Sr Data Project Manager

Must be willing to be on-site 5 days a week (flexible hours) in Carson, California HQ office.

About the Role

The IT Technical Project Manager - Retail Merchandising & Data Platforms is responsible for leading complex, cross-functional technology initiatives supporting merchandising systems, store operations platforms, and enterprise data ecosystems within a large retail organization. This role partners closely with business and technology teams to deliver scalable, high-quality solutions that support retail operations, data strategy, and enterprise transformation initiatives. The position is highly execution-oriented and requires strong technical acumen, deep retail domain knowledge, and daily coordination with onshore and offshore engineering and data teams.

Responsibilities

• Lead end-to-end technical delivery for programs spanning merchandising systems, store operations platforms, and enterprise data environments.
• Develop project plans, milestones, timelines, and delivery roadmaps for complex cross-functional initiatives.
• Break down large-scale initiatives into manageable workstreams and actionable deliverables.
• Manage dependencies, risks, resource coordination, and execution trade-offs across multiple systems and teams.
• Ensure projects are delivered on time, within scope, and aligned with business objectives.
• Serve as a key technology partner for retail merchandising and store operations initiatives, supporting systems and processes related to:
  • Merchandising lifecycle management (item setup, cost, retail pricing, margins)
  • Promotions and pricing systems
  • Store operations and execution platforms
  • Vendor, supply chain, and product data management
• Translate business requirements into clear functional and technical specifications for development teams.
• Partner closely with Operations, Merchandising, Finance, and IT stakeholders to support strategic initiatives.
• Lead projects involving enterprise data platforms, integrations, and analytics solutions, supporting initiatives related to:
  • Data ingestion, integration, and pipeline management
  • Reporting, analytics, and operational dashboards
  • Master data management for items, vendors, stores, and operational data
• Collaborate with architects, engineers, and data teams to ensure scalable, secure, and high-performing technical solutions.
• Communicate technical dependencies, risks, and trade-offs effectively to both technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Provide day-to-day coordination and leadership for offshore development and data teams, including:
  • Defining priorities, scope, acceptance criteria, and delivery expectations
  • Facilitating daily stand-ups, issue resolution, and progress tracking across distributed teams and time zones
• Drive accountability, quality, and predictable delivery across internal and external resources.
• Lead Agile project management activities, including sprint planning, reviews, retrospectives, and backlog refinement.
• Monitor project progress, risks, dependencies, and deliverables.
• Identify execution bottlenecks proactively and drive timely resolution.
• Support continuous improvement in delivery methodologies, tools, and processes.
• Provide regular updates on project status, milestones, risks, and mitigation plans to leadership and stakeholders.
• Translate technical concepts and complexities into clear business-focused communication.
• Maintain alignment between business priorities and technical execution across multiple initiatives.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Information Technology, Business, Computer Science, or related field required.
• Minimum 8+ years of IT Program and Project Management overseeing enterprise data initiatives.
• Minimum 7+ years of experience in technical project or program management within retail technology environments.
• Strong functional understanding of retail merchandising and store operations systems.
• Experience leading data-driven retail platform or analytics initiatives.
• Experience managing offshore or distributed technical teams.
• Grocery, multi-store retail, or big-box retail experience strongly preferred.
• Experience with cloud data warehouse (Databricks ideally), ETL/ELT, APIs, and Systems Integration.
• Agile experience with JIRA.
• Executive-level written and oral communication.
• Proactive self-starter.

Skills

• Strong technical acumen with the ability to work effectively with engineering and data teams.
• Experience with enterprise data platforms, cloud data warehouses, ETL/ELT pipelines, APIs, and system integrations.
• Familiarity with cloud platforms such as AWS, Azure, or GCP preferred.
• Experience with retail systems related to merchandising, pricing, promotions, POS, or store operations.
• Strong Agile delivery experience, including Scrum and Kanban methodologies.
• Experience with project management tools such as Jira, Smartsheet, Microsoft Project, or similar platforms.
• Excellent analytical, organizational, and problem-solving skills.
• Strong communication and stakeholder management capabilities.

Leadership Competencies

• Technical ownership and delivery accountability.
• Strong execution and coordination across offshore and distributed teams.
• Systems thinking and dependency management.
• Bias for action and proactive problem-solving.
• Ability to influence and collaborate across technical and business teams.
• Clear, concise, and effective communication style.

Additional Information

• Retail grocery industry experience preferred.
• Relocation assistance available for strong candidates.
• Travel up to 10-20% may be required to support store locations, business initiatives, and technology implementations.
• Business casual office environment with regular collaboration across corporate, technical, and operational teams.
• Net new headcount due to organizational growth and continued investment in retail merchandising and enterprise data platforms.

Business Impact

This role will support initiatives focused on improving merchandising capabilities, operational efficiency, data accessibility, and revenue growth across a multi-banner retail organization.

Pay

The pay range for this position is $150,000.00 - $180,000.00 per year.

Schedule

This is a full-time, permanent, onsite position based in Carson, California.