Business Data & Systems Architect

Business Data & Systems Architect Do you want to join a purpose-driven company making a global impact and creating a healthier environment, now and for future generations? Whitefox Technologies is on a mission to reduce energy and water waste in industrial processes. We’re growing fast across the UK, North America and South America. About the role This is a new role. You’ll act as a business partner to every department, from innovation and engineering to operations, commercial and finance, finding out how people really work today, where systems don’t talk to each other, and where time goes into assembling data rather than using it. Then you’ll fix it! You’ll work alongside our existing IT lead, whose strength is infrastructure, equipment and networks. Your focus is different: the business systems, data flow and reporting that sit on top. You’ll overlap on AI and infrastructure, and you’ll be expected to work closely together. The first phase of the role centres on systems, data integrity and reporting. As that foundation matures, the role is expected to move increasingly into AI and automation, for the right person. To be clear about what this role is: it’s a hands-on, doing role. You’ll configure systems, build the reports and make the changes yourself, rather than commission others to do it. It is not a financial analyst role, not a pure programming role, and not a data monetisation or commercial data strategy role. What you’ll deliver in your first year Review systems and data with every department, produce a prioritised and costed improvement roadmap, and deliver early quick wins so the business feels the impact straight away. Lead our CRM project, improving how customer data is structured, integrated and used. Deliver self-serve reporting from SAP so that areas like O&M cost, customer servicing and travel data can be pulled without manual effort. Implement a core set of dashboards, each with a clear owner, that show whether the decisions we’ve made are working, and that are actually used. Lay the data foundations for a customer data product that brings together customer and product performance data and evidences the energy, water and carbon savings our technology delivers. Put AI-enabled automations into live use and help shape our AI governance framework. Key responsibilities Work with department managers and key stakeholders to understand what they do today and where they need to get to, and translate that into practical systems and data solutions. Improve data flow, data quality and data integrity between our existing applications, including SAP Business ByDesign, our CRM platform and the Microsoft 365 estate. Identify improvements to existing applications, and plan and implement new or upgraded applications that support our goals and improve efficiency. Build and maintain Power BI reporting that the business can self-serve, improving information flow and collaboration across teams and regions. Use AI-enabled tooling as a normal part of how problems get solved, and help the business navigate the evolving AI landscape responsibly. Help key users adopt good practice in data and systems use, providing training and support where needed. Live the Whitefox Blueprint values, standards and culture in how you work with colleagues across every location. About you You’re equally comfortable in a spreadsheet and in a room with a department manager who doesn’t speak “systems”. You ask good questions, get to the root of the real problem (which is often not the one first described), and explain technical ideas in plain language. You’re a self-starter who doesn’t need close direction, and you enjoy working with people across different cultures and time zones, from the UK to North America and Brazil. Experience and skills Essential 5–10 years’ experience in business systems, data analysis, business intelligence or process improvement roles. A track record of gathering requirements from non-technical stakeholders and turning them into delivered solutions. Strong understanding of data structures, data quality, integration and data governance. Hands-on experience administering, configuring or supporting ERP platforms (SAP preferred), including getting usable reporting out of them. Hands-on experience administering or configuring a CRM platform (e.g. Salesforce, Microsoft Dynamics 365, HubSpot), including data model and integration. Power BI dashboard development and reporting to a standard the business can self-serve. Broad, strong capability across the Microsoft environment. Experience using AI-enabled tools in your day-to-day work. Experience delivering process improvement initiatives. Desirable Experience with SAP Business ByDesign. Microsoft 365 administration and integration, including SharePoint and Power Automate. Experience with Microsoft Foundry and Azure AI. Experience of AI governance. SQL and data querying skills. Programming experience is a bonus but not essential. Experience working across multiple countries or business units.