Director, Advanced Analytics & Governance

National Life Insurance Company•Addison, TX

About The Position

National Life Group is seeking a Director, Advanced Analytics & Governance to join their Chief Data Office. This senior leadership role is responsible for driving the maturation of the organization’s analytics and reporting capabilities and advancing enterprise-wide analytics standards. The role involves leading 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. The position operates at the intersection of business, analytics, and technology, bridging technical innovation with robust data governance, privacy, and ethical standards. The Director will set strategy and oversee execution of analytics initiatives, building on an established foundation.

Requirements

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
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.

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.