Lead: Growth Analyst

PPS Recruitment; Johannesburg; On-site; ZAR 900,000 - 1,300,000; Full time

Job summary

PPS Recruitment seeks a Senior Commercial Intelligence Analyst to lead growth insights in Johannesburg. You will transform sales, activity and performance data into clear insights and actions for the Head of Growth and Growth Manco.

Responsibilities include integrating diverse data sources, developing forecasts and scenarios, and delivering executive-ready analyses with measurable impact.

Qualifications

• Relevant quantitative degree with postgraduate qualification preferred.
• Experience converting data into executive decisions and actions is advantageous.
• Strong analytics, data visualization and BI proficiency required.

Responsibilities

• Integrate and analyse multiple data sources to provide growth insights.
• Diagnose performance drivers, trends, anomalies and root causes.
• Translate analysis into concise commercial conclusions with actions.
• Develop forward-looking scenarios and leading indicators for decisions.

Skills

Advanced statistical analysis

Executive storytelling

Data visualization

SQL / Python / R familiarity

Forecasting and scenario analysis

Education

BCom Actuarial Science or related

Honours or postgraduate qualification

Analytics certification

Tools

Power BI

SQL

Python

R

Job description

To lead commercial intelligence for the Growth function by turning sales, activity and performance data into clear insights, priorities and actions. The role directly supports the Head of Growth and Growth Manco to understand where the business is winning or losing, challenge decisions with evidence, and monitor whether interventions improve results. It also provides functional directions to Regional Growth Analysts to ensure consistent analysis, reporting and sales activity data quality.

Education:

• Relevant quantitative degree such as BCom Actuarial Science, Actuarial Science, Statistics, Mathematics, Applied Mathematics, Data Science, Econometrics, Business Analytics or a closely related discipline.
• Honours or postgraduate qualification in a quantitative, analytical or commercial field is preferred.
• Relevant advanced analytics, data visualisation or business intelligence certification would be advantageous.

Experience:

• 3+ years’ experience in commercial, sales, distribution, customer or performance analytics, including responsibility for converting complex data into executive decisions and actions are preferred but not required.
• Demonstrated experience integrating and reconciling multiple data sources, diagnosing performance drivers, developing forecasts or scenarios, and measuring the impact of interventions.

Knowledge and Skills:

• Advanced commercial and statistical analysis, including trend, variance, segmentation, cohort, funnel, conversion, productivity, correlation, root-cause and scenario analysis.
• Advanced Excel and strong proficiency in business intelligence and data visualisation tools such as Power BI; working knowledge of SQL, Python, R or equivalent analytical tools is advantageous.
• Strong understanding of sales performance, pipeline dynamics, activity effectiveness, adviser or channel economics, target setting, forecasting and commercial value drivers.
• Ability to assess data quality, reconcile conflicting sources, define measures and controls, and explain analytical limitations transparently.
• Exceptional executive storytelling: able to convert complex findings into a clear answer, commercial implication, recommended action and measurable outcome.
• Strategic and systems thinking
• Intellectual curiosity and deep analytical judgement
• Commercial acumen and outcome orientation
• Independent thinking, objectivity and professional courage
• Executive influence and concise communication
• Attention to detail, rigour and commitment to accuracy
• Functional leadership, coaching and collaboration
• Accountability, prioritisation and delivery discipline

Duties and Responsibilities

Commercial Intelligence and Growth Insight

• Integrate and analyse sales, activity, quote, conversion, pipeline, adviser, client, product, revenue and operational data to provide an authoritative view of growth performance.
• Move beyond reporting outcomes to diagnose underlying drivers, correlations, trends, anomalies and root causes, distinguishing signal from noise.
• Translate analysis into clear commercial conclusions: where the business is winning or losing, why performance is changing, and which revenue opportunities or risks require immediate attention.
• Develop forward-looking views, scenarios and leading indicators to anticipate performance shifts and support proactive decision-making.

Strategic Decision Support to the Head of Growth and Manco

• Act as the primary analytical adviser to the Head of Growth, providing concise, fact-based insight for Manco discussions, strategic choices and performance interventions.
• Frame the critical commercial questions, test leadership assumptions and constructively challenge conclusions where they are not supported by the data.
• Recommend prioritised actions, quantify expected impact where possible, define success measures and monitor whether interventions are delivering results.
• Prepare executive-ready performance narratives and decision papers that clearly set out the insight, implication, recommendation, owner and required action.

Performance Management and Focus

• Establish and maintain a coherent growth performance framework across outcome, pipeline, conversion, productivity and activity measures.
• Track performance against targets, forecasts and strategic priorities at national, regional, team, Growth Partner, adviser, product and relevant segment levels.
• Identify performance gaps and high‑value opportunities, directing leadership and team focus to the activities and interventions most likely to improve commercial outcomes.
• Create disciplined action tracking and benefit measurement, escalating where agreed actions are not implemented or are not changing performance.

Analytical Standards, Data Quality and Regional Alignment

• Provide functional leadership to Regional Growth Analysts through a dotted‑line relationship, aligning priorities, analytical methods, definitions, reporting and the quality of regional insight.
• Review and challenge regional analysis and feedback to ensure it is accurate, evidence‑based, commercially relevant and consistent with the national Growth performance view.
• Define requirements for accurate and complete capture of sales activities; monitor data quality and drive correction of gaps that weaken performance insight.
• Maintain clear metric definitions, reconciliations, controls and an auditable analytical approach so leadership can rely on the conclusions presented.

Cross‑functional Data Partnership

• Partner with MIS, Finance and other data owners to source, understand and reconcile the information required for growth analysis, while retaining accountability for the commercial interpretation.
• Translate business questions into robust analytical requirements and identify gaps in existing data, measures or reporting that limit decision‑making.

Stakeholder Influence and Analytical Capability

• Communicate complex analysis in simple, decisive commercial language suited to manco, Growth Leaders, Growth Partners and regional teams.
• Build analytical capability across the Growth function by coaching stakeholders to interpret measures correctly, ask better questions and use evidence in performance conversations.
• Maintain independence of thought, professional courage and objectivity when presenting findings that challenge prevailing views or require difficult trade‑offs.