Job Vacancies at The Shoprite Group of Companies

Purpose of the Job    

• The purpose of the Lead Data Scientist (or Data Scientist III) role is to lead the delivery and execution of complex data solutions and products that delivers business value while driving data as a competitive advantage for Shoprite. The role oversees a portfolio of data science projects, providing technical expertise and guidance in solving a variety of use cases across the business and for its customers. The Lead Data Scientist also plays role of coach and mentor to other data scientists, enabling the function to grow the capability while creating a high performing team. The Lead Data Scientist is a conceptual and critical thinker with a depth of expertise to infer meaning from complex data and translate these in a concise and cohesive story that enables innovation and accelerates the application of best practices in a big data environment.

Job Objectives    

• Contribute towards the development of Shoprite IT’s data strategy to deliver best-in-class analytics across the organisation.
• Work with business stakeholders to identify business requirements and model and frame business scenarios that are meaningful and which impact on critical business processes and/or decisions.
• Work closely with data and software teams to shape and enable deployment of fit-for-purpose, robust solutions that will scale across the company’s ecosystem.
• Develop, plan and prioritise data projects and delegate assigned roles and responsibilities for execution, weighing business and technical trade-offs as required.
• Lead the development of analytics-focused products, using machine learning, natural language processing, and mathematical / statistical techniques to develop powerful sciences that delivers business value and impact.
• Work with the data scientist team to define models to be created and implemented together with the approach for implementing them and monitor for accuracy, integrity and robustness.
• Support in defining data quality expectations and provide ongoing tracking and monitoring of performance of data systems and models.
• Perform sophisticated data preparation in order to reduce and shape data.
• Apply comprehensive set of predictive and descriptive modelling techniques to the data appropriate to achieving the business objectives which includes decision trees and association rules.
• Identify and manage data development challenges, offer suggestions, and deploy appropriate solutions.
• Communicate and present analytical findings, results and reports to senior stakeholders, using data visualisation techniques to tell compelling stories, while tying progress to enterprise goals.
• Evaluate new and emerging technologies from which to develop prototypes and proof of concepts.
• Act as a domain expert, sharing best practices and knowledge with data scientists, analysts and cross-functional partners.
• Provide support to data scientists on complex problems, integration of findings or presentation of results, requiring high-level expertise.
• Act in a technical leadership capacity, coaching and mentoring data scientists and new team members and supporting their growth and professional development.
• Stay updated on the latest research and developments in Data Science and adjacent fields to ensure the latest technology, techniques and methods are always applied.

Qualifications    

• Bachelor’s Degree in Data Science, Computer Science, Mathematics, Statistics, Information Technology, Information Systems or a related field – (essential).
• Post Graduate Degree (preferably Masters) in the above or related fields – (highly desired).

Experience    

• +5 years’ experience in a Data Scientist or similar role, solving complex business and technology problems through applying data science techniques within a fast-paced environment – (essential).
• Extensive experience applying machine learning, deep learning, data mining, modelling and mathematical and/or statistical concepts and methodology to support strategic business objectives – (essential).
• Expertise in SQL, Python and data science toolkits – (essential).
• Experience leading and developing others whilst taking ownership for specific project outcomes – (essential).
• Experience delivering project outcomes using design thinking, lean and agile principles – (essential).
• Experience in a retail, commercial or IT environment – (highly desired).
• Knowledge and Skills    
• Strong proficiency in MS Office 365 with advanced Excel skills – (essential).

Closing Date    
2023/04/21

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Purpose of the Job    

• This is an exciting opportunity for you to join our dynamic team of Business Analysts at Shoprite. You will be part of delivering business and technology solutions across the Shoprite Group to some of the most recognised South Africa Retail brands and you’ll do it by working on the best of breed of technologies.
• We’re proud to be publicly recognised as a largest private sector employer in South Africa and leading employer in Africa. We focus on attracting, developing and retaining a loyal and committed workforce, dedicated to the Group’s culture and organisational objectives.
• This role plays an instrumental role across business and delivery teams to ensure that solutions are delivered according to the business requirements considering cost, user and organisation benefit. The nature of projects in this role are generally across domains, high profile and complex in nature demanding expert business, process and technology perspectives and recommendations.

Job Objectives    
Information Seeking & Analysis

• Perform high-level analysis activities in the CE cycle (assisting to unpack Features, identify high-level impacts and dependencies etc.) at a Senior / Specialist proficiency level.
• Understand, analyse and identify areas for improvement in the current business environment and across other shared process/system business environments.
• Operate confidently within and make contributions where appropriate to business strategy, current trends and developments in the retail industry.
• Operate confidently within the multiple domains, integrated systems and operational processes and make relevant connections across domains. Consider the enterprise wide solutions and impacts. Handle new domains with the same confidence as familiar domains.
• Operate confidently within multiple current and potential integrated systems and E2E business processes.
• Analyse, understand and take a new perspective on customers (Internal and external) and multiple domain impacts through the use of user journeys, research and/or spending time in the various operational areas.
• Collaborate with user stakeholders in the identification and documentation of user requirements.
• Assess and document the business implication of user requirements to the business process involved.
• Propose and document process improvements where appropriate and provide alternatives / options.
• Assess risks, costs and potential benefits of alternative business process designs.
• Define business rules and guide the implementation of these rules in the development of the various application systems.
• Devises, initiates and drives effective change initiatives in own area or department as well as across functional area.

Leadership, Facilitation & Influencing

• Taking ownership to provide knowledge within specific area and identify possible improvement within the team. This includes interviews, presentations and workshop facilitations with both business & IT.
• Works closely with Architects, Designers and Business stakeholders to evaluate suggested solutions.
• Advise on alternatives presented by the technical designers and providing recommendations regarding the business design.
• Lead others to advance objectives of the organisation.
• Influencing stakeholders (within IT and Business) to consider solutions which will work best for the business.
• Persuade stakeholders to change practises and consider other alternatives.
• Coaching and mentoring for the Junior and Intermediate BA resources on business analysis processes and delivery.

Communication, Building & Maintaining Relationships

• To build and maintain a trust relationship with business users and IT stakeholders by ensuring solutions are delivered as promised and providing the necessary support and making recommendations.
• Liaising with business stakeholders, IT disciplines and the delivery teams.
• Collaborating with all disciplines and benchmarking value adding solutions.
• Evaluate and improve solution assessment and validation.
• Eliciting and analysing cultural, business and organisational constraints effecting options for change.
• Continuously support the business environment and provide recommendations for improvement
• Thinking partner and ambassador for the business.
• Able to manage vendor relationships where projects involve third parties

Organising, multitasking & time management

• Strong commitment to organisational objectives and ensuring high quality delivery on work.
• Take responsibility for the timelines within the project plan, of the business analysis effort related to a project.
• Ensuring costs are monitored and users and the organisation benefit.

Qualifications    

• Degree with 5 to 8 years related experience.
• Advanced BA certification, CBAP, AAC or similar

Experience    

• 3-5 years of experience in Business Analysis in a Financial Services/Banking domain within a retail industry
• 5 years of experience in ERP systems 2-3 years of experience in the Retail industry
• A strong technical background is required:
• Technical skills – knowledge of software and IT skills Data analysis – able to use logical techniques to analyze, describe, and evaluate data
• System analysis –able to find solutions to a given business function.
• System integration specification – able to bring different technological entities together to solve a given problem
• Functional specifications – able to explain in detail how a given technological solution would meet a given business requirement.
• 5+ years Experience in many of the following VAS services:
• Wallet Money Transfers Saving and Gift cards Insurance Airtime and Data Bills and Tickets

Knowledge and Skills    
Knowledge and Application

• Operate at an Expert level in terms of methods used to analyze and benchmark business cases, which will align with the business strategies of the organisation (including feasibility and business benefits).
• Research and identify opportunities to improve the business' offering and add value to our customers through the solutions we provide.
• Drive / shape input into the scope of solution and ensure understanding of scope by business user.
• Deploy appropriate techniques to elicit and analyse business problems and translate them into business needs.
• Assess technical solutions and business processes against business requirements.
• Lead in the mapping out of data conversion and reporting requirements.
• Drive the change management barriers impacting User Acceptance Testing.
• Produce fit-for-purpose specification documents for business requirements and processes using appropriate tools, while following the guidelines and standards for analysis artefacts.
• Assist to solve & mitigate project risks.
• Liaise across teams to co-ordinate interdependencies and resolve issues.
• Actively contriute in the development of the BA practice within the organisation.
• Act as an SME in Communities of Practice to learn from the community and share knowledge and expertise with the community.
• Contribute to improving ways of work for the BA community, with specific focus on how to improve alignment, output, driving and influencing standards and quality.
• Creates a sense of team spirit by encouraging harmony, co-operation and communication.
• Communicates proactively and encourages others to share their views. Consults others when decisions need to be made.
• Develops and openly communicates self-insight such as an awareness of own strengths and weaknesses and what may come naturally or less naturally to them.
• Demonstrates detailed and comprehensive knowledge of own area, and is recognised as an expert by people across the organisation. Maintains a comprehensive knowledge of related external issues and knows about research and upcoming developments.
• Develops own technical skills and knowledge by looking out for opportunities to engage in continual professional development.
• Finds out about the activities of a wide range of other departments in the organisation and how they should work together as a system.

Closing Date    
2023/04/23