Data Ingestion Lead

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Employer: Mars
Location: London, United Kingdom
Salary: Competitive
Closing date: 1 Jan 2025

Job Description:
Are you passionate about Data and Analytics (D&A) and excited about how it can completely transform the way an enterprise works? Do you have the strategic vision, technical expertise, and leadership skills to drive data-driven solutions? If so, you might be the ideal candidate for the role of Director Data platform and ingestion in the Data and Analytics function for Global Pet Nutrition (PN) at Mars.

Pet Nutrition (PN) is the most vibrant category in the FMCG sector. As we work to transform this exciting category, a new program, Digital First, has been mobilized by the Mars Pet Nutrition (PN) leadership team. Digital First places pet parents at the center of all we do in Mars PN, while digitalizing a wide range of business process areas, and creating future fit capabilities to achieve ambitious targets in top line growth, earnings, and pet parent centricity. The Digital First agenda requires Digitizing at scale and requires you to demonstrate significant thought leadership, quality decision making, deep technical know-how, and an ability to navigate complex business challenges while building and leading a team of world class data and analytics practitioners.

With Digital First, PN is moving to a Product based model to create business facing digital capabilities. The Data ingestion Lead encompasses overseeing data acquisition, ingestion, and transformation processes. This role is accountable to optimize data workflows, monitor data quality and performance metrics, and ensure the reliability and availability of data assets to support the multi-billion-dollar Pet Nutrition division's digital needs. Reporting to the Director Data platform operations and ingestion (Global Pet Nutrition), the person in this role will be a part of the Global PN Data foundation team. The role operates globally and partners with PN DDF leaders, PN business and digital leaders across all functions. In addition, this role will be working closely with cross-divisional and cross-segment data and enterprise architecture teams to drive synergies and leverage best practices.

Key Responsibilities

• Mars Principles: Live and exemplify the Five Principles of Mars, Inc. within self and team.
• Data Ingestion and Processing: Manage the ingestion of data from various sources, ensuring data quality and integrity. Develop and optimize data pipelines to support real-time and batch processing. Implement best practices for data ingestion, storage, and processing.
• Quality and Compliance: Conduct regular audits and assessments to ensure data accuracy and security. Implement data quality checks and validations throughout the data lifecycle.
• Performance Metrics: Develop and track key performance metrics for data operations, providing regular reports and insights to stakeholders.
• Data Reliability: Ensure the reliability and availability of data assets, implementing backup and recovery strategies as needed to minimize downtime.
• Stakeholder Engagement: Collaborate with PN D&A teams, PN Architecture team, and segment data team to articulate the strategic value of data and advocate for investments in data capabilities and policies.
• Team and resource management: Hire, build, lead and manage multilocational teams covering data platforms, architecture, engineering, and governance throughout the development lifecycle, from ideation to ongoing optimization. Manage budget allocation.

Context and Scope
As part of Digital First, a new role has been created to build the foundational data capabilities that will power all our analytics products and create transformational business impact for the Pet Nutrition Division. This role encompasses the day-to-day operations of the data organization, including data acquisition, ingestion, transformation processes, and platform operations that support the business goals and analytics needs of the Pet Nutrition segment. This role will collaborate closely with cross-functional teams including product management, data strategy and governance, architecture, engineering, data science, and business intelligence. The role serves as part of the global digital organization focused on enabling data-driven decision-making. This role will also collaborate with and influence other D&A and Digital Technologies leaders across Mars to align on data standards, best practices, and emerging technologies.

Job Specifications/Qualifications

• Education & Professional Qualifications: Bachelor's/Master's/higher in computer science, data science, engineering, mathematics, or related field.

• Knowledge / Experience:

• 8+ years of experience in data management, with a focus on data acquisition, ingestion, and platform operations in a complex environment, preferably in the CPG or retail industry.
• Proficiency in data integration tools and technologies, such as ETL/ELT processes and APIs.
• Strong understanding of data quality assurance principles and practices.
• Proficiency in designing and implementing data ingestion pipelines using tools such as Apache Kafka, Apache NiFi, or similar technologies.
• Strong programming skills in languages such as Python, Java, or Scala, with experience in data processing frameworks like Apache Spark.
• A strong customer-centric mindset especially within an internal customer base with the purpose of driving adoption and use.
• Ability to engage and manage large diverse multi-locational teams (internal as well as vendors).
• Familiarity with Microsoft Azure tech stack, including but not limited to Azure Data Factory, Synapse Analytics, Databricks, Azure DevOps (CI/CD), Security Center, AZ Monitor, Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS), AzureML, and Purview would be advantageous.

Mars is an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. If you need assistance or an accommodation during the application process because of a disability, it is available upon request. The company is pleased to provide such assistance, and no applicant will be penalized as a result of such a request.