Lead Business Analyst (Manhattan Beach)

Position Title: Lead Business Analyst Work Location: Manhattan Beach, CA Type of Employment: Full time Role Overview: We are seeking a commercially sharp and analytically sophisticated Lead Business Analyst to join our Retail & Supply Chain function. This is a senior individual contributor role — not a people management position — focused on providing authoritative business analysis across complex retail, distribution centre (DC), and supply chain programmes, with a growing specialism in AI, data, and analytics. You will be the most senior analytical voice in the room: shaping how business problems are framed, how data and insight should inform decisions, and how future-state operating models should be structured.

You will bring broad retail BA experience across the full value chain — stores, merchandising, supply chain, and DC — and apply that breadth to programmes where AI, analytics, and data are increasingly central to the solution. You are a trusted advisor to business leaders, not a delivery manager. Your role is to understand, analyse, challenge, and define — ensuring that decisions made in complex transformation programmes are grounded in rigorous business analysis and a clear understanding of operational reality.

Work and Technical Experience: Essential 10+ years of Business Analysis experience, with significant time in retail, supply chain, or DC/logistics environments. Senior individual contributor with a track record of owning analysis on large, complex, multi-stakeholder programmes — not necessarily managing BA teams. Deep working knowledge of DC operations and supply chain processes — inbound, outbound, inventory, returns, fulfilment, and network logistics.

Strong experience in AI, analytics, or data-focused programmes — defining requirements for ML models, analytics platforms, data products, or data governance initiatives. Proven ability to conduct data analysis and translate findings into business insight — comfortable working with datasets, dashboards, and BI tools to support analysis. Experience across the broader retail value chain: stores, merchandising, supply chain, ERP, and/or digital/omnichannel — not limited to a single domain.

Demonstrated ability to develop business cases, TOMs, process architectures, and data flow models at programme level. Excellent stakeholder engagement skills — comfortable advising at Director and C-suite level with authority and commercial credibility. Desirable Hands-on experience defining requirements for AI/ML use cases in retail or supply chain — forecasting, optimisation, automation, or pricing.

Exposure to data platform programmes: data warehouses, data lakes, lakehouse architecture, or MDM initiatives. Experience with DC automation — goods-to-person, ASRS, automated sortation — from a process and data analysis perspective. Familiarity with ERP platforms in a retail or supply chain context (SAP, Oracle, Dynamics 365) without expectation of configuration ownership.

Knowledge of integration and data exchange patterns — APIs, EDI, event streaming — sufficient to analyse data flow and identify gaps. Experience with SQL, Power BI, Tableau, or similar tools for self-serve data analysis. Relevant certifications: CBAP, CCBA, PMI-PBA, or postgraduate qualification in Business, Data, or Supply Chain.