IT O+O & Data Domain Lead (South Africa & Kenya)

Job Title: IT O+O & Data Domain Lead (South Africa & Kenya) Location: Woodmead, Johannesburg (Coverage: South Africa & Kenya) Reporting Line: CIO South Africa Role Mission We are seeking a hands-on, strategic 'doer' to bridge the gap between global IT standards and local operational excellence. This role acts as the technical anchor for our physical (Offline) and digital (Online) retail ecosystems, ensuring seamless integration, data integrity, and local innovation across South Africa and Kenya. Key Responsibilities • Global-Local Liaison: Align local operations with European IT architecture and governance. Translate global strategies into successful, compliant local market deployments. • O+O & E-Commerce Operations: Lead the daily technical run of e-commerce platforms, troubleshoot integration lags, and optimize order processing. Oversee local O+O tool maintenance and budget-conscious technology adoption. • Data & System Troubleshooting: Serve as the technical detective. Utilize SQL and API diagnostics to resolve cross-system data discrepancies and integration failures. • AI Implementation & Enablement: Champion local AI adoption. Prototype AI-driven solutions, support internal tools (e.g., L'OréalGPT), and empower business teams to leverage AI for workflow automation. • Beauty Tech Deployment: Manage the end-to-end lifecycle of physical Beauty Tech devices and digital AR/VTO integrations, ensuring seamless retail performance and user adoption. • Process Innovation: Identify manual bottlenecks and build Low-Code/No-Code prototypes (Power Platform) to automate tasks. Champion these through the official Demand Management (DMND) process. • Stakeholder Partnership: Act as the technical business analyst for all divisions (Luxe, LDB, PPD, CPD). Maintain on-the-ground operational visibility to identify and resolve issues proactively. Required Skills & Experience Education: Bachelor’s degree in IT, Computer Science, or a related field. • Technical Proficiency: • Data/API: SQL querying and diagnostic understanding of API integrations (no coding required). GCP/BigQuery experience is a plus. • Platforms: Hands-on experience with E-commerce engines (e.g., Salesforce Commerce Cloud, Shopify) and Low-Code/No-Code automation (Power Apps/Automate). • AI/Innovation: Practical experience with Generative AI, prompt engineering, and LLM-based tools. Experience: Proven 5 - 10 year ability to manage IT governance, security compliance, and vendor/device maintenance. • Core Competencies: • High emotional intelligence, proactive problem-solving, and the ability to serve as a high-level 'bridge' between global architectural teams and local business units.