A Head of Analytics for a large e-commerce company: two search strategies and a hire in 6 months

A large e-commerce company in Eastern Europe needed a Head of Analytics: the previous head had been promoted, and the company could not afford to lose a large team spanning several areas of analytics. NEWHR ran the search along two strategies at once and filled the role in 6 months. The client chose not the candidate with the biggest scope, but a leader ready to grow into the role, with strong experience of working with difficult stakeholders.

Request and constraints

The previous Head of Analytics was promoted within the company. No one inside the team was ready to take on a role of this level. Analytics is one of the company's greatest strengths, so the client's main condition was to hand over the leadership with minimal risk of losing the team.

The company needed a person who combined two qualities: a strong manager with big tech experience and a specialist with a solid analytical background.

A strong degree in a relevant field
Experience at well-known companies with complex problems
Strategic thinking
Enough management experience to retain and strengthen the team
The ability to speak the same language as key stakeholders

Why it was hard

A head leaving puts the whole team at risk

At such a moment people often follow the leader to another unit or start looking at the market. The new head had to win the team's trust quickly.

Tight timeline

The previous head could not run several areas for long without harming the business.

Candidates are not looking

There are few large tech companies in the market, and even fewer heads of analytics ready to move. The open market does not work here: the search can only be proactive.

Money does not motivate

Large companies keep similar grades and salary ranges, so a candidate will hardly move for money. Another argument is needed.

"The most obvious factor, money, we leave out of the equation in such cases. Of course, there is always some leeway, but among the largest IT companies there is something like an unspoken agreement not to undercut each other much and not to overheat the salary market."
Oksana Prutyanova, Head of Data & AI Recruitment NEWHR

How we searched

The search was led by Oksana Prutyanova, who has been hiring heads of analytics for large companies for 18+ years. We reached candidates through Oksana's personal network, referrals and targeted approaches via LinkedIn.

We added two criteria of our own to the client's requirements

Broad business exposure

Companies of this level are wary of candidates who joined a company straight from university and stayed there for years, even if they grew into senior positions. Such a path increases the risk that a person can only find their way around one business.

Strong technical skills

A technical background is part of this team's culture. Business cases mattered in the selection, but it is impossible to get into this team with weak technical skills.

"I know of cases where the heads of analytics were not analysts but people with strong business thinking. This happens more often in companies with a strict vertical structure, where it is important to be able to win 'tower battles' and hire the right people. But in most cases some scepticism towards 'pure' managers is part of the culture of technical teams."
Oksana Prutyanova, Head of Data & AI Recruitment NEWHR

Strategy 1: a head of the same scale from another company

Find a Head of Analytics of a similar scale and invite them to the same role at a company of similar size. The difficulty is motivation: money will not work, so in conversations with such candidates Oksana focused on new challenges, skill growth and broader exposure.

Strategy 2: a player-coach for whom the role is a step up

Search among strong technical managers interested in vertical growth. They already have management experience, but not yet large teams or complex strategic problems. The advantages: strong technical skills and high motivation.

What we checked in the agency interviews

Apart from technical skills, Oksana looked at what tasks candidates had been hired for at their previous companies and how those plans had changed.

"If the tasks had changed in some way, it was important for me to understand why that happened and what the reasoning was. The answers to such questions show how well a person can negotiate and defend their strategy."
Oksana Prutyanova, Head of Data & AI Recruitment NEWHR

We also went through difficult management situations: transfers, dismissals, rotations. And through their experience with strong analysts: whether the person can keep them in the team and find the right work for them.

What we took into account because this is a top-level search

The candidate weighs more risks

A company's reputation is also the reputation of its top managers. A candidate at this level weighs the strategy, the brand and the top management far more carefully than for a regular position.

Not everything is said at the interview

For example, next month the company is buying another business, and much of the new head's job will be the integration. No one will mention this at the interview, so the recruiter needs to know what questions to ask to check for the relevant experience.

A long exit

A move at this level means wrapping up projects, handing over the team and finding a replacement at the current employer. The recruiter stays in constant touch with the candidate and understands their position if competing offers appear.

Funnel

Stage	Candidates	Conversion from previous stage	Conversion from start
Initial search	67	—	100%
Agency interviews	36	53.7%	53.7%
CVs sent to the client	13	36.1%	19.4%
Interviews at the company	13	100%	19.4%
Offers	1	7.7%	1.5%
Starts	1	100%	1.5%

Result

The client met 13 candidates from both strategies and chose one from the second: their team and scope were smaller, but they had extensive experience of difficult stakeholder communication and of working directly with the CEO. The search took 6 months.

Areas for growth

Few large-scale tasks
A small team of direct reports

Strengths

Experience of difficult negotiations and the ability to defend their point of view
A strong degree in a relevant field
Was responsible for all areas of analytics at their company
Deep understanding of business processes

The candidate started work in February and was promoted in December of the following year.