Masterdata Analyst I

ROLE OVERVIEW The Masterdata Analyst I owns the new product introduction path through master data: taking a product the business has decided to offer and turning it into a complete, correctly tiered, orderable set of records — base material, regional variants, identifiers, classification references, purchase information records and catalogue readiness — before the first requisition is raised against it. The role originates new material requests on behalf of the channel management function, holds the introduction open until every regional variant is live, and works the approval blockers that are the principal source of delay in the path. Where Level I is measured on speed and accuracy against a high-volume queue, Level II is measured on judgement: whether a requested variant is genuinely new or a duplicate of an existing configuration, which tier and identifier rule applies to the asset class in question, which supplier price lines apply to which plants and countries, and when an introduction has stalled and needs escalating with evidence rather than reminders. The role also carries the Level I associates on the shift — reviewing their extraction and creation work, coaching on gating judgement, and taking the cases they should not decide alone. KEY RESPONSIBILITIES 1. New Product Introduction — Origination, Tiering & Gating • Raise new material requests on behalf of channel management, capturing the full attribute set: identifiers, standardised description, net and gross weights in kilograms where regionally mandated, classification references, unit valuation and supplier detail. • Apply the correct material tier classification for new product introductions, which differs from the classification used for audio-visual requests — audio-visual assets retain the lower tier, and the carve-out is stated on the request rather than assumed. • Verify the required identifier type per asset class before origination — manufacturer part number for hardware assets, universal product code for accessories. • Check for an existing equivalent configuration before originating a new record, using part number, universal product code and technical specification, since a specification-level duplicate passes an identifier-only check and degrades financial reporting accuracy. • Apply the mandatory validation gate for high-risk request types — hardware additions, managed-service-provider additions and special orders — and release nothing without the documented approval on the record. • Decide whether a request should proceed at all, and reject or return incomplete or duplicative requests with the specific gap stated rather than completing them to clear the queue. 2. Base & Variant Hierarchy and Regional Rollout • Apply the parent-child model — establish the base material for the core product, then originate regional variant requests for localised configurations such as power plug types and keyboard layouts. • Keep the parent request open until every regional variant has been created and closed, so a product is never part-released into a region that cannot fulfil it. • Maintain the variant hierarchy over the product life, adding configurations as regions are enabled and retiring them as configurations are withdrawn. • Confirm each new item is catalogue-ready before release: description standards met, worldwide availability enabled so the item is visible to every regional workforce, correct category and supercategory mapping, and complete specification content. • Coordinate the regional rollout sequence with channel management, mobility operations and authorised inventory specialists so launch dates hold against known stock and enablement positions. • Support product retirement and tier reclassification at end of sale, coordinating obsolescence timing with channel management and regional stock positions so dead inventory does not accumulate cost. 3. Supplier Price Files & Purchase Information Records • Run the weekly price verification cycle across the managed catalogue, comparing live catalogue pricing against current supplier price files and updating where pricing has moved. • Process supplier price sheets into purchase information records, scrubbing line items for plants, countries and delivery locations that are not maintained, so only in-scope combinations load into the system. • Validate unit costs, currency and region mappings before release, and escalate discrepancies to channel management and procurement rather than loading a price that will fail downstream. • Contribute to the monthly pricing review against historical baselines, flagging anomalies before they reach the ordering storefront. • Keep catalogue pricing reconciled with procurement and finance records, so invoice matching downstream does not break on price variance, and maintain evidence for every price change so disputes are resolved from the record. • Track recurring pricing discrepancies to root cause with the supplier or channel owner instead of correcting the same line repeatedly. Pricing policy, rate governance and commercial approval remain with the pricing function; this role executes and evidences. 4. Pipeline Progression, Defect Root Cause & Continuous Improvement • Maintain forward visibility of the new product pipeline, so launches are planned against known dates rather than reconstructed from fragments. • Work approval blockers on new material additions, and produce turnaround-time analysis showing where time is actually lost between hand-offs, then escalate with that evidence. • Flag at-risk introductions early to the shift lead, naming the specific dependency that is slipping. • Own the master-data defect queue for introduced products, raising catalogue and data errors with enough detail for root cause and working with Asset Lifecycle Management on the underlying fault rather than the symptom. • Review a sampled share of Level I output, coach on supplier attribute extraction and gating judgement, and t