Data Management Lead – Analytics – Retail

Salt Digital Recruitment; Cape Town; On-site; ZAR 1,215,000 - 1,485,000; Full time

Job summary

Salt Digital Recruitment in Cape Town seeks a Data Management Lead for analytics leadership, governing semantic models and a multi-year roadmap while guiding a small internal team and coordinating with an external data engineering partner.

The role emphasizes ownership of the data management layer, Microsoft analytics stack, and scalable data platforms within a hybrid cloud environment.

Qualifications

• Strong data engineering background with deep expertise in semantic modelling and Power BI.
• Proven experience leading technical teams with domain ownership.
• Ability to build long-term roadmaps and sustainable platforms.
• Solid data modelling, performance and governance in Microsoft analytics stack.
• Effective collaboration with technical and business stakeholders.
• Hybrid Microsoft analytics and cloud (GCP) experience.
• Experience guiding previously flat or contractor-heavy teams.

Responsibilities

• Own design, implementation, and governance of semantic models and semantic layers in Power BI.
• Build and drive a multi-year data management strategy and roadmap.
• Lead, coach, and develop the internal analytics team.
• Establish intake, triage, and prioritisation to protect team capacity.
• Collaborate with external engineering on data availability and platform integration.
• Maintain a production-ready Microsoft analytics environment.
• Reduce reliance on non-scalable patterns like SharePoint lists.
• Serve as primary technical and strategic owner of analytics data management.

Skills

Data engineering

Semantic modelling

Power BI

Leadership

Roadmap development

Stakeholder management

Job description

Data Management Lead - Analytics | Permanent OR Contract | Cape Town

About the Role

A leading South African value retailer is restructuring its analytics capability - moving away from flat team structures and long-term contractor reliance toward permanent leaders who take real ownership of their domains. This is one of those critical hires. The Data Management Lead owns the data management layer that underpins all analytics across the business. This means establishing and governing robust semantic models and semantic layers, building a multi-year roadmap, and leading a small internal team - while collaborating closely with an external data engineering partner. The role requires someone who thinks in years, not tickets.

Team

You’ll Lead 1 Data Steward, 1 Support Analyst, 3 Analytics Engineers. Close collaboration with an external Data Engineering Lead and their team of approximately 6 engineers (GCP-focused; Microsoft stack sits with this role).

Key Responsibilities

• Own the design, implementation, and governance of semantic models and semantic layers - Power BI modelling treated as a semantic layer, not just a visualisation tool
• Build and drive a multi-year data management strategy and roadmap - five-year thinking, not just the next sprint
• Lead, coach, and develop the internal analytics team
• Establish clear intake, triage, and prioritisation processes to protect team capacity from ad-hoc demand
• Collaborate with the external engineering team on data availability, quality, and GCP to Microsoft platform integration
• Build and maintain a sustainable, production-ready Microsoft analytics environment
• Challenge and reduce reliance on non-scalable patterns (SharePoint lists as databases, low-code technical debt)
• Act as primary technical and strategic owner of the analytics data management domain

Requirements

• Strong data engineering background with deep expertise in semantic modelling and Power BI - tabular/semantic models, not report-building
• Proven experience leading technical teams with genuine domain ownership
• Demonstrated ability to build long-term roadmaps and deliver sustainable platforms
• Solid grasp of data modelling best practice, performance, and governance within a Microsoft analytics stack
• Effective across both technical teams and business stakeholders
• Advantageous Retail or large multi-site operational experience
• Hybrid environment experience - Microsoft analytics alongside cloud platforms (GCP)
• Experience bringing structure and accountability to previously flat or contractor-heavy teams

Role Details

• Employment type: Permanent
• Location: Kuils River, Cape Town (on-site)
• Target start: October 2026 / phased into FY27
• Annual package: R1 350 000.00
• Salt is acting as an Employment Business in relation to this vacancy.