Organisation:Universities Admission Centre
Job Title: Research Analyst
Word Limit: Four Page Limit
Location: Olympic Park
Academic qualifications and technical experience
Tertiary qualifications with major studies in one or more of mathematics / statistics,
natural and physical sciences, information technology, social sciences or related areas
and extensive relevant experience or an equivalent combination of relevant experience
and/or education / training
I have a Bachelor of Economics–Majoring in Statistics from the Academy of Economic
Studies Bucharest Romania. I have completed a Demand Planning and Forecasting Course
at APICS. This has served me in my current and previous positions as a research analyst
with Woolworths and NAFDA Limited where I have been responsible for managing a
portfolio of distribution centres in order to meet a required forecast of accuracy levels,
analysing seasonal and historical trends to enable the distribution centres to plan labour
effectively.
Excellent analytical skills and able to develop creative and innovative approaches to
complex problems and investigations
My analytical skills consist of being able to interpret data from multiple sources and many
formats. There is no specific template on how to interpret data, this comes down to
experience, dexterity in working with large number and the vision on what insight you will
get from analysing that data. For example, at NAFDA I created a historical sales database
with data that was stored on multiple Excel files for the past 5 years. The business had no
understandable data to determine what products sell better from the competing suppliers
they were dealing with. Additionally, there was a lack of understanding of how to negotiate
better prices and for certain categories of products, preferably the ones NAFDA members
were buying more of.
The challenge was that the data integrity was bad. It was necessary for me to cleanse the
data before undertaking any analysis. Many products had multiple bar codes and there was
no way of matching sales history to any specific product. I decided I would clean the data
by matching each product with their correct and specific barcode, so I was then able to see
a 5 years of sales history. To each supplier I attributed a product category and subcategory.
I then analysed the sales history by these categories and determined the best and worst
product category by determining the profit margin and sales numbers and the best and
worst supplier by profitability. I also created an exception report with wrong barcodes, so
that every time I discovered a product with a wrong barcode I would get prompted to
change the barcode to the correct one. This way the database always had clean and
accurate data.
As a result of my efforts, the business was now able to understand its relationship with
suppliers and this information was then sold to the suppliers so that they understood if
their competing supplier sold more to NAFDA members than they did, this data then
prompted them to offer better prices. NAFDA obtained revenue of $80,000 in one year by
selling this information to its suppliers.
Skills and experience in using statistical techniques and packages (e.g., R, SAS, SPSS, SQL)
to carry out exploratory investigations, modelling and/or predictive analyses
As a fully confident user of SQL for data extraction purposes, I extract replenishment data
to determine stock levels and predict out-of-stock levels, delivery in full and on time and a
large and diverse range of other indexes. In addition, I am an expert user of standard
software such as Excel, pivot table functions, if statements, scenarios, multiple
consolidation ranges and specialised functions of company software to handle datasets. In
my various analysis roles, I use correlation and multiple regression techniques in order to
understand how the price of a product or service will influence sales by the category of the
product. Then I am able to predict the return on investment (ROI) during various marketing
campaigns, the results of which assist the marketing department to select the optimum
marketing campaign for the sale of that particular product.
d. Skills and experience in transforming and manipulating large datasets, for the purpose of
data analysis
My experience in data analysis, interpretation and the application of statistical techniques
has been evidenced throughout my career and studies in a variety of settings. With a
career history spanning Research Officer and Database Analyst positions, my practical
experience working with statistical data, analysis and interpretation is extensive and has
afforded me skills of an exceptional quality. As a Research Officer, I have experienced how
to design research, select the correct statistical analysis method and choose which type of
statistical report that needs to be produced. As a Database Analyst, I have experience in
sampling, designing databases, data analysis, interpretation and the producing of statistical
reports.
e. Ability to communicate research methods and findings clearly to both technical and
non-technical audiences
I possess excellent communication, negotiation and interpersonal skills that have been
demonstrated through my leadership roles and in negotiations with both internal and
external technical and non-technical stakeholders. Presenting myself with professionalism,
I am able to communicate with a broad range of stakeholders and adapt my
communication style to the person I am communicating with. This includes having an
awareness of their knowledge base and technical expertise. The non-technical audience I
communicate results to, are suppliers and stakeholders from commercial teams, product
managers and marketing personnel. Additionally, I liaise and collaborate with stakeholders,
such as the management team, to ensure the delivery of the data in a timely manner and
that they fully understand the reports and data I provide in order to ensure accurate
delivery of information, on which management can base decisions.
Personal
Enthusiasm for working with numbers and communicating findings to technical and
non-technical audiences
My enthusiasm for working with numbers began in school where I developed a passion and
aptitude for working with numbers and statistics. Over the years, I have developed
superior research and analysis abilities and can translate statistical data into easy to
understand reports and graphs for numerous types of businesses. I am focused and
confident in conceptualising new approaches and bringing ideas to life through designing
components for implementation. I aim to inspire others to assume a group-focused
mentality and to unite to achieve strategic goals. I am able to deliver results and bring
issues to resolution; this capability was demonstrated whilst studying and the subsequent
successful completion of my Bachelor of Economics–Majoring in Statistics.
The ease at which I adapt my technical numeracy skills can be seen in my ability to apply
my academic knowledge in order to form solid analytical data and processes that can be
applied to a myriad of situations. Applying my knowledge, whilst following a regimented
and regulated examination process is evident within my current role as Research Analyst,
which includes tasks such as predictions of product stock and market forces.
b. Excellent communication and presentation skills and the ability to persuade and
negotiate
Before I joined Lawler Partners, my manager carried out post-campaign analysis by looking
at each player and manually attributing an incentive according to their gaming spent. After
I took on the role, I developed a formula that would automatically calculate the incentive
for each player. Additionally, I developed numerous other formulas that improved the
analysis and time spent performing the task; a task that was taking 3 hours now became
possible in 5 seconds.
At ITW Proline I have put together an Excel training course for the staff of the company.
This was done by applying formulas on company data and utilising examples from day-to-
day processes to make the non-technical audience have a better understanding on how to
use formulas and of what practical benefits the staff would obtain by acquiring new skills.
Also at NAFDA, the master data file of the company’s products had wrong data. The same
products had different stock codes and barcodes. In order to do a correct analysis, I needed
to first cleanse the data that I used for sales analysis. I have presented the output of the
analysis to the management, and this has shown them the importance of keeping clean
data in their systems and the benefits that come with it.
c. High level organisational and time management skills, able to work to deadlines,
manage multiple activities and respond to changing priorities
My excellent time management skills and ability to prioritise workflow have been
developed through experience working in high-volume environments and managing
competing priorities. For example, I have regular day-to-day statistical work to complete
yet have the priority of the Christmas statistical marketing data to prepare. After consulting
with my up line manager, I determined that I should compete my daily activities as a first
priority, and then work on the Christmas marketing and stock data during the remaining
time each day. That way I am able to complete both priorities in time and to a deadline.
Managing my busy work schedule, prioritising and meeting deadlines is a daily challenge,
but my skills in this area make it one that I can easily overcome with personal drive,
initiative and planning.
d. Ability to work independently and as part of a team I don't think what is written
really addresses this criterion
A confident and experienced communicator, I have developed the innate ability to tailor
my communications to my audience in order to deliver meaningful and relevant
information to internal and external stakeholders. I possess superior oral and written
communication skills and the ability to communicate with colleagues at all levels,
supported by my experience in delivering relevant information and ideas in the form of
reports, publications and presentations.
I understand that the presentation and layout of a report is vital to communicating
information, and that it needs to be designed in a format that can be understood by all
recipients. I also recognise the importance of presenting data not just in numerical form,
but as a meaningful commentary or summary that provides a thorough analysis of a
situation that offers recommendations and discusses how the information will impact the
business.
Understand and commit to the principles of anti-discrimination and equal
employment opportunity legislation and the application of these principles in the
workplace on a daily basis with a commitment to cultural diversity
In my profession as a Research Analyst, I come in contact with, and work with, a diverse
range of people from different cultures. As such, I am committed to the variety of
legislations that govern the work place, including anti-discrimination laws and the Equal
Opportunity Act 1984. The Equal Opportunity Act 1984, is designed to promote recognition
and acceptance of the rights and equality of all, regardless of race, religion, sex, gender,
marital status and sexual orientation. I am dedicated to upholding these standards.
f. Understand and commit to the principles of work health and safety legislation and
the application of these principles in the workplace on a daily basis what follows is
more about EEO rather than health and safety
Throughout my career, I have developed a thorough understanding of the policies and
practices on Occupational Safety and Health (OSH), as well as Equal Employment
Opportunities (EEO), as well as diversity and equity. I actively promote OSH, equity and
diversity in the workplace and foster an inclusive environment for all staff and the broader
community. I strive to create an environment which celebrates diversity, free from all
forms of discrimination and harassment that recognises, utilises and values the knowledge,
skills and abilities and ideas of all staff, irrespective of race, ethnicity or religion, education
level, socioeconomic background, age, disability or family responsibility.
Desirable
Experience working with data in sectors such as banking, finance, retail, e-commerce,
health, biosciences, or other industries where decision making is data-driven
I have experience in the retail sector, both on the supplier side of the business as well as the
retailer side. My analysis has always been crucial to the business, since it has helped set new
prices, change product ranges, analyse competitors, and used to make informed decisions
based on solid facts.
Experience working with unstructured datasets, and/or where data have been collated from
multiple sources
I have worked with unstructured information taken from different databases. A database in
itself has structured information, because to insert the data into a database, the data has to
be in a structured way that the system accepts. AT NAFDA, I created my own database, from
multiple Excel sheets. In order to do this, I had to cleanse the data and create a logical clean
database. The result has been that this data is extensively used in making important decisions.
