Data Engineering Director - Hybrid

About the role

National Interstate, a member of Great American Insurance Group, is seeking a Data Engineering Director to lead strategic data initiatives and oversee the Data Engineering team. This hybrid role requires on-site presence in the Richfield, OH office three days per week (typically Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday), with potential for two remote days based on business needs. The position focuses on enhancing workflow efficiency, aligning data engineering with organizational goals, and driving innovation through advanced data solutions.

Responsibilities

• Oversee Data Engineering team operations, workflow efficiency, and productivity.
• Lead strategic planning and execution to align data engineering initiatives with organizational goals.
• Design, develop, and optimize data pipelines and architectures for integration, storage, and retrieval.
• Provide leadership on ETL process implementation to ensure seamless data flow and high data quality.
• Collaborate with business analysts, project managers, and stakeholders to translate business needs into technical requirements.
• Drive adoption of cutting-edge technologies to enhance operational performance, scalability, and resilience.
• Provide strategic mentorship and guidance to team members, fostering continuous improvement.
• Evaluate and implement industry-leading best practices to maintain a competitive edge.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Strategic Business Leadership & Domain Expertise

• Develop data strategies for P&C insurance domains including Underwriting, Claims, Operations, Finance, and Customer Experience.
• Lead enterprise digital transformation by establishing data governance practices, operational data stores, and advanced analytics capabilities.
• Collaborate with C-suite executives and business leaders to translate strategic goals into actionable data roadmaps.
• Champion data product development to create reusable, trusted data assets for analytics and reporting across business domains.

End-to-End Data Ecosystem Architecture

• Design and implement an enterprise data ecosystem from source systems to consumption.
• Architect enterprise data assets such as Operational Data Stores (ODS).
• Design scalable ETL/ELT pipelines across batch, real-time, and event-driven latencies.
• Familiar with Snowflake and Informatica Data Management Center (IDMC) for enterprise reporting and analytics.

Data Governance & Compliance Leadership

• Develop comprehensive data catalogs and Data Quality (DQ) frameworks with lineage, quality scoring, and control documentation.
• Design and implement error and audit logging frameworks for traceability and compliance.
• Establish data governance frameworks and catalog tools to improve data quality and regulatory compliance.
• Define and enforce data architecture policies aligned with business goals and regulatory requirements (e.g., HIPAA, state insurance regulations).
• Lead data stewardship programs to establish ownership models and accountability frameworks.

Requirements

• Education: Bachelor’s degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, Software Engineering, or a related field.
• Experience: Minimum of 18 years in data engineering or related fields, including at least 8 years in leadership roles.
• Experience with data warehousing solutions and ETL processes.
• Typically manages 2 or more reports and contributes to strategy, performance targets, and policies.
• Expert proficiency in multiple programming languages, cloud platforms, and modern development frameworks.
• Expert consultancy on business and technology operations.
• Expert understanding of machine learning concepts and their software engineering implications.
• Maintains expert knowledge of industry trends and technologies.
• Manages staff performance, talent selection, development, and performance management.
• Plans and ensures team meets budget and performance targets.
• Proficiency in SQL and experience with RDBMS such as MySQL, PostgreSQL, or Oracle.
• Knowledge of data modeling, data architecture, and data governance.
• Familiarity with big data technologies (e.g., Hadoop, Spark) is a plus.

Benefits

• Medical, dental, and vision coverage.
• Wellness plans, parental leave, adoption assistance, and tuition reimbursement.
• Paid Time Off and paid holidays.
• 401(k) plan with company match.
• Employee stock purchase plan.
• Commuter benefits.

Compensation varies by role, level, and location and is influenced by skills, experience, and business needs. Specific compensation ranges and benefits details will be provided by your recruiter during the hiring process.