Director - Data & AI Solutions - Financial Services, Actuarial - REMOTE

Nationwide Mutual Insurance•Columbus, OH

1d•Remote

About The Position

Nationwide is seeking a technology leader to drive enterprise-scale data, analytics, cloud modernization, and artificial intelligence solutions across Nationwide Financial’s Actuarial organization. The role translates business priorities into scalable, secure, cloud-native solutions and supports actuarial teams in adopting modern data- and AI-enabled ways of working. Reporting to the Senior Technical Director, the position serves as a trusted advisor and liaison between actuarial and business stakeholders and technology teams. It identifies high-value opportunities, leads discovery and solution-design discussions, shapes technology roadmaps, and guides delivery across data, platform engineering, DevOps, security, governance, architecture, and application development. The role also provides technical leadership and mentoring. The position partners with actuarial leaders, business stakeholders, and digital teams to prioritize and deliver data, analytics, automation, and technology opportunities; modernizes legacy processes and applications; designs and governs modern data platforms; and establishes practices for data quality, metadata, lineage, governance, security, access controls, and observability. It identifies responsible uses of generative AI, machine learning, analytics, and automation, leads architecture and technology evaluations, and recommends improvements to scalability, resilience, performance, and cost optimization. The role communicates with executive and technical audiences and influences strategic technology investments. The broader Financial Technical Director – Actuarial responsibilities include providing thought leadership on actuarial techniques, procedures, risk analysis, and strategic data and analysis; developing business recommendations; and leading complex actuarial, data, analytics, and cross-functional initiatives. The role is located in Columbus, Ohio, or may be fully remote within the lower 48 U.S. states. It is exempt from overtime and involves a normal office environment.

Requirements

10+ years of hands-on experience in data architecture, data engineering, analytics, and enterprise solution architecture.
5+ years designing and implementing cloud-native modern data platforms using Snowflake, Databricks, and AWS.
3+ years delivering AI, machine learning, generative AI, or agentic AI solutions into production environments.
Proven experience leading enterprise-scale digital transformation, data modernization, and AI adoption initiatives.
Strong expertise in modern data platform architecture, lakehouse architectures, and cloud-native design principles.
Demonstrated success partnering directly with business stakeholders to develop technology roadmaps and solution strategies.
Strong architectural thinking, executive communication, strategic problem-solving, and ability to influence without direct authority.
Undergraduate degree in actuarial science, mathematics, statistics, computer science, or a similar quantitative or technical field; a bachelor's degree in computer science, engineering, information systems, or a related technical discipline is highly preferred.
Typically, eight or more years of actuarial or similar experience, as stated in the broader Financial Technical Director – Actuarial requirements.
Proven knowledge of actuarial business functions, statistical methods of analysis, company actuarial systems and databases, and their integration.
Technical facility with leading computer tools and technology; mastery of Microsoft Office products, including VBA within Access and Excel, programming languages, and actuarial models.
Basic organizational agility and issue resolution skills; proficiency in command skills, strategic agility, delegation, inspiring others, business perspective, and accounting.
Mastery of perspective, problem solving, customer focus, dealing with ambiguity, drive for results, analysis, learning on the fly, and making effective use of system capabilities.
Regularly and consistently demonstrate Nationwide Values.

Nice To Haves

Python, SQL, PySpark, API integration, CI/CD, DevOps, and infrastructure as code.
Experience applying AI, analytics, or automation to business processes with appropriate governance and controls.
Snowflake, Databricks, machine learning, or generative AI certifications.
Experience with data lakes, medallion architecture, Parquet, Apache Iceberg, Delta Lake, data interoperability, metadata management, data lineage, data governance, and observability.
Insurance or actuarial experience, or a strong interest in learning actuarial business processes and translating them into technology solutions.
Experience working with Enterprise Data Office, Infrastructure, platform engineering, security, governance, or architecture organizations.

Responsibilities

Partner with actuarial leaders, business stakeholders, and digital teams to prioritize and deliver data, analytics, automation, and technology opportunities.
Modernize legacy processes and applications into cloud-native, data-driven, and AI-enabled solutions.
Design and govern modern data platforms using technologies such as Snowflake, Databricks, AWS, data lakes, lakehouse architectures, and open table formats.
Establish practical standards for data quality, metadata, lineage, governance, security, access controls, and data observability.
Identify responsible opportunities to use generative AI, machine learning, analytics, and automation to improve productivity, decision-making, and operational efficiency.
Lead discovery sessions, capability assessments, architecture reviews, solution-design workshops, and technology evaluations.
Recommend improvements to platform scalability, resilience, performance, and cost optimization.
Communicate complex technical concepts to executive and technical audiences and influence strategic technology investments.
Provide technical leadership and mentoring.
Craft direction for the compilation, categorization, and analysis of data.
Construct sophisticated testing tools and analyze product calculations.
Design and maintain actuarial, projection, and valuation models.
Conduct or delegate financial reporting and analysis.
Lead, consult, and build strategies for product pricing and implementation.
Complete risk analysis for specific lines of business.
Lead efforts to establish reserves and other valuation items under statutory, GAAP, and tax accounting regimes.
Build strategic direction and provide analysis and pricing of reinsurance.
Develop and implement communication strategies and recommendations for leadership.
Complete data and analytics activities such as data governance, data strategy development, data modeling, data requirements, data manipulation, and requirements elicitation.
Lead sophisticated business processes, new programs or modifications to existing applications, and cross-functional projects or teams.
May perform other responsibilities as assigned.

Benefits

Medical, dental, and vision coverage.
Life insurance.
Short- and long-term disability coverage.
Paid time off, with newly hired associates receiving a minimum of 18 days per full calendar year, prorated quarterly based on hire date.
Nine paid holidays.
8 hours of Lifetime paid time off.
8 hours of Unity Day paid time off.
401(k) with company match.
Company-paid pension plan.
Business casual attire.