Sr. Data Solution Architect

Sr. Data Solution Architect

Company Summary

Come join one of America’s fastest growing insurance companies with a stable history of 175 years. At National Life Group (“NLG”), we offer a flexible work environment with opportunity for growth. As a mission-driven business, our promises are as important as the products we sell. We encourage our associates to live our values: Do Good. Be Good. Make Good.

Our mission extends beyond the insurance and annuities policies that we sell. Our cause is also to make the world a better place through grants from our charitable foundation, paid time for our employees to volunteer, environmentally sustainable and healthy work sites, and events that promote the work of nonprofits in our own backyard.

We invite you to explore what we have to offer and to join our cause.

Role Summary

The Data Solution Architect role is essential to success of the NLG’s data journey. It aims to address specific data problems and requirements. DSA is the link between business needs, data engineers, and analytics.

Data Solution Architect is responsible for architecting the full data supply chain solution. It includes the platform selection, design of the technical architecture, design of the data model for business solution, deployment approaches and implementation methods. As a key contributor to the NLG Data Governance initiatives, this role will provide data architecture solutions for delivery of trustworthy, high quality and timely data and insights to address specific business objectives. DSA will work with the Data Governance Office, Data Engineers, stakeholders and SMEs across business and IT teams to help define an appropriate solution, including data flows, data quality, governance, security and compliance.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Collaborate with stakeholders, enterprise architects and translate high-level business objectives into technical requirements and data solution designs
• Understand and oversee technical implementation and processes, including hardware and software, to implement the Data Strategy
• Architect and design a high performing data analytics platform that is aligned to the overall enterprise architecture strategy and create a proper foundation for data initiatives
• Develop architectural patterns to simplify data solutions and deliver high quality business outcomes
• Use data modeling and data analytics skills to understand and leverage relationships among data elements
• Lead or participate in technical proofs-of-concept
• Lead a team of data modelers and analysts, providing guidance and support throughout the project lifecycle
• Detect core issues to be addressed before major time and money investment
• Communicate clearly and consistently about data architecture across NLG IT and business, so that all stakeholders know how to use it effectively
• Facilitate quality solutions that are secure, performant, compliant, cost effective, and support business continuity objectives. Collaborating with enterprise architecture, application, infrastructure, and security teams to deliver shared outcomes
• Develop database solutions to ensure NLG’s information is stored effectively and securely
• Produce documentation, artifacts and designs for technical and non-technical audiences
• Stay current and provide insight on cutting edge data software approaches, architectures and vendors. Bring thought leadership around recent trends and provide insight into how technology can impact our business and drive competitive advantages
• Leverage interpersonal savvy and communication skills to explain technical benefits and trade-offs of proposed data solutions to gain buy in from diverse audiences
• Leverage strategic partnerships and vendor relationship management skills to accelerate and improve quality of solutions

Minimum Qualifications

• Hands-on experience with solutions and data architecture
• Solid foundation in key data modeling methodologies and approaches
• 7-10 years of working experience with major data warehousing solutions and database technology, such as SQL Server, Databricks, Snowflake
• Firm understanding of programming languages like SQL, Python (libraries like Pandas, NumPy, PySpark), Java, PHP, R
• Expertise in ETL/ELT architecture, implementation and performance tuning of mappings, jobs, transformations
• Hands-on experience working with ETL tools such Talend or others 
• Proven track record of designing solutions for data warehouses with a good understanding of cluster and parallel architecture as well as high-scale or distributed RDBMS and knowledge of NoSQL platforms
• Experience with Data, Big Data and Analytics architecture and ecosystem on prem