Project Manager - Data & Analytics (18mth FTC)

Location: Reading – hybrid

Travel: Occasional travel to Dublin

Salary & Package: Competitive

Caraffi is recruiting on behalf of our client, a global retail organisation, for an experienced Technology Project Manager to lead the end‑to‑end delivery of a major Data & Analytics transformation initiative. This flagship programme will modernise data platforms, enhance analytics capabilities, and enable smarter, faster decision‑making across the business.

This role requires a delivery leader with strong strategic oversight and hands‑on execution capability - someone who can navigate complex stakeholder landscapes, enforce robust governance, and align cross‑functional teams to deliver outcomes that directly support long‑term commercial and operational objectives.

What You’ll Do

• Lead end‑to‑end delivery of a high‑profile Data & Analytics transformation project, covering data products, platform enhancements, integrations, and analytics capabilities

• Define and own delivery scope, timelines, milestones, resource plans, and critical dependencies

• Manage a multi‑million‑pound budget, ensuring accurate forecasting, cost control, and variance management

• Establish strong governance frameworks aligned to enterprise standards across architecture, engineering, cyber, service, and GRC

• Develop and maintain a comprehensive project plan with clear scope, deliverables, and resource requirements

• Identify and manage risks, issues, and dependencies to minimise delivery impact

• Lead multi‑disciplinary teams, ensuring clarity of roles, accountability, and performance

• Review and assure project deliverables to meet quality standards and stakeholder expectations

• Track progress using approved tooling and provide concise updates to senior stakeholders

• Build strong relationships across business, technology, and supplier teams

• Coach and develop team members to support capability growth

• Define KPIs and success metrics to measure delivery impact and benefits realisation

• Manage external vendors, ensuring contractual alignment and quality delivery

• Influence senior stakeholders with insight‑driven updates, risks, and recommendations

What You’ll Bring

• 5+ years’ experience delivering complex technology projects to defined scope, timelines, budgets, and quality standards

• Deep Data & Analytics expertise, including data platforms, data migration, modelling, governance, master data, or analytics products

• Experience with cloud technologies such as Databricks, Snowflake, Power BI

• Strong understanding of data architecture fundamentals and how delivery interacts with data engineering, BI, and governance

• Experience maturing D&A operating models, including product teams and federated data ownership

• Retail data domain experience (product, customer, inventory, pricing, forecasting, merchandising hierarchies)

• Hybrid delivery experience, blending Agile data product delivery within Waterfall‑oriented programmes

• Strong governance and delivery discipline, including sprint planning, backlog management, and acceptance criteria

• Ability to manage multiple workstreams concurrently

• Exceptional stakeholder management and communication skills

• Familiarity with Agile, Waterfall, and Hybrid methodologies

• Ability to translate complex technical detail for non‑technical audiences

Desirable Experience

• Large‑scale business transformation or change programmes

• Project Management certifications (PMP, PRINCE2, APM, Scrum Master, SAFe)

• Vendor/partner management in complex, matrixed environments