Data Classification Team Lead

Circana South Africa

Cape Town, ZAonsitePosted Jul 22, 2026
Posting intelligenceActively listedReposted 5×, possible evergreen/ghost posting

Skills

classificationexcelgo

About the role

Let’s be unstoppable together!

Circana (formerly IRI and NPD) is the leading advisor on the complexity of consumer behavior. Through unparalleled technology, advanced analytics, cross-industry data, and deep expertise, we provide clarity that helps almost 7,000 of the world’s leading brands and retailers take action and unlock business growth. We understand more about the complete consumer, the complete store, and the complete wallet so our clients can go beyond the data to apply insights, ignite innovation, meet consumer demand, and outpace the competition.

At Circana, we are fueled by our passion for continuous learning and growth, we seek and share feedback freely, and we celebrate victories both big and small in an environment that is flexible and accommodating to our work and personal lives. We have a global commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion as we believe in the undeniable strength that diversity brings to our business, employees, clients, and communities (with us you can always bring your full self to work). Join our inclusive, committed team to be a challenger, own outcomes, and stay curious together. Learn more at www.circana.com.

What will you be doing?

The Item Coding Team Lead oversees and manages all the business-as-usual (BAU) including expansions daily operations of the team. As an inside trusted advisor for operations, the Item Coding Team Lead is always searching for ways to improve the client's business through the high-quality data we supply. The Lead for Item Coding Team must always look for methods to increase productivity and optimise and simplify operating procedures. The Item Coding Team Lead is a highly adaptable individual that cultivates excellent relationships within the business and adeptly manages several work streams while providing leadership, guidance, and support to team members.

Job Responsibilities

To take full accountability for all the Item Coding BAU process areas, leading his/her team to achieve company, department, team and personal objectives.

Responsible for the recruitment, training and development of personnel, ensuring that all team members have effective development plans which are regularly reviewed and evaluated.

Take full ownership of all assigned item coding client change requests and project management of expansions.

Ensuring the highest quality of the central Circana Dictionary (this Dictionary DB is called Fusion and contains all new items coded by Coding team received in the Retailer sales data).

Establish and drive the operational item coding process and item coding governance process.

Actively seeks out client product performance in the market to keep relevant.

Maintaining strong internal cross-departmental relationships.

Display a solid understanding of the business and our service offerings.

Assists and helps the Data Production, Client Delivery, CPG and Retail teams with troubleshooting where necessary.

Adheres and enforces to all relevant policies and procedures.

Communicates issues and deadlines to the affected stakeholders and Item Coding Manager as required.

Able to work extra hours as and when required to ensure deadlines are met.

Conducts regular team knowledge shares.

Mentor and develops the operational and quality assurance skills of the members of the team in a constructive manner.

Oversee and guide new junior team members and assist in their orientation and on boarding.

To support the Item Coding Manager with the management of the team and implementation of strategic initiatives, etc.

Measures of Success

To take full accountability for all the Item Coding BAU process areas, leading his/her team to achieve company, department, team and personal objectives.

Effectively manage work processes by prioritising and effectively managing the team workload through a systematic approach to task completion.

Implementation and ongoing maintenance of Fusion coding specific processes, including Category Hierarchies, Bulk Updates, etc.

Build strong functional & technical skills for self and team members

Strong problem-solving skills and a solutions focused approach

Have advanced MS Excel and troubleshooting skills (using worksheets, pivot tables, VLOOKUP’s etc.

High quality communication skills -written and spoken

Requirements

Degree or Associate’s degree

Strong written and verbal communication skills

Strong analytical and problem-solving skills

Strong time management and organizational skills

Strong attention-to-detail, while working in a fast-paced environment

Strong Leadership Skills

4+ years FMCG experience

(Required) Proficiency in all Microsoft Office applications: Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Teams, and Outlook (and SQL knowledge preferred)

Circana Behaviors

As well as the technical skills, experience and attributes that are required for the role, our shared behaviors sit at the core of our organization. Therefore, we always look for people who can continuously champion these behaviors throughout the business within their day-to-day role:

Stay Curious: Being hungry to learn and grow, always asking the big questions

Seek Clarity: Embracing complexity to create clarity and inspire action

Own the Outcome: Being accountable for decisions and taking ownership of our choices

Center on the Client: Relentlessly adding value for our customers

Be a Challenger: Never complacent, always striving for continuous improvement

Champion Inclusivity: Fostering trust in relationships engaging with empathy, respect and integrity

Commit to each other: Contributing to making Circana a great place to work for everyone

Location

This position can be located in the following area(s): Cape Town, South Africa

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