Data Analyst, Principal

Dayforce is a global human capital management company, and they are seeking a Principal Data Analyst to drive data-informed strategies and optimize key business processes. This role involves collaborating with senior leaders and cross-functional teams to integrate AI and automation into analytical workflows, ultimately influencing strategic decisions across the enterprise.

Responsibilities:

• Translate business questions into analytical solutions that go beyond stated needs by proactively surfacing insights that guide executive strategy and operational excellence
• Design, build, and maintain advanced Power BI dashboards that visualize performance metrics, automate reporting, and democratize access to insights across teams
• Partner with business leaders across designated departments to define key metrics, interpret performance results, and connect analytics to financial and growth objectives
• Collaborate with the Data Science team to build and maintain predictive and prescriptive models, including regression, clustering, decision trees, customer segmentation, and revenue optimization
• Champion data quality and governance by identifying data gaps, implementing cleansing and validation best practices, and partnering with Engineering teams to strengthen data integrity
• Continuously evaluate AI tools, techniques, and platforms that enhance automation, forecasting, and insight generation across business functions
• Present complex analyses as clear, compelling narratives and actionable recommendations for senior leadership
• Stay current on emerging analytics technologies, visualization trends, and AI innovations that can drive competitive advantage

Requirements:

• Bachelor's degree in Statistics, Mathematics, Data Science, Computer Science, Economics, Business Analytics, or a related analytical field; Master's degree preferred
• 10+ years of progressive experience in data analytics, business intelligence, data science, decision science, econometrics, or similar analytical roles, preferably within an enterprise SaaS, technology, consulting, or complex business environment
• Deep expertise in Power BI and SQL, including scalable semantic models, executive dashboards, reporting, and self-service analytics
• Strong understanding of data modeling, KPI design, data quality, and governance practices
• Demonstrated ability to translate ambiguous business questions into structured analytical approaches, identify root causes, quantify business impact, and recommend practical actions
• Experience partnering with senior leaders and cross-functional stakeholders to define success metrics, interpret performance trends, and connect analytics to financial, operational, customer, and growth outcomes
• Proven experience leading complex analytics initiatives from concept through implementation with minimal oversight
• Working knowledge of AI, machine learning, and advanced analytics concepts including regression, clustering, classification, forecasting, segmentation, anomaly detection, and predictive modeling
• Ability to identify opportunities to leverage AI, automation, and advanced analytics to improve reporting efficiency, forecasting, and business decision support
• Exceptional communication and storytelling skills with the ability to present complex data to executive and non-technical audiences
• Strong business and financial acumen with the ability to prioritize analytical initiatives based on business value
• High degree of curiosity, ownership, sound judgment, and attention to detail
• Experience in the Human Capital Management (HCM) industry is preferred
• Experience driving enterprise-wide analytics strategies and executive decision support
• Expertise applying AI and automation to business intelligence and reporting
• Experience building scalable self-service analytics environments
• Demonstrated ability to influence senior leadership through data-driven insights
• Experience within Human Capital Management or enterprise software environments