring managers at Ocado Technology. Mention any standout courses you've completed that equipped you with essential skills, such as machine learning certifications or data visualisation courses. This shows your commitment to continuously developing your skills in the field!

How to prepare for a job interview at Ocado Technology

Brush Up on Your Statistics

For a data science role, we need to seriously sharpen our statistics skills. Get ready to tackle technical questions on probability distributions, hypothesis testing, and regression analysis. These are often the bread and butter of data science interviews, so don't just skim over them!

Showcase Your Projects

Prepare a killer portfolio showcasing your data science projects. We should include details about the datasets used, the tools and techniques applied, and the impact of your findings. If we can walk them through a particularly challenging project or a cool visualisation that had real-world implications, it’ll really make us stand out!

Get Comfortable with Python and R

Most data science positions require us to be proficient in programming languages like Python and R. We should practice common libraries like pandas, NumPy, and scikit-learn, and be ready for live coding exercises or algorithm questions. Showing off our coding chops can really impress the interviewers at Ocado Technology!

Prepare for Case Studies

Expect to encounter real-world case studies during the interview. We might be asked how we’d approach a data problem or analyse a dataset to extract insights. It's essential to think out loud and demonstrate our problem-solving process so that the interviewer can see our logical thinking in action.