Data and Analytics Leader (Chicago Area - Hybrid)

About the Company

Origin is a digital consultancy providing professional services specializing in Analytics, AI, and Application Modernization solutions, to achieve our client’s digital transformation goals. We are a team of passionate and humble technology enthusiasts who maintain a high level of integrity and are looking to enhance the team with those for whom these values are central as well. We are focused on building a team of collaborators who are looking for a fast-paced environment, an inclusive culture that allows all team members to flourish and achieve their full potential. Help us build a company that delivers on this promise and create a fun and exciting workplace for all our colleagues. 

Fueled by the advances in technology and the strategic investments that our clients are making in digital transformation, the services we provide are in high demand as we solve our client’s complex business problems. At Origin you will have an opportunity to work on the leading edge with emerging technologies, and on projects that will make a real impact in the business world. We look forward to the unique perspectives and experiences you will bring to help achieve our common goals and deliver impactful solutions for our clients.

The Opportunity

The Data and Analytics Leader will be responsible for defining and delivering on the functional capabilities needed for clients to execute on their data and analytics initiatives. This role will be responsible for overseeing data strategy and governance, data maturity, data science, and delivering insight driven advanced analytics dashboards and reports to clients. 

While the primary focus for the Leader will be to build out the Insights and Analytics offering capabilities, this person will also support data initiatives for both the AI and Application Modernization offerings and will need to provide functional thought leadership to ensure successful delivery of projects for these two offerings. 

The Leader will guide clients through strategy development and design to achieve their data transformation goals. The candidate will work closely with the Technology Leader to ensure engineering supports the achievement of project goals and successful implementations.

The Leader will also work with other leaders to define and develop the service offering that Origin will go to market with and ensure that the offering is well aligned with current client needs and with an eye on advancements in this space. 

The Leader will be responsible for building the team needed to deliver the functional capabilities and guide and mentor the team, ensuring that they have the right skills to deliver high impact services to our clients. 

The Leader will also have primary responsibility for staying connected with certain named clients and ensuring client satisfaction for project outcomes by defining, applying and measuring solution delivery quality. The role is a hands-on role where the Leader will be responsible for engaging directly in client engagements and will lead teams to deliver on the projects. 

The Leader will also provide thought leadership and develop collateral to support the sales process and will be assisting in a pre-sale’s capacity for qualified opportunities. 

The Leader will be responsible for effectively measuring the performance of the practice team members and ensuring that practice utilization rates are at an optimal level to ensure profitability for the practice as team members are being hired. 

The Leader will support an innovation agenda with a goal of proposing practical solutions that focuses on relevant data, integrated in novel ways, coupled with analytics to achieve digital transformation. 

Key Responsibilities

The Data and Analytics Leader will be a key member of the executive leadership team with the following responsibilities:

Technical Understanding

• Be an expert in data strategy and governance and build a brand internally and externally for Origin in the Data and Analytics solutions arena.
• Possess detailed competency and understanding in the Data and Analytics space with a track record of having guided large data transformations and advanced analytics implementations for small and large customers.
• Ability to define a data strategy and guide clients on a roadmap to achieve success with data transformation projects, which may include Artificial Intelligence and Application Modernization projects. 
• Maintain awareness of new and emerging technologies and their potential application to client engagements.
• Ability to lead and drive client conversations and arrive at the right solutions for client needs.
• Knowledge of the Microsoft and Databricks platforms and how to leverage their capabilities to deliver on the project needs. 

Business Development

• Expertise in the Data and Analytics space to be able to help guide client conversations and position Origin as the trusted advisor to the client. 
• Ability to establish trust and build relationships with the clients in order to position Origin as the service provider of choice for new and existing customers. 
• Ability to leverage current network and build new connections to generate new business opportunities and drive a pipeline of work for Origin. 
• Identify "follow-on" sales opportunities at existing clients to establish a recurring revenue and customers for life. 
• Assist with proposal efforts including completing project scoping, estimation, and pricing to position Origin to win in competitive situations.
• Complete SOW assessments to ensure that contracts are well scoped and thoughtfully estimated and position Origin to receive revenue for all the work that needs to be performed. 

Team Development

• Recruit and mentor team members who are culturally aligned and are top performers in their field to ensure we can deliver on every project successfully. 
• Identify the right team structure to ensure team members are clear on their roles and are highly productive to maximize profitability. 
• Partner with the HR team to put a competitive team member engagement strategy in place to maintain a high level of team member retention. 
• Develop training plans to ensure that team members stay on the cutting edge of technology needed to support Origin’s project work and are poised for personal growth.
• Conduct effective performance evaluations and maintain high standards, mentoring those with less experience through formal and informal channels and taking action when necessary.

Delivery Focused

• Extensive experience in a technology consulting environment juggling multiple clients and projects and providing oversight over a large portfolio of projects.
• Experience stepping into a client facing role to provide air cover to team and swarming projects that are faced with issues and need to be rescued.
• Provide subject matter expertise and be a trusted advisor to teams and client stakeholders. Project confidence and ensure that things will get done right when delivering project work. 
• Ensure that learnings form client engagements result in continuous improvements of internal processes/assets to ensure consistency and repeatability across clients.

Client Management

• Develop lasting relationships with client stakeholders and team members that foster a sense of loyalty.
• Communicate effectively with clients to identify and understand client needs and the ability to position Origin services to satisfy the needs. 
• Maintain active relationships with clients and continuously seek opportunities to increase customer satisfaction and deepening relationships.

Financial Management

• Firm understanding of P&L and how to manage a lean team model to ensure high profitability and investing in the right areas for growth. 
• Implement processes to ensure a clear view of project financials and cost-to-completion projections and making the right decisions to ensure client satisfaction while maintaining project profitability.
• Develop and refine delivery models to optimize project delivery for the client.
• Maintain visibility and a clear understanding of revenue forecasts, gross margin, utilization, profitability, and average bill rate movement for the 3-6 month window. 

Additional Attributes for Success

 The Data and Analytics Leader is a motivated self-starter and an exceptional collaborator. Given that Origin is a early stage company focused on providing mid-sized and enterprise customers with digital consulting in the data analytics, AI, and application modernization space, the role requires the Leader to be involved with the offering definition, practice building, delivery oversight, and ensuring high client satisfaction through quality deliverables and ensuring project success. Therefore, this person needs to feel comfortable operating in an environment where there will be competing priorities and be able to navigate them with grace. 

Beyond being the person who is excited about helping build out the business, this person will need to be excited about contributing to building and fostering a culture that will truly make Origin stand out among its competitors. This person will share the inherent belief that an amazing culture does not happen by accident rather it is thoughtfully developed and nurtured and is the by-product of every team member living out their core values, working through challenges collaboratively and with positive intent, and enjoying each other’s company along the way. We recognize that this is not always easy, but we believe that everyone needs to be the keeper of our culture and this Leader will be willing to be a positive force ensuring that it is a culture that engenders connections.