Item Coding Team Lead

Circana; Johannesburg; On-site; ZAR 420,000 - 640,000; Full time

Job summary

Circana in Johannesburg, South Africa, is hiring an Item Coding Team Lead on a fixed-term contract through May 2028. You will oversee BAU operations, drive process improvements, and collaborate across data, client delivery and retail teams.

The role requires 4+ years FMCG experience, strong leadership, and expert Excel/Office skills; SQL knowledge is preferred. You will mentor team members and ensure timely delivery of high‑quality data.

Qualifications

• Degree or associates’ degree.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Strong time management and organizational skills.
• Strong attention-to-detail, while working in a fast-paced environment.
• Strong Leadership Skills.
• 4+ years FMCG experience.
• Proficiency in all Microsoft Office applications: Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Teams, and Outlook; SQL knowledge preferred.

Responsibilities

• Take full accountability for all the Item Coding BAU process areas, leading his/her team to achieve company, department, team and personal objectives.
• Responsible for the recruitment, training and development of personnel, ensuring that all team members have effective development plans which are regularly reviewed and evaluated.
• Take full ownership of all assigned item coding client change requests and project management of expansions.
• Ensuring the highest quality of the central Circana Dictionary (Fusion) and related items.
• Establish and drive the operational item coding process and governance.
• Actively seeks out client product performance in the market to stay relevant.
• Maintain strong internal cross-departmental relationships.
• Display a solid understanding of the business and service offerings.
• Assist Data Production, Client Delivery, CPG and Retail teams with troubleshooting.
• Adhere to all relevant policies and procedures.
• Communicate issues and deadlines to stakeholders and Item Coding Manager.
• Able to work extra hours as required to meet deadlines.
• Conduct regular team knowledge shares.
• Mentor and develop operational and QA skills of team members.
• Oversee and guide new junior team members and assist in orientation/onboarding.
• Support Item Coding Manager with team management and strategic initiatives.

Skills

Leadership

Communication

Time management

Analytical thinking

Problem-solving

Education

Degree or associates’ degree

Tools

SQL

Microsoft Office

Job description

Let’s be unstoppable together! Circana (formerly IRI and NPD) is the leading advisor on the complexity of consumer behavior. Through unparalleled technology, advanced analytics, cross-industry data, and deep expertise, we provide clarity that helps almost 7,000 of the world’s leading brands and retailers take action and unlock business growth. We understand more about the complete consumer, the complete store, and the complete wallet so our clients can go beyond the data to apply insights, ignite innovation, meet consumer demand, and outpace the competition.

Let’s be unstoppable together! Circana (formerly IRI and NPD) is the leading advisor on the complexity of consumer behavior. Through unparalleled technology, advanced analytics, cross-industry data, and deep expertise, we provide clarity that helps almost 7,000 of the world’s leading brands and retailers take action and unlock business growth. We understand more about the complete consumer, the complete store, and the complete wallet so our clients can go beyond the data to apply insights, ignite innovation, meet consumer demand, and outpace the competition.

At Circana, we are fuelled by our passion for continuous learning and growth, we seek and share feedback freely, and we celebrate victories both big and small in an environment that is flexible and accommodating to our work and personal lives. We have a global commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion as we believe in the undeniable strength that diversity brings to our business, employees, clients, and communities (with us you can always bring your full self to work). Join our inclusive, committed team to be a challenger, own outcomes, and stay curious together. Learn more at www.circana.com.

What will you be doing?

The Item Coding Team Lead oversees and manages all the business-as-usual (BAU) including expansions daily operations of the team. As an inside trusted advisor for operations, the Item Coding Team Lead is always searching for ways to improve the client's business through the high-quality data we supply. The Lead for Item Coding Team must always look for methods to increase productivity and optimize and simplify operating procedures. The Item Coding Team Lead is a highly adaptable individual that cultivates excellent relationships within the business and adeptly manages several work streams while providing leadership, guidance, and support to team members.

This is a temporary contract until May 31st, 2028

Job Responsibilities

• To take full accountability for all the Item Coding BAU process areas, leading his/her team to achieve company, department, team and personal objectives.
• Responsible for the recruitment, training and development of personnel, ensuring that all team members have effective development plans which are regularly reviewed and evaluated.
• Take full ownership of all assigned item coding client change requests and project management of expansions.
• Ensuring the highest quality of the central Circana Dictionary (this Dictionary DB is called Fusion and contains all new items coded by Coding team received in the Retailer sales data).
• Establish and drive the operational item coding process and item coding governance process.
• Actively seeks out client product performance in the market to keep relevant.
• Maintaining strong internal cross-departmental relationships.
• Display a solid understanding of the business and our service offerings.
• Assists and helps the Data Production, Client Delivery, CPG and Retail teams with troubleshooting where necessary.
• Adheres and enforces to all relevant policies and procedures.
• Communicates issues and deadlines to the affected stakeholders and Item Coding Manager as required.
• Able to work extra hours as and when required to ensure deadlines are met.
• Conducts regular team knowledge shares.
• Mentor and develops the operational and quality assurance skills of the members of the team in a constructive manner.
• Oversee and guide new junior team members and assist in their orientation and on boarding.
• To support the Item Coding Manager with the management of the team and implementation of strategic initiatives, etc.

Measures of Success

• To take full accountability for all the Item Coding BAU process areas, leading his/her team to achieve company, department, team and personal objectives.
• Effectively manage work processes by prioritizing and effectively managing the team workload through a systematic approach to task completion.
• Implementation and ongoing maintenance of Fusion coding specific processes, including Category Hierarchies, Bulk Updates, etc.
• Build strong functional & technical skills for self and team members
• Strong problem-solving skills and a solutions focused approach
• Have advanced MS Excel and troubleshooting skills (using worksheets, pivot tables, VLOOKUP’s etc.
• High quality communication skills -written and spoken

Requirements

• Degree or associates’ degree
• Strong written and verbal communication skills
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills
• Strong time management and organizational skills
• Strong attention-to-detail, while working in a fast-paced environment
• Strong Leadership Skills
• 4+ years FMCG experience
• (Required) Proficiency in all Microsoft Office applications: Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Teams, and Outlook (and SQL knowledge preferred)

Circana Behaviors

As well as the technical skills, experience and attributes that are required for the role, our shared behaviors sit at the core of our organization. Therefore, we always look for people who can continuously champion these behaviors throughout the business within their day-to-day role:

• Stay Curious: Being hungry to learn and grow, always asking the big questions
• Seek Clarity: Embracing complexity to create clarity and inspire action
• Own the Outcome: Being accountable for decisions and taking ownership of our choices
• Center on the Client: Relentlessly adding value for our customers
• Be a Challenger: Never complacent, always striving for continuous improvement
• Champion Inclusivity: Fostering trust in relationships engaging with empathy, respect and integrity
• Commit to each other: Contributing to making Circana a great place to work for everyone

Location

This position can be located in the following area(s): Johannesburg, South Africa