We might have titled this post “Data Whisperer,” so aptly does that describe who we’re hoping to put in this choice gig. Someone who, to us mortals, appears to have a damn-near supernatural bond with data, someone who’s able to settle it down, calm it, get it to communicate, someone who’s finely attuned to the messages it sends. Someone who loves data, same way Robert Redford loved a horse (or the way those female Trekkies used to fawn over Brent Spiner; and, if you get both references, the way we love you). The job: Join an internal group whose purpose is to infuse product-development teams throughout this highly diverse company with both an inclination toward and an expertise in data-driven decision-making. It’ll call not just on your great technical skill but also on your ability to navigate a complex organization, to mix with all kinds of different people, to be an agent of change, and to contribute to a great variety of projects. This is going to be a heck of a lot of fun for just the right Gun.

Nitty Gritty

At cocktail parties, the answer will be: “Oh, I help businesses throughout the company incorporate data-driven techniques in their day-to-day activities.” Of course your listener will then be riveted, and, lest you tantalize them unfairly, you may add: “I hold workshops and training sessions, or I participate in special projects. I share new ideas and techniques for working with data, and I convince people that there’s real value in learning how to do this stuff because it ultimately benefits our end clients. I know I’m successful when I see my colleagues begin changing their development roadmaps around the idea of data-driven decision-making.” Notch up another admirer.

But that’s not all, of course. You’ll also take a close look at businesses’ data infrastructures, identifying problems and proposing solutions. From a nuts-and-bolts perspective, you’ll help to actually build out many of these data capabilities, working with business heads, data scientists and product managers. Sometimes you’ll be the one actually manipulating data to help a team understand what it has to say about their product. You’ll create proof-of concept and MVP data solutions to help arrive at the optimal approach to a problem. And just generally you’ll be there to help all manner of stakeholder, on an informal basis, with their data needs.

Hired Gun Profile

Much of your professional experience has been in a product-development environment in which you’ve been called upon to perform some sure-as-anything advanced analytics. We’re talking about linear and logistic regression analysis, clustering, factor analysis, writing and adapting queries using PostgreSql (8.02+) from AWS Redshift (Did we say that right? We’re mortal). We’re talking SQL,SQL Server, MySQL, SPSS, R, Teradata, Google, Adobe. We’re talking data visualization: Tableau/Looker. We’re talking business intel: Cognos, Business Objects, Pentaho. And, just to be anticlimactic, we’re talking about advanced Excel and PowerPoint, baby.

So much for the hard skills. Now let’s talk soft. One of your great drivers is analytical inquisitiveness, an insatiable appetite for understanding, an insistence on continuing to query, a perpetual dissatisfaction with what you’ve already gleaned from the data, an incurable suspicion that there’s more to the story. Rather than find that trait of yours endearing but quirky, your colleagues actually tend to become infected with it themselves, thanks in large part to your inviting and collaborative personality. You’re further blessed with a quick grasp of business problems and an unusual ability to run down the implications of the big picture on the operational details, and execute accordingly. You’re a skilled troubleshooter who actually relishes the chance to unravel complex problems that leave other people flustered.

Inside Skinny

To succeed in this role, it’s super-important that you be able to roll up your sleeves alongside people of wildly varying types and levels within the company — so be ready to tell us about projects you’ve worked on that illustrate your ability to mix it up in that way.

Net Net

High-impact, analytics-intensive work with a prominent company boasting variety and ever-changing subject matter? If you don’t get on this horse and ride, there’s gotta be something wrong with your positronic net.

All qualified applicants will receive consideration without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, creed, age, sexual orientation, veteran status, marital status, disability, or any other status protected by applicable law.