Director - Data and Intelligence

GMG Gulf

Dubai

On-site

AED 440,690 - 587,587

Full time

14 days+

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Job summary

GMG Gulf is seeking a Director of Data and Intelligence based in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. This role involves defining and executing enterprise data strategies aligned with retail growth and improving decision-making across functions.

The ideal candidate will have 15 years of experience in data science and analytics, with a strong leadership background in the retail sector. Key responsibilities include establishing data policies, leading strategy initiatives, and fostering a data-driven culture.

Qualifications

15 years of experience in data science, analytics, business intelligence, data engineering, enterprise data platforms, or digital intelligence.
Minimum 5 years in senior leadership role related to data.
Deep experience in the Retail sector.

Responsibilities

Define and execute the data strategy in alignment with GMG's retail growth plans.
Lead teams to deliver insights and measurable business outcomes.
Champion a data-first culture across business functions.

Skills

Enterprise data strategy

Data intelligence leadership

Retail analytics

Business intelligence

Advanced analytics

Predictive modeling

Prescriptive analytics

Artificial intelligence

Machine learning

AI governance

Data governance

Data quality management

Data security

Cloud data platforms

AWS

Azure

GCP

Data warehouses

Data lakes

ETL pipelines

Real-time analytics

Power BI

Tableau

SQL

Python

Customer analytics

Customer segmentation

Recommendation engines

Loyalty analytics

Pricing optimization

Demand forecasting

Inventory optimization

Supply chain analytics

Merchandising analytics

Ecommerce analytics

Omnichannel reporting

POS integration

CRM integration

ERP integration

Stakeholder management

Program management

Data architecture

Tools

Power BI

Tableau

SQL

Python

Job description

Director - Data and Intelligence

Location: Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Industry: Retail
Function: Information Technology
Experience: 15 years in data science, analytics, business intelligence, or enterprise data leadership
Job Type: Full-time

Key Responsibilities

Define and execute the enterprise-wide data and intelligence strategy in alignment with GMG's retail growth plans, technology roadmap, and commercial objectives.
Establish AI governance, data policies, usage guardrails, and responsible data practices to support safe and effective adoption of artificial intelligence across the organization.
Lead data strategy initiatives that improve decision-making across merchandising, marketing, supply chain, ecommerce, store operations, finance, and executive management.
Guide teams of data scientists, data engineers, analysts, and business intelligence specialists to deliver accurate insights, scalable models, and measurable business outcomes.
Partner with senior leadership to embed data-driven thinking into strategic planning, commercial reviews, operational decisions, and customer experience initiatives.
Champion a data-first culture by improving data quality, governance, ownership, security, accessibility, and adoption across business functions.
Develop predictive and prescriptive analytics to support pricing optimization, demand forecasting, inventory planning, stock allocation, customer personalization, and revenue improvement.
Use AI and machine learning models to enhance customer segmentation, recommendation engines, loyalty programs, campaign targeting, and customer lifetime value analysis.
Provide clear insights into omnichannel retail performance across ecommerce, stores, mobile commerce, CRM, loyalty, customer journeys, and category-level performance.
Analyze customer behavior, market trends, competitive intelligence, buying patterns, product movement, and retail performance signals to identify growth opportunities.
Oversee the selection, implementation, integration, and optimization of modern data platforms including cloud data warehouses, business intelligence tools, customer data platforms, data lakes, and analytics environments.
Drive adoption of scalable data architecture, ETL pipelines, real-time analytics, data lakes, cloud infrastructure, and automated reporting capabilities.
Ensure smooth integration of data across POS, CRM, ERP, ecommerce, supply chain, merchandising, loyalty, finance, and store operations systems.
Evaluate and implement AI, machine learning, and advanced analytics solutions that automate decision-making and improve retail operations.
Partner with marketing teams to improve customer acquisition, retention, personalization, campaign performance, loyalty analytics, and customer engagement strategies.
Work with merchandising and supply chain teams to strengthen demand forecasting, assortment planning, inventory efficiency, replenishment accuracy, and product availability.
Support store operations with workforce analytics, productivity insights, sales performance analysis, customer footfall trends, and operational improvement opportunities.
Collaborate with IT and engineering teams to ensure data architecture remains secure, scalable, integrated, and aligned with enterprise technology standards.
Build executive dashboards, business intelligence reports, and leadership-ready insights that simplify complex data into practical actions.
Manage data programs, project priorities, stakeholder expectations, vendor inputs, and cross-functional delivery requirements.
Provide expert guidance to business teams on data interpretation, analytical methods, AI use cases, reporting standards, and data-led decision-making.
Monitor data platform performance, analytics adoption, model accuracy, reporting quality, and business impact to support continuous improvement.

Ideal Profile

15 years of experience in data science, analytics, business intelligence, data engineering, enterprise data platforms, or digital intelligence.
Minimum 5 years of experience in a senior leadership role within data, analytics, AI, business intelligence, or technology transformation.
Deep experience in the Retail sector, with strong understanding of merchandising, supply chain, ecommerce, customer analytics, loyalty, stores, and omnichannel operations.
Proven track record of building scalable data platforms, modern analytics environments, and enterprise reporting capabilities.
Strong background in developing AI data initiatives, deploying machine learning models, and handling enterprise-scale data systems.
Experience with predictive analytics, prescriptive analytics, customer segmentation, recommendation engines, demand forecasting, pricing optimization, and inventory analytics.
Strong knowledge of cloud platforms such as AWS, Azure, or GCP, along with modern data warehouses, data lakes, ETL pipelines, and real-time data processing.
Hands‑on understanding of BI and reporting tools such as Power BI, Tableau, or similar enterprise visualization platforms.
Strong technical understanding of SQL, Python, R, data modeling, data architecture, data governance, and analytics engineering concepts.
Ability to connect technical data capabilities with commercial retail outcomes, customer experience improvement, and operational efficiency.
Excellent stakeholder management skills with the ability to influence executive leaders, business heads, technology teams, and cross‑functional partners.
Strong program management capability with experience leading complex data transformation initiatives across multiple business units.
Able to communicate complex analytics, AI opportunities, technical constraints, and business insights in a clear and commercially relevant way.
Strategic, practical, and execution‑focused leader with a strong sense of ownership, governance, and measurable business impact.

Skills Set