Director of Data & Analytics

Job Description:  Hajoca Corporation is the largest privately-held wholesale distributor of plumbing, heating & cooling, and industrial supplies in the United States. Our success is rooted in a deeply decentralized operating model: local Profit Centers are empowered to make decisions close to their customers and markets.  We are building an enterprise Data and Analytics function and seeking a Director, Data and Analytics to lead it. This role owns Hajoca's data end to end: the enterprise data warehouse, data engineering and pipelines, governance, quality, analytics, reporting, and the application of AI to that data. The existing data team, including the data warehouse and data engineering, reports into this role from day one. You will set the vision, build out the team, and stand up the enterprise capabilities that let Hajoca treat data and AI as durable advantages, while respecting and amplifying the local autonomy that defines us.  The function serves multiple business verticals, including our core Plumbing, HVAC, and Specialty businesses, and a broad set of corporate functions including Finance, People Operations, Legal, Vendor Management, and Product and Cost. Finance is the closest early partner: the foundation has to be trustworthy enough that Finance relies on it without keeping a second set of books.  This role reports to the Head of Information Technology, and partners with the broader IT organization on the underlying platform and infrastructure these capabilities run on.   The Mandate Hajoca needs a single source of truth. Today the same question can return different answers depending on who asks and where they look. The destination is one authoritative data foundation across our core master data domains, product, customer, vendor, profit center, and location, surfaced through one pane of glass that gives every function the same correct answer to the same question.  That foundation has to be three things at once. Authoritative, so the numbers are right. Usable, so anyone from corporate leadership to a Profit Center Manager can interrogate the data and understand the answer. Trusted, so people actually use it to make decisions. Whether someone pulls a published report or asks an ad-hoc question, they get a correct, understandable answer, regardless of who they are or how they ask.  Getting there is the job. It runs through master data management, common definitions, data quality, and a governance model that holds, paired with analytics and reporting the field will trust. We are looking for someone energized by building that, not just operating it   As Director, you will:  Drive Strategy and Business Value Define and execute the multi-year vision, strategy, and operating model for Hajoca's Data and Analytics function. Build the data foundation into a driver of better decisions across the business: pricing, inventory and working capital, customer retention, and M&A integration. Partner with Finance first. Establish the foundation as the trusted basis for financial reporting and analysis, then extend that trust to the rest of the enterprise. Develop the business case, budget, and roadmap that secure executive and business support for the function's growth. Oversee Data Governance & the Single Source of Truth Establish and lead the enterprise data governance program: data ownership, stewardship, quality standards, master data management across the core domains (product, customer, vendor, profit center, location), and policies for access, privacy, and security. Define common definitions, metrics, and KPIs that are trusted across a decentralized business, so the same question returns the same answer wherever it is asked, without forcing uniformity where local nuance matters. Build the semantic and metric layer that makes published reports and ad-hoc queries return consistent, correct results. Ensure data is AI-ready: well-defined, well-governed, and structured to support analytics, machine learning, and LLM use cases. Partner with Legal, Compliance, and People Operations so data practices align with regulatory, contractual, and privacy obligations. Deliver Analytics and reporting Deliver enterprise reporting and self-service analytics that serve our National Support Center leadership, division and regional managers, and individual Profit Centers.  Stand up a transparent intake and prioritization process for analytics and reporting requests, so every vertical and corporate function has a clear, predictable way to request work, track status, and understand how priorities are set. Treat key analytical assets, dashboards, models, datasets, and APIs, as managed products with owners, users, and roadmaps. Promote Data-Driven Culture and Literacy Drive the shift toward data-informed decision-making at every level of Hajoca, from corporate leadership to Profit Center Managers, recognizing that the value of data is realized only when people across the business choose to use it. Establish enterprise data and AI literacy: role-based training, onboarding, and ongoing enablement that build the skills and confidence for the business to use data in daily work.  Partner with People Operations and the business to build data fluency into leadership development and manager enablement. Oversee AI and LLM in Analytics and Reporting Define and own Hajoca's strategy for applying AI and large language models within analytics and reporting: governance, responsible-AI principles, use-case prioritization, and delivery model, in partnership with IT and the business. Apply AI and machine learning to analytics, forecasting, segmentation, anomaly detection, and predictive models that strengthen decisions. Lead the use of LLMs in the analytics stack, natural-language query, conversational BI, automated insight generation, and LLM-assisted self-service, along with the disciplines that make them work: RAG over Hajoca data, prompt engineering, evaluation and model selection, accuracy controls, and cost and performance management. Establish responsible-AI standards: accuracy benchmarks, human-in-the-loop review, and clear guidance on where AI-generated output can and cannot drive business decisions. Partner with IT and the Business Partner with the broader IT organization on the underlying platform and infrastructure, so data is accessible, reliable, and fit for analytical and AI use. Get maximum value from Hajoca's current foundation, Power BI and the Microsoft data platform, today, while helping decide what tomorrow's architecture needs to be. The current tooling is where we are now, not a settled long-term commitment, and part of this role is to help co-create that future. Build trusted relationships with Profit Center leadership and NSC teams, working as an enabler rather than a centralizing force. Function as a Team Leader Hire, manage, mentor, and grow the team responsible for the design, development, implementation, and support of Hajoca’s Data Management strategy.  Set clear performance expectations and goals for teammates and conduct regular performance evaluations to assess progress and provide feedback. Successfully complete required safety and compliance training programs as assigned.   Perform other reasonably related duties as assigned by immediate supervisor and other management as required.   About You:  Master's or Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Business Analytics, Data Science, or a related field.  10 or more years in data, analytics, or business intelligence, including hands-on building and time leading small teams. 5 or more years of management experience.   Our ideal candidate will also:  Have a track record of taking a data and analytics capability from messy or fragmented to trusted and authoritative and tying the work to real business outcomes. Possess usable technical depth –be comfortable in the data and the tooling, not just managing people who are. Have experience establishing data governance and master data management, definitions, quality, and ownership, that actually held. Have experience in a decentralized or federated business, where influence and partnership matter more than top-down authority. Be familiar with modern BI, analytics, and AI/ML tools sufficiently enough to drive adoption and make architecture calls. Experience with Power BI and the Microsoft data platform is helpful; we are not dogmatic about today's stack. Have experience presenting to and engaging executive leadership and owners. Possess experience in these preferred areas: A background in distribution, wholesale, supply chain, or another multi-site B2B operating environment. Hands-on experience deploying LLM-based capabilities in analytics or business settings, including RAG, prompt engineering, evaluation frameworks, and managing accuracy, cost, and performance trade-offs. Experience with M&A diligence and post-close data integration. Demonstrate the following leadership characteristics: Intellectually curious and execution-oriented. A pragmatic builder who is comfortable navigating ambiguity and delivering tangible outcomes while maintaining a clear view of the broader strategic context. Able to get value out of imperfect data today while building toward ground truth, rather than waiting for the foundation to be perfect before delivering. Earns credibility with both executive leadership and field operators and moves the organization toward data-informed decisions through influence rather than mandate. Comfortable navigating ambiguity; balances enterprise standards with local autonomy. Measures success in business outcomes and in the trust the data foundation earns. Exceptional analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to translate business, operational and financial insights into operational efficiencies. Excellent leadership, communication, and interpersonal skills, with the ability to influence and engage stakeholders at all levels across Hajoca.  Demonstrated ability to drive process improvements and optimize operational efficiencies. High level of integrity, ethics, and professionalism.