Senior Data Analyst

About us

The Independent is an online news publisher that was established in 1986 as a national newspaper independent of party political affiliations or proprietorial influence. In 2016, The Independent became a fully digital publisher, moving away from print in pursuit of sustainability, and to safeguard its values and journalism for the future.

The Independent has always thrived through innovation and change. It was the first British newspaper to add a Saturday magazine; the first to give photography the same prestige as a news copy; the first to challenge the Westminster lobby system of closed briefings; the first broadsheet to move to the more compact ‘tabloid’ format; the first to launch a concise quality compact paper; and the first – and only – major newspaper to pull off a successful transformation to fully digital publishing.

Through The Independent, Independent TV, eCommerce, indy100, subscriptions and other ‘reader revenues’, The Independent plans to continue the work of many decades, bringing much-needed independent journalism to over 100 million unique global visitors a month, make its voice ever louder and more insistent the world over.

In 2024 The Independent’s portfolio of brands increased through a new licensing partnership with BuzzFeed Inc. to operate the BuzzFeed brands in the UK - BuzzFeed UK, Tasty, Seasoned and HuffPost UK. The additional brands echo the existing business ethos and allow for increased audiences and a further strategic diversification of revenue streams.

The Data & Marketing Department

The Data & Marketing department is the intelligence powerhouse of the business, representing the customer. Our goal is to inspire, engage and grow a loyal readership by harnessing data-driven insights and innovative marketing to deliver personalised, impactful content experiences that builds lasting trust, diverse revenue streams, and a thriving future for quality journalism. The department consists of four teams: Data Science & Engineering, Data Intelligence & Monetisation, Research & Insight and Customer Marketing.

Data Intelligence & Monetisation

The purpose of this team is to understand our customers and the value they bring to our business. They do this by providing performance insight and optimisation opportunities to our core business (editorial, marketing, advertising and ecommerce activities), identifying and validating business expansion opportunities based on insight, identifying and delivering initiatives that generate revenue from our data assets. This role will support the eCommerce function of the business.

About you

An accomplished senior data analyst with good working knowledge of, and interest in, digital publishing. You enjoy solving problems with data, have a strong eye for detail, and are excited about how insights can drive revenue and improve user experience.

• Experience of digital analytics tools, ideally including measurement platforms such as GA4, Adobe or Chartbeat, and BI platforms such as Domo, Tableau or Looker.
• Strong experience using SQL to query and manipulate large datasets.
• Experience working with multiple senior internal and external stakeholders.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills.
• Self-motivated, highly organised and able to work to demanding deadlines.
• An effective operator within a matrix organisation.
• A willingness to continuously improve, being adaptable and agile to align working methods with the needs of the business
• Self-directed, inquisitive mindset and be confident managing the data needs of multiple teams.
• Proactive approach to answering ad hoc queries within tight deadlines and a proven track record of delivering analysis that drives measurable impact.

Job purpose

As a Senior Data Analyst you will support the Digital Analytics Manager in the development, optimisation and delivery of business intelligence and reporting distributed across the business, with a focus on the BuzzFeed and Independent brands. Working with key stakeholders at all levels you will deliver ad hoc and strategic analysis to inform and advance the business strategy.

The successful candidate will work closely with key members of the Editorial, Commercial, and Audience teams on a daily basis. You will be responsible for:

• Developing, maintaining, and enhancing reporting frameworks and dashboards, taking ownership of delivering insights that shapes decision-making across the business.
• Oversee and prioritise incoming data requests, ensuring high-quality outputs
• Deliver complex analysis in an engaging, accessible manner to stakeholders with differing levels of data literacy, and to represent the Data Intelligence & Monetisation division in meetings to discuss analysis, insight, and recommendations.
• Upskill and mentor colleagues across the business on the tools and software used by the Data Intelligence & Monetisation division, helping to build data capability across the organisation.
• Support in the delivery of forecasts and C-Suite weekly, monthly and quarterly reporting

Key responsibilities and accountabilities

• Compilation of regular and proactive editorial and management insight reports from key data sources, specialising in SEO, social media, video analytics and user engagement.
• Building bespoke BI dashboards for various business stakeholders to help report key performance metrics from multiple data sources
• Identification of key audience or interest-based trends and insights from the data sources which could have product development or business applications and working closely with the relevant content and business teams to act on the findings.
• Ensuring analysis and actionable insights for the newsroom fit with business objectives, and proactively identifying publishing trends, areas of opportunity, efficiencies and support for the changing nature of digital content publishing.
• Identification of the structure and breadth of specific project requirements which deliver value to key editorial business areas.
• Introduction of best practise methods for control measurement and test and learn approaches to projects.
• Working closely with key stakeholders to ensure best practise use of data and the co-ordination of insights.
• Rapidly develop proficient working knowledge of all databases and platforms used within the business.
• Ensure all data is handled responsibly, securely, and in full compliance with the Data Protection Act, GDPR regulations, and the Company’s Code of Conduct.
• Helping non-data-oriented colleagues understand where analysis can help support their objectives
• Work collaboratively with stakeholders to develop initiatives that increase zero- and first-party data collection and enrichment.

Skills and Experience

• Degree level ideally in a STEM subject.
• A minimum of three years data analytics experience ideally within a publishing environment.
• Proficiency in SQL for querying and manipulating large datasets from relational databases.
• Experience designing, implementing and analysing A/B and multivariate tests to inform product and editorial decisions.
• Strong understanding of data privacy regulations and compliance requirements (e.g., GDPR) as they relate to user tracking and analytics.
• A clear, demonstrable understanding of digital marketing including SEO, social, paid media and their applications.
• Proven track record of delivering actionable insights which resulted in increased traffic, engagement and revenue.
• In-depth knowledge of the use and application of GA4, video analytics tool such as JW Player or similar and social media analytics tools such as Facebook, TikTok, X & Instagram
• Experience using BI tools such as DOMO, Tableau, Looker, Power BI, to combine data sources from multiple platforms, automating and building dashboards.
• The ability to tell data stories, clearly communicate technical requirements, outputs and business issues to a non-technical audience.
• Proven experience of successfully applying actionable data insights to editorial business areas, particularly social media, video and audience development teams.
• Strong collaborative skills.
• Highly proficient with Excel / Google Sheets
• Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal.
• Strong attention to detail, excellent problem-solving skills and a curiosity/questioning nature.
• The ability to work on multiple projects and manage conflicting demands.
• Experience within a newsroom environment.
• An understanding of business applications of data.

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

We champion diversity in our teams and in our reporting. As a growing and global brand, we must have a workforce that’s more representative of our readers, viewers, clients and partners, and a workplace that creates a sense of belonging for everyone.

We are committed to hiring and developing a diverse workforce regardless of background, and we support our people to thrive in their careers here.

The Independent is an equal opportunities employer, if you require any reasonable adjustments to complete your application, please do not hesitate to advise us accordingly.

Our values – you will deliver across all our values

Inclusive: We champion diversity in our teams and in our reporting. Working as a team, we put transparency and effective communication at the heart of everything we do.

Innovative: From the very beginning, The Independent has been breaking the mould. We take risks and are always looking to try new ideas in pursuit of excellence.

Independent: Nobody tells us what to think; we make up our own minds and aren’t afraid to do things differently. Like our readers, we value honesty and integrity above outside influences.