Director of Data and Analytics (Remote) at Blue Wheel in Chicago, IL, USA

Job description

• We're looking for a Director of Data & Analytics to lead our data strategy, tech stack
• integration, and performance insight across Blue Wheel's marketing and commerce
• ecosystem. This role sits at the intersection of strategy, technology, and business growth-
• responsible for transforming complex data into actionable insights that elevate
• performance for our clients and our agency.
• You'll lead a team of analysts and data engineers, and oversee our analytics tech infrastructure, and act as a strategic partner to our executive, media, strategy, and client services teams.
• Lead day-to-day execution of analytics initiatives across a diverse client portfolio.
• Serve as the analytics lead for AMC and retail media measurement engagements.
• Partner with Strategy, Media, Client Services, and Technology teams to solve complex business challenges.
• Manage and develop analytics team members across varying levels of experience.
• Lead client-facing strategic discussions, ad hoc analyses, and executive presentations.
• Build and improve processes that support scalable, high-quality analytics delivery.

Responsibilities

• Data Strategy & Tech Leadership
• Own Blue Wheel's data architecture, analytics roadmap, and governance strategy across internal operations and client engagements.
• Design and scale measurement frameworks, attribution methodologies, and reporting automation systems.
• Lead implementation, governance, and validation of tracking technologies, audience solutions, APIs, and data integrations.
• Maintain and evolve analytics platforms including Sigma, Snowflake, AMC, and related technologies aligned to client objectives.
• Establish data quality, access management, privacy, and governance standards to ensure responsible use of client data.
• Evaluate emerging technologies, AI capabilities, and measurement solutions to advance agency capabilities.
• Insights & Performance Optimization
• Translate complex data into actionable recommendations that improve media, audience, creative, and commerce performance.
• Lead development of executive reporting, dashboards, forecasting models, and decision-support tools.
• Drive advanced measurement initiatives including incrementality, lift studies, media mix modeling, customer journey analysis, and attribution.
• Develop scalable analytics frameworks and reusable methodologies that improve efficiency and client value.
• Partner with media and strategy teams to identify optimization, growth, and investment opportunities.
• Retail Media & Commerce Analytics Leadership
• Serve as the agency's subject matter expert for retail media analytics across Amazon, Walmart, Target, and emerging commerce platforms.
• Lead innovation in AMC, clean room environments, audience strategy, and advanced commerce measurement.
• Guide development of audience-first measurement frameworks utilizing first-, second-, and third-party data.
• Evaluate and implement new approaches to audience activation, attribution, and cross-channel performance measurement.
• Team Building & Leadership
• Hire, mentor, and develop a high-performing team of analysts, engineers, and data professionals.
• Foster a culture of curiosity, experimentation, innovation, and continuous learning.
• Manage team capacity, prioritization, and resource allocation across clients and internal initiatives.
• Partner with cross-functional leadership to establish scalable processes and organizational alignment.
• Increase data literacy through training, documentation, and best-practice development.
• Client & Business Impact
• Serve as a senior strategic advisor to clients and internal stakeholders.
• Develop long-term analytics and measurement roadmaps aligned with client business objectives.
• Lead analytics strategy for new business opportunities and growth initiatives.
• Educate clients and teams on analytics best practices and measurement methodologies.
• Identify opportunities to expand analytics capabilities through new services, technologies, and revenue streams.
• Lead executive presentations and strategic business reviews.

Requirements

• 10+ years in digital marketing analytics, data science, or marketing technology leadership-preferably in a media agency, market research, or consulting company setting.
• Deep knowledge of digital campaign performance tracking across paid search, social, marketplaces, and ecommerce platforms in both DTC and B2B settings.
• Proven experience with analytics systems including Sigma, Snowflake, AMC, GA4, GTM, Skai, or other major analytics tools.
• Experience with cross-channel measurement and attribution.
• Track record of building and leading high-performing data teams and analytics functions.
• Strong command of statistical methods, experimental design, and data storytelling.
• Exceptional communication and stakeholder management skills-comfortable presenting to C-suite and clients alike.
• Strategic thinker with hands-on capabilities and a bias toward action and innovation.
• Experience leading retail media and commerce analytics programs, including Amazon Marketing Cloud (AMC), audience analytics, and incrementality measurement.
• Ability to translate ambiguous business questions into structured analytical frameworks and actionable recommendations.
• Experience developing scalable analytics solutions, products, and operational processes that grow agency capabilities.
• Demonstrated understanding of audience strategy, identity resolution, first-, second-, and third-party data applications, privacy considerations, and activation use cases across media and measurement.

Skills

Required

• Digital marketing analytics
• Data science
• Marketing technology leadership
• Digital campaign performance tracking
• Statistical methods
• Experimental design
• Data storytelling
• Communication and stakeholder management
• Strategic thinking
• Retail media and commerce analytics
• Audience analytics
• Incrementality measurement

Benefits

• Employees at Blue Wheel are offered the following benefits and perks while employed:
• Healthcare: Medical, Dental, Vision, Accident, Critical Illness, Life & Disability, FSA/HSA Options
• Retirement: Company-sponsored 401(k) option with Company match
• PTO: Generous Paid Time, Sick Time, Floating Holidays, Volunteer Day, and Bereavement Time
• Paternal Leave: Paid 12-week leave for primary parent and 2-week for secondary parent
• Holiday: 10 paid holidays, along with light week between Christmas and New Years
• Fringe: Mental Health Days, Health and Wellness Reimbursement, Employee Assistance Program, Employer-paid Coaching Sessions
• Blue Wheel operates and hires in the following states: CO, CT, FL, ID, IL, KS, MI, MN, NJ, NY, OR, PA, TN, TX, and WA