Data Operations Analyst

Overview

This role serves as the primary support point for users of the data platform, responsible for managing and resolving day-to-day issues reported by business users. The Data Operations Analyst addresses broken reports, data inconsistencies, access requests, and general inquiries, resolving straightforward problems independently while routing complex defects to the engineering backlog with clear documentation.

Primary Responsibilities

• Manage and resolve incoming data-related issues and queries received through ticketing systems, email, or chat channels.
• Perform initial investigations and root cause analysis before escalating unresolved problems to engineering teams.
• Maintain and utilize runbooks or a knowledge base that documents common problems and solutions.
• Ensure adherence to service level agreements (SLAs) regarding response and resolution times based on issue severity.
• Handle basic data access requests, permission changes, and provide query support.
• Identify and report repeated or systemic issues to the Delivery & Prioritisation Lead as potential bugs or requests for enhancement.
• Communicate resolution statuses clearly and promptly to end-users.
• Keep records of data quality issues and produce reports highlighting recurring themes.

Typical Activities

• Daily monitoring and triage of support tickets, acknowledging new issues within SLA timeframes.
• Daily resolution of straightforward data or query problems.
• Weekly reviews of outstanding tickets to manage delays and follow up on blockers.
• Weekly summarization of recurring issues for delivery board discussions.
• Monthly updates to the knowledge base with new and resolved issue patterns.
• Ongoing collaboration with data owners and stewards on access permissions and data definitions.
• Support occasional data extraction or query requests from business users within the role’s scope.

Requirements

• Proficient in SQL and experienced in querying and debugging datasets.
• Familiar with ticketing and service management tools such as ServiceNow, Jira Service Management, or Zendesk.
• Knowledge of organisational data platforms and data warehouse architectures, or the ability to quickly acquire this knowledge.
• Excellent written communication skills, capable of conveying technical information to non-technical stakeholders.
• Methodical and independent troubleshooting style comfortable with ambiguous problem solving.
• Basic understanding of data governance and access control policies.
• Professional experience of 2-4 years in roles involving data support, operations, or business intelligence analysis.

Success Indicators

• Consistent compliance with SLAs for issue response and resolution.
• High rate of resolving issues at first contact without the need for escalation.
• Reduction of recurring issues by leveraging and expanding the knowledge base and effective escalation.