Role Overview for VP, Data & Analytics with a Public Retailer – Bentonville, AR
JRG Partners has been exclusively retained to lead the search for a visionary Vice President of Data & Analytics for one of the world’s most recognizable public retail giants, headquartered in Bentonville, AR. This is a transformative executive leadership role designed for a data evangelist who can harness the power of information to drive strategic decision-making, enhance customer experiences, and unlock new avenues for growth across a multi-billion dollar enterprise. The ideal candidate will be a strategic leader with a profound understanding of the retail landscape and a proven track record of building and scaling world-class data organizations.
Reporting directly to the Chief Information Officer, you will be the senior-most executive responsible for the entirety of the company’s data and analytics ecosystem. You will own the enterprise data strategy, from ingestion and governance to advanced analytics, machine learning, and business intelligence. This role is not just about managing data; it’s about creating a data-driven culture that permeates every facet of the organization, including merchandising, supply chain, marketing, finance, and store operations. You will serve as a trusted advisor to the executive leadership team, translating complex data insights into actionable business strategies that will shape the future of retail. This position demands a unique blend of deep technical expertise, exceptional business acumen, and inspirational leadership to guide a large, multi-disciplinary team toward a unified vision of data excellence.
Key Responsibilities of VP, Data & Analytics with a Public Retailer – Bentonville, AR
The VP of Data & Analytics will have a broad and impactful scope of responsibilities, including:
Enterprise Data Strategy & Vision
Develop, articulate, and execute a comprehensive, forward-looking data and analytics strategy that aligns with the company’s overall business objectives. Champion the strategic importance of data as a critical enterprise asset and driver of competitive advantage.
Leadership & Team Development
Lead, mentor, and inspire a large organization of data scientists, data engineers, BI analysts, and data governance professionals. Foster a culture of innovation, collaboration, and continuous learning. Attract, retain, and develop top-tier talent in the data and analytics space.
Advanced Analytics & Data Science
Oversee the data science function to develop and deploy sophisticated machine learning models and AI-driven solutions. Drive initiatives in predictive analytics, customer segmentation, personalization, demand forecasting, and price optimization to solve complex business problems.
Business Intelligence & Reporting
Modernize and scale the company’s business intelligence capabilities. Deliver self-service analytics tools and intuitive dashboards that provide actionable insights to business users at all levels, enabling them to make faster, more informed decisions.
Data Governance & Quality
Establish and enforce a robust enterprise data governance framework. Implement policies, standards, and processes to ensure data accuracy, consistency, security, and compliance with regulations such as CCPA and GDPR.
Data Architecture & Engineering
Partner with IT and engineering leaders to design and maintain a scalable, modern data architecture. Oversee the management of data warehouses, data lakes, and data pipelines on cloud platforms (e.g., GCP, Azure, AWS) to ensure efficient and reliable data processing.
Stakeholder Collaboration & Influence
Act as a key strategic partner to C-suite executives and business unit leaders. Proactively engage with stakeholders to understand their challenges and opportunities, and translate business needs into data-driven solutions and products.
Innovation & Thought Leadership
Stay abreast of the latest trends, technologies, and best practices in the data and analytics field. Drive innovation by experimenting with new tools and methodologies to keep the company at the forefront of the industry.
Financial Management
Develop and manage the annual budget for the Data & Analytics organization, ensuring optimal allocation of resources and a strong return on investment for all data-related initiatives.
Requirements for the VP, Data & Analytics with a Public Retailer – Bentonville, AR
The successful candidate will be a seasoned executive with a demonstrated history of leveraging data to drive significant business impact in a large, complex organization. Key qualifications include:
Educational Background
A Master’s or Ph.D. in a quantitative field such as Computer Science, Statistics, Mathematics, Engineering, or a related discipline is strongly preferred. An MBA is a significant plus.
Executive Experience
A minimum of 15 years of progressive experience in data management, business intelligence, and analytics, with at least 8-10 years in a senior leadership capacity (Director, Senior Director, or VP level) managing large, cross-functional teams.
Industry Expertise
Deep experience within the retail, CPG, or e-commerce sectors is highly desirable. A thorough understanding of retail business models, including merchandising, supply chain logistics, and customer loyalty, is critical.
Technical Proficiency
Extensive hands-on experience with modern data ecosystems, including cloud data platforms (GCP, Azure, AWS), data warehousing technologies (e.g., BigQuery, Snowflake), data visualization tools (e.g., Tableau, Power BI), and data science programming languages (e.g., Python, R).
Strategic Mindset
Proven ability to think strategically, anticipate future trends, and translate them into a coherent vision and actionable plan. Experience developing multi-year data roadmaps is essential.
Leadership Acumen
Exceptional leadership and people management skills with a track record of building, motivating, and retaining high-performing teams. A servant-leader mentality with a passion for mentoring and developing talent.
Communication & Influence
Outstanding communication, presentation, and interpersonal skills. The ability to articulate complex technical concepts to non-technical audiences and influence decision-making at the highest levels of the organization.
Business Acumen
Strong financial and business acumen with the ability to connect data and analytics initiatives directly to measurable business outcomes, such as revenue growth, cost reduction, and improved customer satisfaction.
Benefits & Perks Offered
Our client offers a highly competitive executive compensation and benefits package designed to attract and retain the best talent in the industry. This includes:
Competitive Base Salary
An attractive six-figure base salary commensurate with experience.
Executive Bonus Program
A significant annual performance-based bonus opportunity.
Long-Term Incentives
A generous equity package (RSUs/Stock Options) to ensure alignment with the company’s long-term success.
Comprehensive Health & Wellness
Premium medical, dental, vision, and prescription drug coverage for you and your family.
Retirement Savings
A robust 401(k) plan with a generous company match.
Relocation Assistance
A comprehensive relocation package is available for the successful candidate and their family to move to the vibrant Bentonville, AR area.
Paid Time Off
A generous vacation, holiday, and sick leave policy.
Employee Perks
Substantial employee discounts on company products, access to on-site amenities, and other corporate perks.
Professional Development
A strong commitment to your continued growth with support for conferences, certifications, and executive education programs.
How to Apply
This is a confidential, retained search conducted by JRG Partners. To be considered for this career-defining opportunity, please submit your resume and a cover letter outlining your qualifications and interest in the role. All inquiries and applications will be handled with the utmost discretion. JRG Partners is a leader in executive search within the data and analytics space. To learn more about our expertise in this area, we invite you to explore our Retail & Consumer Goods practice area. We look forward to connecting with you to discuss how your experience can help shape the future of one of the world’s leading retailers.
