Principal Lead : Data Product

Woolworths Financial Services | Full time

Cape Town, South Africa | Posted on 06/01/2026

Woolworths Financial Services, or WFS as it is better known, is a Joint Venture with Absa Bank, that supports the Woolworths retail business by providing in-store credit inthe formof the Woolworths Store Card and offering value-added services including credit cards, personal loans and short-term insurance as well as life insurance linked to other products.

Principal Lead:
Data Product to lead the delivery and continuous improvement of enterprise data products, analytics capabilities and decisioning solutionsacross the Enterprise. This role is responsible for managing the execution oftactical, operational and strategic initiatives that enable "Data as aProduct" and "Analytics as a Service" capabilities. Will work closely with business and technical stakeholders to deliver scalable,high-quality data and analytics solutions that improve decision-making,operational efficiency, customer outcomes, and risk management.

A strongdelivery-focused leader with experience in credit decisioning environments,enterprise data initiatives, and cross-functional team leadership. The individual will manage a team of Business Analysts and Testers while drivingexecution across complex delivery streams.

• Lead the delivery of enterprise dataproducts, reporting solutions, analytics capabilities and decisioninginitiatives across multiple business domains.
• Translate business requirements and strategic priorities into structured delivery plans and executable outcomes.
• Support the implementation and continuous improvement of Data-as-a-Product and Analytics-as-a-Servicecapabilities across the enterprise.
• Drive the delivery of scalable,reusable, and trusted analytics solutions that improve business performance and operational effectiveness.
• Ensure delivery alignment across business, data, analytics, engineering and operational teams.

• Lead and support the delivery of creditdecisioning, risk analytics and data-driven decision management initiatives.
• Work closely with Credit Risk and Operations stakeholders to improve decisioning processes, automation and analytical capabilities.
• Support the implementation andenhancement of decision engines, rules management, scorecards, workflowoptimization and analytical reporting capabilities.
• Ensure data quality, traceability,governance and operational readiness within credit and decisioning deliveryinitiatives.

• Translate Enterprise strategy intoexecutable initiatives and measurable delivery outcomes. Manage end-to-enddelivery across tactical enhancements, operational improvements, and strategicprogrammes.
• Coordinate delivery activities across
  
  Business Analysts, Testers, Tech Teams, vendors and Business Stakeholders.
• Drive delivery governance including planning, prioritization, dependency management, issue resolution and progressreporting.
• Ensure initiatives are delivered within agreed timelines, quality standards, and business expectations.
• Support the evolution of enterpriseoperating models, process modernization, and intelligent automation initiatives.
• Identify delivery risks, processinefficiencies, operational bottlenecks and proactively implement mitigationactions.

• Lead and develop a team of Business Analysts and Testers responsible for requirements management, process analysis,testing and delivery support.
• Build strong analysis and quality assurance practices that improve delivery quality and stakeholder alignment.
• Provide coaching, mentorship and performance management support to team members. Foster a collaborative,accountable, and delivery-focused team culture.
• Support capability uplift acrossdelivery management, business analysis, testing practices and stakeholder engagement.

• Build strong working relationships across Business, Credit Risk, Operations, Data and Technology teams.
• Facilitate steering committees,delivery forums, prioritization discussions, requirements workshops,…