Director of Data Engineering

Company Description

At Neilson, we’re dedicated to helping families secure financial protection for their loved ones with a range of life insurance options. 

Neilson is a leading provider of innovative, simple and great-value direct life insurance products.

We have evolved from our origins in the UK, where the business was launched in 2012, to become an award-winning international operation and leader in the global life insurance market. Today, we have offices in the USA, Canada, Ireland, and Australia.

Job Description

We are seeking an experienced and visionary Director of Data Engineering to lead and elevate our data engineering team. This team includes a Data Warehouse Architect, Data Engineers, and an Analyst, all supporting CRM applications, lead management, and business intelligence (BI). Reporting directly to the VP of Engineering, this role demands strategic foresight, innovation, and cross-functional collaboration to drive data-driven insights and operational excellence. The ideal candidate will embody Neilson’s culture of innovation and collaboration while delivering scalable and forward-thinking data solutions.

Key Responsibilities:

Leadership and Culture:

• Inspire a culture of innovation, collaboration, and excellence within the Data Engineering team.
• Provide mentorship and career development opportunities to team members, fostering a dynamic and high-performing environment
• Develop and execute a clear data engineering strategy aligned with Neilson’s market expansion and business objectives.

Strategic Impact and Collaboration:

• Partner with senior stakeholders, including the CTO, VP of Engineering, Cloud Engineering, DataWorks, and Marketing, to align data strategies with company-wide goals.
• Lead cross-functional initiatives that empower CRM and DataWorks functionalities to support Neilson's aggressive growth and market expansion strategy.
• Promote transparency and accountability through regular progress updates to executive stakeholders.

Data Strategy and Innovation:

• Develop and execute a forward-looking data strategy incorporating AI, ML, and automation.
• Evaluate and implement emerging technologies to increase efficiency, scalability, and insights across the organization.
• Assess new tools and methodologies to enhance the organization's data ecosystem, driving competitive advantage.

Data Integration and Architecture:

• Design and implement scalable, high-quality data architectures and pipelines for BI, CRM, and lead management applications.
• Lead efforts in cloud-based, scalable data solutions with a focus on autoscaling and long-term efficiency.
• Ensure alignment of data systems with Neilson’s evolving needs, balancing "build vs. buy" and "change vs. run" strategies.

Governance and Performance Metrics:

• Establish and maintain robust data governance policies to uphold data integrity and security across markets.
• Define and track KPIs for data initiatives, ensuring measurable progress and reporting outcomes to stakeholders.
• Implement metrics and controls to ensure data quality, consistency, and compliance as the organization scales.

Operational Excellence:

• Oversee the maintenance and optimization of database systems to ensure performance and availability.
• Drive the adoption of DevOps practices to streamline data engineering workflows and enhance reliability.
• Lead performance tuning and SQL optimization efforts to meet and exceed SLAs.

Qualifications

Essential:

• Proven leadership experience in data engineering, with a history of driving innovation and aligning technical initiatives with business goals.
• Expertise in SQL, T-SQL, data modeling, and data architecture, particularly on relational databases like SQL Server.
• Experience with cloud platforms (preferably Azure) and implementing scalable data solutions.
• Strong understanding of data governance, security, and privacy standards.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills for collaboration with executive and cross-functional teams.

Preferred:

• Familiarity with AI/ML applications and automation in data engineering.
• Experience with BI tools like Power BI and scripting languages such as Python or C#.
• Background in designing and managing KPIs and performance dashboards for data projects.
• Knowledge of DevOps practices and cloud security, including autoscaling and vulnerability management.

Additional Information

If you are passionate about making a difference, you thrive in a fast paced and entrepreneurial environment and you want to be a part of a high performing team, we would love to hear from you!

Accessibility for Job Applicants:

We strive to make our job application process accessible to all individuals, including those with disabilities. If you require accommodation at any stage of the application, interview, or selection process, please contact our Human Resources department. Our team will work with you to provide suitable accommodations to ensure your participation.

Equal Opportunity Employer:

Neilson Financial Services is an equal opportunity employer. We welcome and encourage applications from candidates of all backgrounds and abilities. Our commitment to diversity and inclusion is fundamental to our company culture.