Project Manager - Data & Analytics (18mth FTC)
Location: Reading – hybrid
Travel: Occasional travel to Dublin
Salary & Package: Competitive
Caraffi is recruiting on behalf of our client, a global retail organisation, for an experienced Technology Project Manage r to lead the end‐to‐end delivery of a major Data & Analytics transformation initiative. This flagship programme will modernise data platforms, enhance analytics capabilities, and enable smarter, faster decision‐making across the business.
This role requires a delivery leader with strong strategic oversight and hands‐on execution capability - someone who can navigate complex stakeholder landscapes, enforce robust governance, and align cross‐functional teams to deliver outcomes that directly support long‐term commercial and operational objectives.
What You’ll Do
- Lead end‐to‐end delivery of a high‐profile Data & Analytics transformation project, covering data products, platform enhancements, integrations, and analytics capabilities
- Define and own delivery scope, timelines, milestones, resource plans, and critical dependencies
- Manage a multi‐million‐pound budget, ensuring accurate forecasting, cost control, and variance management
- Establish strong governance frameworks aligned to enterprise standards across architecture, engineering, cyber, service, and GRC
- Develop and maintain a comprehensive project plan with clear scope, deliverables, and resource requirements
- Identify and manage risks, issues, and dependencies to minimise delivery impact
- Lead multi‐disciplinary teams, ensuring clarity of roles, accountability, and performance
- Review and assure project deliverables to meet quality standards and stakeholder expectations
- Track progress using approved tooling and provide concise updates to senior stakeholders
- Build strong relationships across business, technology, and supplier teams
- Coach and develop team members to support capability growth
- Define KPIs and success metrics to measure delivery impact and benefits realisation
- Manage external vendors, ensuring contractual alignment and quality delivery
- Influence senior stakeholders with insight‐driven updates, risks, and recommendations
What You’ll Bring
- 5+ years’ experience delivering complex technology projects to defined scope, timelines, budgets, and quality standards
- Deep Data & Analytics expertise, including data platforms, data migration, modelling, governance, master data, or analytics products
- Experience with cloud technologies such as Databricks, Snowflake, Power BI
- Strong understanding of data architecture fundamentals and how delivery interacts with data engineering, BI, and governance
- Experience maturing D&A operating models, including product teams and federated data ownership
- Retail data domain experience (product, customer, inventory, pricing, forecasting, merchandising hierarchies)
- Hybrid delivery experience, blending Agile data product delivery within Waterfall‐oriented programmes
- Strong governance and delivery discipline, including sprint planning, backlog management, and acceptance criteria
- Ability to manage multiple workstreams concurrently
- Exceptional stakeholder management and communication skills
- Familiarity with Agile, Waterfall, and Hybrid methodologies
- Ability to translate complex technical detail for non‐technical audiences
Desirable Experience
- Large‐scale business transformation or change programmes
- Project Management certifications (PMP, PRINCE2, APM, Scrum Master, SAFe)
- Vendor/partner management in complex, matrixed environments