Head of Data & AI - Customer & Omnicommerce Unit (f/m/d)

United States Digital Space LLC; Lille, Paris; Hybrid; EUR 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible Working

Office Choice: Lille/Paris/Amsterdam

Workplace Tech: Mac/Windows/Chromebook

Global Network: international career

Learning & Development: certifications

Competitive compensation with bonuses

Job summary

Decathlon Digital is seeking a senior Data & AI leader to drive an AI-powered transformation across the organization. You will orchestrate the data stack modernization, governance, and analytics operations, partnering with business units and product teams to scale AI capabilities.

The role emphasizes enterprise-scale data governance, federated semantics, and driving adoption of AI-powered analytics across tens of thousands of users, with a global network of teams and hubs.

Qualifications

• Deep domain knowledge in Data Analytics, Machine Learning, and Generative AI frameworks.
• Hands-on understanding of modern data stacks (e.g., Databricks, dbt, Core Data Mart modeling).
• Leadership & Vendor Management: proven track record in large-scale tech transformations, RFPs, audits.

Responsibilities

• Architect and scale the Semantic Layer across domains to create a single source of truth for KPIs.
• Serve as strategic bridge between Business Units, the Data Center of Excellence, and Product teams.
• Lead cross-functional data teams and drive organizational change and governance initiatives.

Skills

Data Analytics

Machine Learning

Generative AI

Tools

Databricks

dbt

Core Data Mart modeling

Job description

Reporting directly to the Head of Unit Customer & Omnicommerce, you will drive the unit’s overarching Data & AI strategy. Your primary mission is to orchestrate our transformation into a fully AI-Powered enterprise, combining strategic vision, robust data governance, and operational execution.

Acting as a trusted business partner, you will unlock value across all customer touchpoints by accelerating the adoption of next-generation AI capabilities, modernizing our data stack, and scaling analytics across the organization.

Key Objectives

• Strategic Alignment & AI Acceleration: Fast-track next-generation AI capabilities, focusing on Agentic Commerce, Algorithmic Ranking, Retail Media, and predictive tools.
• Data Governance & Trust: Establish an enterprise-grade Federated Semantic Layer, transition to objective data governance, and own Consent Management, Privacy tracking, and behavioral analytics migrations.
• Operational Excellence: Simplify the data ecosystem by decommissioning over 50% of legacy BI dashboards and achieving 100% compliance with global Data Governance maturity standards.
• Analytics Democratization: Shift from static reporting to conversational AI analytics, enabling self-service discovery for tens of thousands of users.

Key Responsibilities

1. Data Strategy, Architecture & Tooling

• Architect and scale the overarching Semantic Layer across all business domains to create a single source of truth for critical KPIs.
• Manage end-to-end vendor lifecycles (RFPs, negotiations, migrations) for Behavioral Analytics and Consent Management platforms.
• Drive aggressive decommissioning of legacy analytics environments to fund automated data products.

2. Business Partnership & AI Delivery

• Serve as the strategic bridge between Business Units, the central Data Center of Excellence, and Product teams.
• Deploy top-funnel AI initiatives, including hyper-contextual search engines, advanced recommendation engines, Next Best Action algorithms, and personalization at scale.
• Act as the primary Data & AI representative for global business performance steering.

3. Team Leadership & Organizational Design

• Restructure and lead cross-functional data teams spanning 360 Analytics, Data Governance, and Privacy.
• Foster a high-performing culture through continuous mentoring and leadership development.
• Lead complex change management initiatives, including organizational streamlining, geographic hub strategies, and talent retention.

Candidate Profile

• Technical & Professional Expertise: Deep domain knowledge in Data Analytics, Machine Learning, and Generative AI frameworks. Hands-on understanding of modern data stacks (e.g., Databricks, dbt, Core Data Mart modeling).
• Strategic & Vendor Management: Proven track record leading large-scale, multi-million-dollar tech transformations, executing complex RFPs, and conducting technical/legal audits.
• Leadership & Impact: Ability to challenge the status quo, translate complex technical concepts for C-level executives, and deliver measurable ROI through organizational change.

WHAT WE OFFER

• Flexible Working: 2 days of remote work per week.
• Office Choice: Opportunity to work from any of Decathlon Digital’s hubs in Lille, Paris, or Amsterdam.
• Workplace Tech: Hardware suited to your role and aligned with our corporate social responsibility commitments (Mac, Windows, or Chromebook).
• Global Network: A local project team embedded within a global network (offering international career growth opportunities).
• Learning & Development: Comprehensive skill development and guidance (diverse projects, technical certifications within your first year, internal/external training programs, etc.).
• Compensation Package: Competitive package including employee stock ownership and monthly/quarterly performance bonuses.

DECATHLON DIGITAL CONTEXT

What if technology allowed us to push the boundaries and take sports experiences to new levels? That's exactly our goal at Decathlon Digital! We are a team of 5,000+ experts in software engineering, product management, data, cloud, and cybersecurity, distributed across Paris, Lille, and Amsterdam. Together, we are creating the largest digital sports platform, leveraging tech innovation from design to value chain optimization, connected experiences and product second life.

Changing the game for good

We are in this for the love of sports. And like everything we love, we want it to last. That’s why we are embarking on a journey to create a more sustainable tech model, reducing our direct environmental impact while maintaining a safe, diverse, and inclusive space for all our people to learn and thrive together. Team up with us to design the digital future of sports.