Head of Data & Automation in Manchester

• P. LOUISE
• HEAD OF DATA

Reports to: Callum Wilson, FD | Location: Manchester (Office-based) | Function: Data & Analytics

Louise is a UK beauty brand heading towards £165m in revenue, trading across Shopify, Tik Tok Shop, Boots wholesale, physical retail, and international markets.

The business generates enormous volumes of data every day, including sales, marketing, stock, customer, and operational data, but that data currently sits in disconnected systems, spreadsheets, and manual exports.

We are hiring a Head of Data to change that: to build the data function from the ground up and turn data into the backbone of how P.

Louise makes decisions.

PRIMARY OBJECTIVE

Own end to end, covering architecture, infrastructure, reporting, and automation, and partner directly with the FD and the wider leadership team to design and implement the systems, tooling, and automation that take the business's reporting and decision-making to the next level.

ABOUT THE ROLE

This is a build role, not a maintenance role.

You will inherit a business that is data-rich but systems-poor: manual reporting, disconnected platforms, and no single source of truth.

You will design and build a proper data warehouse, connect the estate end to end (Shopify, Tik Tok Shop, Boots, Klaviyo, Triple Whale, Xero, 3PL/WMS, and more), and replace manual, spreadsheet-based reporting with automated pipelines and self-serve dashboards.

You will work hand-in-hand with the FD on financial and commercial reporting, and with Ecommerce, Marketing, Merchandising and Operations on the reporting and automation that matters to them.

• AREAS OF RESPONSIBILITY
• Data Architecture & Warehousing: designing and building the central data warehouse and data model that becomes P. Louise's single source of truth.
• Systems Integration & Automation: connecting and automating data flows across Shopify, Tik Tok Shop, Boots, Klaviyo, Triple Whale, Xero, WMS/3PL, and other platforms.
• Reporting & Business Intelligence: building automated dashboards and reporting suites for Finance, Commercial, Ecommerce, Marketing, Merchandising and Operations.
• Data Governance & Quality: defining data definitions, ownership, and quality standards across the business so numbers are trusted and consistent.
• Commercial & Trading Analytics: supporting trade meetings, board reporting, and day-to-day decision-making with accurate, timely data and insight.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Build the foundations
• Design, build and own a central data warehouse, bringing together sales, marketing, stock, customer and financial data from across the business.
• Define the target data architecture and lead its implementation, selecting and integrating the right tools and platforms for a 's scale.
• Build robust, automated data pipelines (processes that extract data from source systems, transform it into a consistent format, and load it into the warehouse) from all key systems, including Shopify, Tik Tok Shop, Boots wholesale, Klaviyo, Triple Whale, Xero, and WMS/3PL, eliminating manual exports and manual reconciliation.
• Put in place data governance: clear definitions, ownership, documentation and quality monitoring, so every team is working from the same numbers.
• Automate and elevate reporting
• Replace manual, spreadsheet-driven reporting with automated dashboards and self-serve tools for Finance, Ecommerce, Marketing, Merchandising and Operations.
• Own the automation of trade meeting reporting, monthly board packs, and channel-level performance reporting, working closely with the FD.
• Build reporting that goes beyond “what happened” to surface “why it happened and what to do about it,” partnering with commercial and finance teams on insight, not just data delivery.
• Ensure reporting scales cleanly as new channels, markets and systems are added (e. g. new international markets, new platforms).
• Partner across the business
• Work directly with the FD as a thought partner on financial and commercial reporting, forecasting support, and board-level data needs.
• Partner with Ecommerce and Marketing on customer, campaign and conversion analytics; with Merchandising on stock, margin and range performance; and with Operations on fulfilment and logistics data.
• Act as the senior data voice in the business, advising leadership on what to build next, what to fix, and where data can unlock commercial value.
• Build and lead the data function as it grows, including scoping and hiring future team members as the remit expands.
• CANDIDATE CRITERIA

Essential

• Proven experience building a data function, data warehouse, or BI capability from the ground up, ideally within ecommerce, retail, or a fast-scaling consumer business.
• Strong hands-on technical ability across data warehousing, ETL/ELT tooling, and BI/visualisation platforms (e. g. SQL, dbt, Fivetran/Stitch, Looker/Power BI/Tableau, or similar).
• Track record of automating manual reporting processes and driving adoption of self-serve dashboards across non-technical teams.
• Experience integrating multi-channel ecommerce data (e. g. Shopify, marketplaces, retail/wholesale, marketing platforms) into a unified reporting layer.
• Excellent stakeholder management, able to work equally well with the FD, commercial leadership, and technical peers.
• Commercially minded: able to translate data into insight and recommendations, not just dashboards.

Desirable

• Experience in a high-growth, multi-channel beauty, fashion, or consumer brand.
• Familiarity with the specific platforms in P. Louise's stack: Shopify, Tik Tok Shop, Klaviyo, Triple Whale, Xero, and 3PL/WMS systems.
• Experience supporting board-level and investor reporting.
• Line management experience, with the ambition to build and lead a team over time.
• SUCCESS MILESTONES

In the first 3 months

• Full audit of current data landscape complete, with systems, data quality, and reporting gaps clearly documented.
• Data warehouse architecture designed and agreed, with a clear implementation roadmap.
• Quick-win automations identified and delivered for at least one high-value manual report.

In the first 6 months

• Core data warehouse live, with key systems (Shopify, Tik Tok Shop, Boots, Klaviyo, Triple Whale, Xero) integrated.
• Finance MI pack and trade meeting reporting substantially automated, reducing manual compilation time.
• Ecommerce and Marketing dashboards live and in regular use by relevant teams.

In the first 12 months

• P. Louise has a data function it is genuinely proud of, trusted, fast, and embedded into how the business makes decisions.
• Manual, spreadsheet-based reporting largely eliminated across Finance, Commercial and Marketing.
• A data governance framework is in place and understood across the business.
• A clear, agreed case made for the next phase of investment in the data function, whether that's tooling, capability, or headcount.

WHAT WE OFFER

• A genuinely greenfield opportunity to build the data function of a £165m beauty brand from scratch, with full leadership buy-in.
• A highly visible seat at the senior leadership table, working directly with the FD and the wider SLT.
• Competitive salary, commensurate with experience.
• Performance-related bonus.
• Staff discount on P. Louise products.
• A fast-moving, entrepreneurial culture where your impact is felt immediately.