Team Lead Item Coding Management

Team Lead - Item Coding Management

Lets be unstoppable together!

Circana is a leading provider of technology AI and data solutions for consumer packaged goods companies manufacturers and retailers. Our predictive analytics and Liquid Data platform help clients measure market share uncover consumer behavior and drive growthpowered by six decades of expertise and an expansive high-quality data set.

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.â Were a global company dedicated to fostering inclusivity and belonging. We value and celebrate the unique experiences cultures and viewpoints that each individual brings. By embracing a wide range of backgrounds skills expertise and beyond we create a stronger more innovative environment for our employees clients and communities. With us you can always bring your full self to work.â Join our inclusive committed team to be a challenger own outcomes and stay curious together. Circana is proud to be Certified by Great Place To Work. This prestigious award is based entirely on what current employees say about their experience working at Circana. Learn more at .

Role Overview

The Team Lead - Item Coding Management is responsible for leading a team responsible for Item Acquisition & Intake Coding & Enrichment Matching & Identity Resolution Quality Control and Item Content Management.

The primary objective of this role is to establish scalable accurate and client-ready item dictionaries that support customer requirements and high-quality client delivery. Success is measured by the organizations ability to maintain complete accurate and commercially relevant item structures that support current and future business needs.

This leader is accountable for the quality consistency and scalability of the item dictionary. They are responsible for building item foundations with near-zero error tolerance while enabling highly automated ongoing operations.

The successful candidate combines strong people leadership operational excellence and a technology-first mindset. Working closely with Product Commercial Technology and Engineering teams the role drives improvements in quality speed automation and scalability and understands that sustainable AI adoption depends on high-quality data foundations.

Job Responsibilities

• Lead the Item Management team and deliver client-ready item dictionaries.
• Own dictionary quality completeness consistency and client readiness.
• Ensure item structures scale across categories customers and business needs.
• Evaluate and validate third-party content and data sources.
• Build develop and lead a high-performing team focused on quality continuous improvement and professional growth.

Success Measures

• Dictionary readiness for client delivery.
• Dictionary accuracy and completeness.
• Client delivery quality.
• Automation rate.
• Scalability without proportional headcount growth.

Requirements

• Bachelors degree in Business Engineering Computer Science Information Systems Data Analytics or a related field or equivalent professional experience.
• 5 years of progressive experience in Item Management Product Information Management Master Data Data Operations Analytics Operations or related environments.
• Experience leading operational teams and delivering business-critical outcomes.
• Experience building managing or improving item dictionaries classification frameworks product hierarchies or master data structures.
• Demonstrated success improving quality productivity consistency or scalability.
• Strong understanding of how data quality impacts client delivery.
• Ability to identify operational constraints and translate them into actionable improvements.
• Experience partnering effectively with Product Technology and Engineering teams.

Qualifications for Success

• Experience in retail consumer goods market measurement analytics or information services.
• Experience evaluating and integrating third-party content or product data sources.
• Demonstrated success driving automation process improvement or operational transformation initiatives.
• Practical experience applying AI automation or digital tools to improve productivity and business outcomes.
• Strong interest in AI-enabled operating models and data foundations that support automation at scale.

Circana Behaviors

Beyond technical skills experience and role-specific attributes these shared behaviors are fundamental to our culture and success. We seek individuals who consistently demonstrate and champion these behaviors in their daily work:

• 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 / Johannesburg South Africa

Required Experience:

Manager