Head: Data & Analytics

The role

The Head of Group Procurement Data & Analytics maximises value from Santam’s data & analytics products (datasets, semantic models, dashboards). The role reports to the Group Procurement Head of Finance and Operations. It owns the product vision and backlog, data strategy, data model, data products ensuring compliance features (RLS, sensitivity labels, lineage, and other related features) are embedded within Group Procurement.

Translate business outcomes into a governed product backlog; prioritise features that deliver trusted insights while meeting policy, privacy and audit requirements. The role manages Data Analysts to ensure they provide data, dashboards, and operational insights that enable Procurement Managers, Category Managers, and Sourcing Specialists to make data-led sourcing decisions across Santam’s claims and Sanlam/Santam non-claims procurement categories

What will you do?

1. Strategic Leadership & Vision: 

• Implementation roadmap aligned to Santam’s business objectives;

• Execute and localise the Santam Group enterprise data & AI strategy defined by the CoE for Group Procurement;
• Contribute domain-specific requirements into Santam Group enterprise strategy supported by the CoE;

• Drive transformation initiatives to consolidate data platforms, governance, and analytics capabilities for Group Procurement.

2.    Data Strategy: 

• Enhance the data strategy to ensure high-quality, accessible, and secure data for reporting, insights and AI initiatives.
• Drive data democratization and self-service analytics.
• Collaborate with business units to identify data-driven opportunities for improvement, decision making and identification of savings opportunities.
• Define and embed data classification and controls (data classification, sensitivity labels, RLS, endorsements) and document lineage and meta-data.

3.    Data analytics, Business Intelligence (BI) and insights: 

• Define and communicate data & analytics product vision, roadmap and measurable outcomes.
• Develop and deploy appropriate data models, BI dashboards to for each spend Category and Commodity and for major tenders as required.
• Owns the data & analytics backlog: value-based prioritisation; user stories with acceptance criteria including governance/compliance requirements.
• Manage and deliver data analysis and insights from multiple sources (ERP, claims systems, procurement platforms, QlikView, Clicksense, Power BI, SQL, etc.).
• Creation, publish and maintenance of monthly reports, dashboards, and KPI packs for each procurement sub-category with commentary (trends, exceptions, root-cause analysis) and recommendations.
• Support ad hoc analytics for operational and strategic initiatives.
• Support continuous improvement projects, cost savings and efficiency projects.
• Deliver insights and trend information to enable Group Procurement Managers and internal stakeholders to understand the current business dynamics and trends for decision making and operational management.

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4.  Governance & Risk Management

• Implement and enforce CoE-defined data governance frameworks and controls;
• Ensure compliance with enterprise data, AI, and risk policies;
• Escalate and resolve exceptions through CoE governance structures;

• Oversee data quality, integrity, and lifecycle management across all business units for procurement related data.
• Ensure appropriate data governance and compliance with regulatory requirements (e.g., POPIA, GDPR).
• Engage stakeholders (Data Owners, System Owners, Risk/Legal) to approve changes impacting data or controls.
• Representing the department on the Data Stewardship Council within Santam, Sanlam and Afrocentriq.
• As the Data Change Champion for Group Procurement managing and ensuring appropriate controls and sign-off by data owners for all data sharing with internal and external parties.
• Manage and ensure alignment with ISO/IEC 27001 on the classification, retention, and accountability for the data and data products.
• As Data Owner for Group Procurement the role follows DAMA DMBOK guidance (authority over data assets, governance framework, stewardship model) and clarifies distinctions among owners/stewards/custodians (DAMA, DQOps).
• Manage and ensure compliance and alignment to the Santam Group Information and Data Policy (owner of data quality, classification, and lawful use; reporting of information risks; third party data owners identified in contracts).
• Manage and owns domain policies in the department for quality, classification, retention/disposal, and approves business rules in line with the Sanlam and Santam Information & Data Policy.
• Approves access decisions (least privilege, RLS) and data sharing (legal basis, contractual controls, audit trails).
• Manage and ensure compliance and alignment to Sanlam and Santam’s Group Data Standards.
• Manage and ensure compliance and alignment POPIA/PAIA obligations for data and analytics products

• Act as domain Data Owner within enterprise governance structures defined by the CoE;
• Collaborate with enterprise data stewards and custodians coordinated by the CoE

5. Training and Change Management

• Lead change management programmes to embrace the development and adoption of Data, Analytics and AI solutions in Group Procurement team and for Group Procurement stakeholders;
• Foster training to support transformation in Data, Analytics and AI proficiency within the Group procurement function.

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6.    Technology & Innovation

• Lead the design of scalable data platforms and advanced analytics solutions;

• Design and deliver solutions within CoE-approved architecture patterns and platforms;
• Partner with CoE architecture to ensure compliance to enterprise reference architecture;
• Avoid duplication of platforms, pipelines, and data products;
• Strong product & backlog ownership;
• Prioritise backlog in alignment with enterprise value pools and CoE prioritisation frameworks;
• Ensure reuse of enterprise data products, models, and components before building new assets;

• Partner with Data Architecture and IT Architecture teams for design, selection and implementation
• Champion innovation in AI, machine learning, and automation to unlock new business value within the Group procurement function;

• Leverage CoE-provided AI/ML capabilities, models, and platforms;
• Develop use cases within CoE AI governance, model risk, and MLOps frameworks;
• Submit AI use cases for CoE validation and prioritization.
• Leverage enterprise data assets, semantic models, and pipelines before creating new ones;
• Contribute reusable assets back to the enterprise data catalogue.

7.    Team Leadership

• Direct and manage a team of data analysts to deliver integrated solutions and insights
• Build a high-performance culture fostering collaboration, agility, and continuous learning.

• Align skills, roles, and ways of working with CoE capability frameworks;
• Participate in CoE-led communities of practice and capability uplift initiatives.

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8.    Stakeholder Engagement and Management

• Partner with business leaders to align data, analytics and AI initiatives with strategic priorities;
• Influence executive decision-making through data-driven insights and predictive analytics.
• Identify opportunities for AI-driven transformation across procurement.
• Coordinate Dev/Test/Prod promotion via deployment pipelines and CAB;
• Ensure release notes and change records are maintained.

9.    Financial & Operational Accountability

• Manage budgets for AI, Data & Analytics in group procurement, ensuring cost optimization and ROI;
• Monitor performance metrics and deliver value realisation from use case delivery.
• Foster team culture of high service levels with focus on value creation to businesses
• Track adoption, satisfaction, and ROI;

• Track and report value realisation in line with CoE value tracking frameworks;
• Contribute to enterprise AI and data ROI reporting and benefits realization;

• Drive the depreciation of duplicate/obsolete content.

10. Operating Model & CoE Alignment

• Operate as a spoke within the Santam AI & Data CoE (AIDAA) hub-and-spoke model
• Adopt and implement CoE-defined standards, frameworks, and platforms
• Participate in CoE governance forums, architecture reviews, and prioritisation cycles
• Align roadmap and backlog to enterprise AI & data priorities as defined by the CoE

Tools and platforms

• Power BI (Fabric), Purview/metadata catalogue, Qlickview, Clicksense
• ERP, Claims systems, Procurement platforms, SQL, Snowflake (and similar)

Qualification and experience

• Relevant Bachelor’s degree
• 10 Years’ experience in Data Analytics and BI
• 5+ Years in product or analytics roles; experience with enterprise BI governance
• Hands-on experience building dashboards and KPI suits for stakeholders
• PO/Agile certification will be beneficial (PSPO, CSPO)
• Experience with ERP (AP, JDE, Microsoft Dynamics and Oracle) is advantageous
• Experience with Snowflake is advantageous

Skills, Knowledge and Attributes

• Product thinking
• Stakeholder management
• Governance and compliance literacy and at least 5 years’ experience;
• Strategic Decision-making
• Analytical thinking and problem solving
• High attention to detail and accuracy with strong statistical/mathematical/quants experience
• Proven skills in data analysis, working with complex data structures, data models and databases/warehouses/data lakes
• Ability to thrive under pressure, meet tight deadlines and multi-task
• Ability to work independently and in cross-functional teams
• Stakeholder communication; translate analytics into actions and insights
• Commercial acumen
• Backlog management and writing user stories
• KPI design
• RLS/sensitivity labelling and management