This client turned to Mavent for help finding a VP-level data and analytics leader to build a robust analytics and data science function. We found a candidate with the right balance of data engineering and data science skills to drive transformation and growth.
OVERVIEW
This leader in college athletic recruiting provides innovative tools to help athletes increase their chances of playing sports in college. They offer online education and performance training, expert recruiting guidance, data-driven college matching tools, and access to more college coaches than any other college recruiting service.
CHALLENGE
To support aggressive growth goals, the company needed to design an organizational structure that included a robust and scalable analytics and data science function. They needed a VP-level leader who not only could develop this data science competency, but who could also navigate the data engineering challenges that resulted from more than 30 siloed data sources that exist between the parent company and several recently acquired subsidiary operations.
Due to the strategic nature of this role and the magnitude of the search, the CTO wanted a partner with analytics expertise and a management-consulting approach vs. a staffing approach. The ideal partner would understand the local hiring market and could deliver candidates that meet the company’s diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) goals. Having worked with Mavent in a previous role, the CTO knew we had the analytics expertise, network, and methodology to find the right candidate.
SOLUTION
Working with the client, Mavent drove the discovery phase of the planning process, including development of an Ideal Candidate Profile, an evaluation/scorecard, and a proposed interview process. We leveraged our expansive network of data analytics leaders to engage passive, top-tier talent, yielding 35 candidates whom we evaluated with a surgical approach, short-listing five for further evaluation by our team.
This led to two exceptional candidates: one more aligned to the client’s expectation for data science competency and one with a stronger data engineering competency. We presented both candidates to the client and both were enthusiastically received. Based on our data and analytics consulting experience, we knew the client needed to prioritize data management and a trusted source of quality data to drive data science efforts. We guided the client toward the candidate with the stronger data engineering background.
One year after placement, the new leader has made great strides in upscaling talent on the team, building a next-generation cloud-native data ecosystem and kickstarting data science strategies.
The analytics team is now a trusted partner in business conversations, proactively asking the right questions of business leaders and enabling them to solve strategic and operational challenges through data-driven approaches. The team is now providing insights that are fueling growth and profitability for the organization.
New predictive modeling capabilities are allowing the sales team to stay ahead of developing trends with customers. The data and analytics strategic road map is positioning the business for aggressive growth and operational efficiency, creating enthusiasm for the future state of the organization.
OUTCOMES
- Provided end-to-end, advisory-level guidance to shape the role and shift hiring priorities
- Saved the client time and money by completing thorough candidate evaluations internally before introducing finalists to the client; reduced effort to hire by 50%
- Provided two exceptionally talented and well-aligned candidates that met client’s requirementsCompleted the executive search within six weeks, including planning phase
- Accelerated the onboarding process and provided meaningful feedback at defined intervals through our AfterCare360 program
