Master Data Specialist

Job description

Job Title: Master Data Specialist BG/BU: Snacks and Confectionary Location: Cumbria Job Family: Supply Chain/Logistics Reports to: Supply Chain Manager 1. Job Overview The Master Data Specialist is responsible for the creation, maintenance, and governance of material, customer, and production data within SAP, ensuring accuracy and consistency across the business. This role plays a critical part in supporting manufacturing operations, supply chain efficiency, and financial reporting within a fast-paced packaging production environment. Working within Supply Chain, the Master Data specialist will work closely with Production and Finance teams to ensures that all finished goods, bills of materials (BOMs), and product specifications are correctly configured to enable efficient production planning, accurate costing, and effective reporting. The position requires strong attention to detail, cross-functional collaboration, and a proactive approach to continuous improvement. The Master Data Specialist will lead structured processes for new product setup, manage data changes through business governance (e.g, MDG requests), and drive data quality initiatives, particularly related to waste analysis, production performance, and reporting accuracy. This includes coordinating weekly reviews, implementing control checklists, and supporting investigations into operational inefficiencies. The role plays a critical part in maintaining high-quality data standards within ERP and other enterprise systems. ________________________________________ Main Responsibilities; Master Data Management • Create and maintain SAP master data for finished goods, customers, and materials across Amcell and Extrusion operations • Process and govern Master Data Governance (MDG) requests, ensuring compliance with business standards and approval workflows • Ensure accuracy, consistency, and completeness of all master data to support planning, production, and financial reporting Product & Production Data Setup • Set up new finished goods, including product specifications, routing, and relevant production parameters • Create and maintain extrusion recipes and SKUs in line with manufacturing requirements • Manage and update Bills of Materials (BOMs), including forward planning for monthly updates and post-production adjustments Change Management & Governance • Lead and control the process for changes to finished goods and associated master data within Amcell • Implement and maintain robust pre- and post-creation checklists for new product setup to ensure data integrity • Act as the central point of control for data-related changes impacting operations Reporting & Analysis • Conduct investigation work and generate reports to support operational decision-making • Partner with Finance to deliver weekly analysis of the top 10% of jobs with highest waste for root cause investigation • Support performance tracking through data extraction, validation, and interpretation • Monthly master data reporting and KPI Operational Support & Continuous Improvement • Lead weekly Finished Goods (FG) review meetings to align data with operational requirements • Support key projects related to waste reduction, TCH improvements, and material usage optimisation • Identify and drive opportunities to improve data processes, standardisation, and SAP utilisation Cross-Functional Collaboration • Work closely within Supply Chain, Production, Finance teams to ensure data supports business needs • Act as a key link between departments to resolve data issues impacting manufacturing and reporting • Work with business stakeholders on master data standards and processes 2. Job Dimensions The role operates within the Supply Chain function. The Master Data Specialist is responsible for maintaining high-quality SAP master data that underpins production planning, material usage, costing, and financial reporting. Key dimensions include: • Ownership of SAP Plant Masterdata functions for finished goods, materials, customers, and production-related structures, from item creations, BOM’s, API Mapping, Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) to daily SAP troubleshooting, ensuring the correct information is being used for the daily processes. • Direct impact on manufacturing efficiency, waste reporting, and cost accuracy • Management of a consistent pipeline of new product setups, change requests, and data maintenance activities • Accountability for ensuring data governance standards are adhered to across all updates and creations • Contribution to continuous improvement and investigation initiatives, particularly in waste reduction and process optimisation • Supporting weekly operational reporting and analysis, influencing decision-making on performance and efficiency • Creation, maintenance, and continuous improvement of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for all master data processes • Ensuring all SOPs are documented, up to date, and aligned with business processes and SAP system requirements 3. Principal Accountabilities Key Accountabilities Key activities • Ownership and maintenance of accurate SAP master data (finished goods, materials, customers) • Creation and governance of new product setups, ensuring completeness and data integrity • Management and ongoing maintenance of Bills of Materials (BOMs), routings, production versions and extrusion recipes • Control and coordination of all master data changes through structured processes and approvals • Mass changes and data tables: Perform periodic mass changes, maintain supporting data tables and run data quality checks to prevent MRP or production disruption. • Delivery of reporting and analysis to support operational performance and waste reduction • Collaboration with Finance to identify and investigate high-waste production jobs • Leadership of weekly Finished Goods (FG) review meetings • Implementation and adherence to data quality checklists and governance standards • Support of continuous improvement initiatives (waste, TCH, MTLs) • Acting as the key liaison between Supply Chain, Production, Finance, and Commercial teams • Ensuring SAP data supports accurate planning, costing, and operational execution • Driving improvements in data processes, standardisation, and system utilisation • Performing any other tasks assigned by the Supply Chain Manager, in accordance with the agreed type of work. 4. Major challenges & complexities • Managing large volumes of complex master data across multiple product lines (Amcell and Extrusion) while maintaining high accuracy • Ensuring data consistency across departments where requirements and priorities may differ (Production vs Finance) • Investigating discrepancies between SAP data and actual production performance, particularly in waste, material usage, and efficiencies • Identifying root causes of data-related issues impacting production, costing, or reporting • Developing and improving new processes, controls, and checklists to enhance data quality and reduce errors • Continuously reviewing and refining ways of working to optimise SAP usage and streamline master data workflows • Balancing reactive support (urgent corrections, production issues) with proactive improvement initiatives • Supporting business improvement projects where data quality is critical to success (e.g., waste reduction) • Act as a team player within departments to break ‘silos’ to foster collaboration and alignment on cross-team priorities for flawless execution 5. Relationships Internal Finance Production Supply Chain CI IT Sales Operations External SAP Support Providers Other sites in the BU for best practices 6. Qualifications/Requirements 6.1 Formal Qualifications and Experience • Experience working with SAP, ideally in a Master Data, Supply Chain, or Manufacturing environment • Proven experience managing large volumes of data with high levels of accuracy and attention to detail • Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to investigate data discrepancies and identify root causes • Experience supporting cross-functional teams such as Supply Chain, Production, and Finance • Proficient in Microsoft Excel for data analysis and reporting • Positive attitude towards change, logical, organised, excellent attention to detail with problem solving and decision making abilities. • Strong analytical skills