Chief Analytics Officer, Kafene
$325-350k
Lease-to-own options for furniture, appliances, electronics, and more
Open for applications
Lease-to-own options for furniture, appliances, electronics, and more
101-200 employees
Open for applications
$325-350k
101-200 employees
Company mission
To empower flexible ownership solutions.
Role
Who you are
- The successful candidate will be a collaborative and highly analytical leader with a commitment to fostering a data-driven culture across the organization
- Master’s degree in Data Science, Business Analytics, Statistics, or a related field; Ph.D. preferred
- 10+ years of experience in data analytics, with at least 5 years in a leadership role, with a proven track record of driving growth and delivering measurable impact through analytics
- Proficiency in data analysis tools (e.g., SQL, Python, R), data visualization software (e.g., Tableau, Power BI), and advanced machine learning techniques
- Strong business acumen and clear analytical thinking, with the ability to quickly understand complex business contexts and recommend impactful solutions
- Strategic prioritization skills, effectively balancing high-level objectives with operational execution, focused on driving both immediate results and long-term success
- Proven team leadership with experience building and mentoring high-performing teams (5-10) of data scientists, fostering an environment of intellectual rigor, curiosity, and continuous improvement
- Exceptional verbal and written communication skills, adept at translating complex data insights into clear, actionable information for varied audiences
- High emotional intelligence (EQ) to provide impactful recommendations while fostering productive, collaborative relationships with stakeholders
- Investigative and process-oriented, approaching challenges with systematic thinking and a long-range planning mindset
- Intellectual curiosity and tenacity, driven by a commitment to uncovering data’s full potential to drive performance, profitability, and growth
What the job involves
- The Data Analytics Team is the driving force behind our data-driven culture at Kafene
- We partner closely with Kafene’s Risk, Technology, Sales, and Product teams to deliver valuable insights that drive growth and optimize business processes
- Kafene seeks a Chief Analytics Officer (CAO) who combines business insight with deep analytics expertise
- This role will lead Kafene’s analytics strategy, transforming data into a powerful tool for business growth, operational efficiency, and profitability
- Develop and implement a forward-looking analytics strategy to drive growth, efficiency, and profitability
- Collaborate closely with executive leadership to prioritize high-impact data initiatives, ensuring alignment with organizational goals and continuous performance optimization
- Cultivate a “how could this be done better?” mindset, fostering a culture of curiosity, experimentation, and strategic prioritization across the analytics function
- Build and lead a high-performing analytics team, with strong expertise in model-building, experimentation, and advanced analytics
- Provide training and mentorship to foster continuous learning and develop advanced analytics skills within the team
- Encourage a balanced approach to big-picture strategy and detailed analysis, empowering the team to tackle initiatives with both depth and flexibility
- Lead analytics initiatives (e.g., cohort monitoring, marketing analytics, ROI assessments) to deliver actionable insights that inform key business strategies related to volume, performance, and cost
- Develop and oversee a comprehensive experimentation program to uncover opportunities for increasing revenue, enhancing performance, and reducing costs
- Develop and implement a pricing strategy and program aimed at optimizing both volume and profitability
- Define and implement best practices for data collection, storage, and analysis to support evolving business needs and enable advanced analytics capabilities
- Identify and deploy advanced analytical techniques and tools to streamline business processes and drive high-value outcomes
- Partner with various departments (e.g. Sales, Risk, Product, Operations) to understand their analytics needs and deliver tailored solutions
- Facilitate workshops and training to promote data literacy, empowering teams to make data-driven decisions and embed analytics into everyday workflows
- Define and track key performance indicators (KPIs) and establish a framework to assess the impact and effectiveness of analytics projects to guide business priorities
- Monitor and report on the outcomes of analytics projects, offering insights and recommendations to inform strategic direction, portfolio composition, and long-term growth initiatives
- Effectively communicate findings and insights to stakeholders at all levels, translating complex data into actionable strategies
- Engage with external partners and vendors to stay ahead of industry developments, adopting best practices and emerging technologies in analytics
Our take
Historically, bad credit and poor purchasing power have excluded many consumers from buying higher-priced household items. Classic lenders are reluctant to offer plans to those with poor or absent credit pasts, and it can be hard for low-income households to save enough money for upfront purchasing. Kafene, founded in 2019, integrates lease-to-own agreements at point-of-purchase; opening up furniture, appliance, and electronics businesses to underserved consumers.
Lease-to-own is no new concept, but bringing this type of agreement to furniture and similar markets is relatively novel by comparison. Kafene’s toolbox – driven by custom-built technology – underwrites, approves, and enables payment in less than five minutes. Its point-of-sale nature means it does not interrupt the shopping experience and, additionally, consumers can manage existing leases through the website which encourages a positive consumer-lender relationship.
Kafene has seen substantial investment which is set to increase headcount to meet demand from merchants and consumers. Although it is only one of many buy-now-pay-later startups, the market for these platforms is huge and there is certainly room within it for Kafene to continue to grow.
Freddie
Company Specialist at Welcome to the Jungle
Insights
Few candidates hear
back within 2 weeks
Company
Funding (last 2 of 6 rounds)
Oct 2023
$12.6m
SERIES B
Sep 2022
$18m
SERIES B
Total funding: $77.1m
Company benefits
- Comprehensive healthcare coverage, including dental, vision, and dependent care benefits
- 401(k) plan and options for medical HSA and FSA
- Generous paid time off and parental leave
- Hybrid workplace setup with home office equipment provided
Company values
- Communicate simply: Prioritize stakeholder engagement and understanding. Communicate your logic and welcome feedback
- Seek continuous improvement: Continue to ask yourself, "how can I make this better?"
- Take calculated risks: Play to win and keep your eyes on the prize
- Be data driven: Make thoughtful, systematic decisions based on the best data you have
Company HQ
Midtown East, New York, NY
Articles
Leadership
Neal Desai
(Co-Founder & CEO)Former CFO at Octane Lending. Prior experience as a Portfolio Manager. Has worked at Summit Securities Group, Hard Eight Holdings, and Merrill Lynch.
James Schuler
(Co-Founder & CTO)Co-founded Atlas Holdings Group, FundElevator and Eligible Inc, and was CTO at all three.
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