Hood Industries, Inc. Careers

Description

The Manager of Data & Analytics will lead Hood Industries’ corporate data, business intelligence, analytics, automation, and artificial intelligence capabilities. The role will build a scalable data foundation and deliver actionable insights that improve performance across manufacturing, distribution, procurement, sales, people, and finance.

The successful candidate will combine strategic leadership with practical expertise in data engineering, reporting, analytics, robotic process automation, and artificial intelligence. Working directly with business and operational teams, this leader will translate workflows and business needs into reliable data products, dashboards, automation, and AI-enabled solutions.

• Develop and execute the corporate data and analytics strategy aligned with Hood Industries’ business and technology objectives.
• Develop and execute Hood Industries’ corporate data and analytics strategy and roadmap, including analytics, data engineering, automation, artificial intelligence, self-service reporting, and evaluation of enabling technologies.
• Partner with technology leadership and business leaders to prioritize initiatives based on business value, feasibility, risk, and return on investment.
• Manage multiple projects and priorities, clearly communicating progress, risks, decisions, resource needs, and expected business outcomes.
• Lead and develop the Data & Analytics team, establishing clear priorities, responsibilities, development plans, and performance expectations.
• Partner with stakeholders to understand business processes, pain points, performance measures, and decision needs, translating complex data into clear recommendations.
• Lead the development of dashboards, scorecards, operational reports, and executive reporting tools that measure business performance.
• Deliver actionable insights across manufacturing, distribution, procurement, sales, people, and finance organizations.
• Establish and maintain data governance, ownership, classification, stewardship, and trusted definitions for key performance indicators, business metrics, master data, dashboards, and enterprise reporting.
• Design and implement scalable data architecture that integrates information from corporate, manufacturing, distribution, operational technology, and external systems.
• Lead the development of data pipelines, integrations, data models, and reusable data services using SQL Server, Microsoft Azure, cloud data services, APIs, and related technologies.
• Integrate and contextualize manufacturing data from Ignition, SCADA platforms, historians, production systems, plant-floor equipment, ERP systems, and other corporate applications.
• Implement standards for data quality, validation, lineage, retention, cybersecurity, privacy, access, and regulatory compliance.
• Lead the automation and artificial intelligence strategy, identifying and delivering practical solutions using robotic process automation, generative and agentic AI, machine learning, predictive analytics, and intelligent automation.
• Help define Hood Industries’ artificial intelligence strategy and identify practical applications for Microsoft Copilot, generative AI, machine learning, predictive analytics, anomaly detection, and intelligent automation.
• Establish responsible AI governance and lead proofs of concept and pilots that move successful solutions into secure, scalable production.
• Manage software vendors, consultants, implementation partners, service providers, and contract resources, including evaluation, contract negotiation, scopes of work, deliverables, performance, budget accountability, knowledge transfer, renewals, issue resolution, and alignment with Hood Industries’ standards and priorities.

The Manager of Data & Analytics will provide leadership across a technology environment that includes:

• Microsoft Azure and cloud data services.
• Microsoft SQL Server and related database technologies.
• Visualization platforms such as Qlik, Power BI, or Tableau.
• Reporting platforms such as SQL Server Reporting Services, Crystal Reports, or Business Objects.
• Robotics Process Automation tools such as UiPath, Automation Anywhere, etc.
• Microsoft Copilot, ChatGPT, Claude, or equivalent generative AI technologies.
• Integration with SCADA and data historian platforms such as Ignition, WinCC, or FactoryTalk.
• Integration and ETL platforms such as Informatica, Azure Data Factory, Azure Data Foundation System, Databricks, Snowflake, or equivalent.
• Python, R, SQL, scripting, and other data development technologies.

• Bachelor’s degree in Data Science, Computer Science, Information Systems, Engineering, Statistics, Business Analytics, or a related field; equivalent experience considered. Master’s degree preferred.
• Seven or more years of progressive experience in data analytics, business intelligence, data engineering, automation, enterprise applications, or a related discipline.
• Three or more years of experience leading employees, contract teams, technical teams, projects, or major cross-functional initiatives.
• Demonstrated experience developing data strategies, analytics solutions, dashboards, data pipelines, integrations, or enterprise reporting platforms.
• Strong working knowledge of relational databases, SQL, data modeling, data architecture, and business intelligence concepts.
• Strong understanding of data governance, data quality, data security, and enterprise information management practices.
• Familiarity with artificial intelligence, machine learning, generative AI, robotic process automation, and their practical business applications.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to gather requirements from nontechnical stakeholders and explain technical solutions in clear business language.
• Experience in wood products, manufacturing, distribution, supply chain, or a similar industry preferred.