Senior Analyst, Data Project (ERP Focus)

Please note that we do not offer visa sponsorship for this position.

At National Life Group we are in the process of transforming our approach to managing and using data. To maximize its value, it is critical that our data is timely, accurate, consistent, and well-defined throughout the organization. Success relies on strong commitment and collaboration from all areas of the organization, with the Data Team playing a key role in this transformation. In this role, you will have the opportunity to work with various teams across the data lifecycle and engage with senior and executive leadership throughout the organization.

This position currently offers an onsite work schedule, with the expectation that you are in the office four (4) days per week during onsite core days. Our current onsite core days are Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday.  The work schedule type and core days are subject to change with advance notification and manager discretion.

We are seeking a data enthusiast who thrives in transformative environments. You may also have experience in product ownership or product management.  The ideal candidate will embrace the culture of National Life – where servant leadership, upholding company values & applying learnings to performance are valued above all else.

As a key member of our data team, the Senior Analyst role will lead the execution of data-driven initiatives across the organization. A primary focus will be ownership of data work for a large-scale ERP implementation, as well as supporting transformational finance data migrations to our cloud data platforms. Key responsibilities include:

1. Data product ownership:
   • Oversee project scope and prioritization from discovery to delivery of data products, especially in the finance data domain.
   • Develop and manage a thoughtful and integrated project roadmap and backlog.
   • Present updates on incremental project deliveries to business partners and leadership audiences.
2. Project team leadership:
   • Lead the daily work of a cross-functional project team including data engineers, data architects, quality engineers, project managers, and business analysts.
   • Manage timelines, costs, resources, and scope as key measures of success.
   • Build team relationships to foster growth and mentorship.
3. Stakeholder collaboration:
   • Work closely with cross-functional teams (technical and non-technical) to understand business requirements, prioritize tasks, and deliver high-value data and analytics products.
   • Manage stakeholder relationships to effectively balance business needs with technical capabilities.
4. Thought leadership and strategy:
   • Collaborate with non-technical stakeholders to define project needs and effectively translate the product vision to technical teams.
   • Provide strategic guidance to business partners throughout the data lifecycle to promote a data-driven decision-making culture.
   • Contribute to the larger Data Team vision to enable data as a strategic asset across the organization.
5. Data governance and quality management:
   • Implement and champion data governance practices throughout projects to ensure data integrity, quality, and reliability across all data product deliveries.

Requirements & Qualifications: 

• Bachelor's degree in Math, Economics, Engineering, Computer Science, or a related quantitative field.
• 10+ years of combined post-secondary education and relevant work experience, with a focus on product management, data governance, data management, or data analytics.
• 8+ years of hands-on experience leading and executing enterprise projects in a product owner/manager role, with a proven track record of delivering on time, on budget, in scope, and with high adoption of final product. Data cloud migration experience is a plus.
• Prior involvement in large-scale ERP transformations, especially managing data dependencies, cross-functional workflows, and other supporting data and reporting activities is preferred.
• Hands-on experience with Databricks or other cloud-based data analytics platforms (e.g., Snowflake, AWS Redshift).
• Strong communication skills, with the ability to explain complex technical concepts and solutions to non-technical audiences clearly and effectively.

• Proven ability to work across cross-functionally across departments and communicate with various stakeholders to gather requirements and drive project success.
• Analytical mindset with experience in solving complex problems and deriving effective solutions. Ability to independently navigate ambiguity in decision making.

• Experience in data modeling and designing data structures to optimize business insights and value is a plus.
• Experience using business intelligence tools like Tableau and Alteryx for data visualization and analysis is preferred.
• Proficiency in coding languages such as SQL, Python, Pyspark, etc. is preferred.

Benefits

• Your benefits start day one and are flexible and customizable to your and your family’s specific needs. Check out the BENEFITS of a Career at National Life!

Please note that we do not offer visa sponsorship for this position.

Role Summary

At National Life Group, our enterprise data and analytics practice is well established, and we are now focused on further evolving and maturing how we organize, govern, and unlock value from our data. To sustain that progress it is critical that we have timely, accurate, consistent and well-defined data throughout the organization. Success depends on strong commitment & collaboration from all areas of the organization, and the Advanced Analytics & Governance team within the Chief Data Office is central to advancing this work.

The Director, Advanced Analytics & Governance is a senior leadership role within the Chief Data Office responsible for driving the continued maturation of the organization’s analytics and reporting capabilities and for advancing enterprise-wide analytics standards. In this role, you will lead a team of data analysts, analytics engineers, reporting governance specialists, and data stewards to deliver high-impact solutions while ensuring data is trusted, secure, compliant, and governed effectively across the enterprise. You’ll operate at the intersection of business, analytics, and technology — bridging technical innovation in advanced analytics with robust data governance, privacy, and ethical standards.

As a senior leader on our data team, the Director, Advanced Analytics & Governance will set the strategy and oversee execution of analytics initiatives across the organization, building on an established foundation. Key responsibilities include:

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Evolve and execute the enterprise strategy for advanced analytics and reporting governance in alignment with the overall CDO vision and business objectives.
• Lead the design, development, and deployment of advanced analytics solutions — including predictive modeling, machine learning, deep learning, and optimization — and oversee the end-to-end analytics lifecycle from problem framing through model deployment and monitoring.
• Mature and scale the enterprise analytics platform and self-service analytics environment to empower business users while maintaining governance controls.
• Oversee production support and administration of the data analytics systems, ensuring reliability, availability, and operational excellence across the environment.
• Continuously refine and strengthen the enterprise analytics governance framework, including policies, standards, quality metrics, SLAs, metadata management, and remediation processes.
• Lead reporting stewardship programs and ensure clear ownership and accountability across business and technology teams; oversee compliance with data-related regulations (GDPR, CCPA/CPRA, HIPAA, etc.) and internal policies for privacy, security, and ethical data usage.
• Build, mentor, and lead the Business Informatics team, manage talent acquisition, performance management, career development, and succession planning.
• Partner with business leaders, IT, and other CDO functions to identify high-value use cases where advanced analytics can drive revenue, efficiency, customer experience, or risk mitigation.
• Act as a trusted advisor to the CDO and executive leadership; present complex analytics findings and governance strategies to senior executives and non-technical stakeholders in clear, actionable terms.
• Evaluate and recommend analytics and governance tools and technologies (e.g., Tableau, Power BI, Databricks) and drive adoption of modern analytics and reporting architectures leveraging the enterprise data platform.
• Champion a data-driven culture by deepening adoption of analytics insights and governed data assets across the organization.

Obviously, we are looking for someone who loves data! Beyond that, a successful candidate will be a strategic leader who is energized by the work of further maturing and evolving an established analytics practice. They will also contribute to the culture of National Life – where servant leadership, company values & applying learnings to performance are valued above all else.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science, Statistics, Mathematics, Information Systems, Analytics, or a related quantitative field
• 10+ years of progressive experience in data analytics, data science, or data governance, with at least 5+ years in a leadership role
• Proven track record of advancing and scaling advanced analytics capabilities in a complex organization
• Strong experience refining and operating enterprise analytics governance programs, including data quality, metadata, and compliance frameworks
• Analytical mindset with the ability to navigate ambiguity in decision making and to translate complex technical concepts into business language
• Deep expertise in modern data platforms (cloud, Databricks, Snowflake, etc.) is preferred
• Strong knowledge of programming languages such as Python, R, and SQL, and big data technologies (Spark, Hadoop, etc.) is preferred
• Experience with MLOps, model lifecycle management, data cataloging, lineage, and quality management platforms is preferred
• Familiarity with cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, GCP) and modern data architectures is preferred
• Experience working in a Chief Data Office (CDO) or similar central data organization is preferred
• Industry experience in Life Insurance is preferred
• Certifications such as CDMP (Certified Data Management Professional), DAMA, or analytics governance certifications are preferred

Key Competencies & Personal Attributes:

• Strategic Thinking: Ability to align technical capabilities with business outcomes.
• Leadership & Influence: Proven ability to lead without direct authority and influence at all levels.
• Communication: Exceptional ability to translate complex technical concepts into business language.
• Collaboration: Strong partnership-building skills across diverse stakeholder groups.
• Innovation Mindset: Passion for leveraging emerging technologies to solve business problems.
• Ethical Orientation: Deep commitment to responsible data and analytics practices.
• Results-Oriented: Demonstrated ability to deliver measurable business impact through analytics and governance.

Benefits

• Your benefits start day one and are flexible and customizable to your and your family’s specific needs. Check out the BENEFITS of a Career at National Life!