Director, Data Science
About The Position
Sun Life U.S. is hiring a Director, Data Science to provide advanced analytics leadership for an analytics agile squad within Business Analytics. The role advances the use of machine learning and emerging AI capabilities across Sun Life U.S. group businesses, with a focus on improving underwriting, pricing, and related business decisions. Initial support may include Employee Benefits products, with the possibility of supporting other offerings as priorities evolve. The Director is accountable for the end-to-end delivery, deployment, adoption, and ongoing improvement of advanced analytics solutions supporting an assigned roadmap. The role identifies and prioritizes high-value opportunities across new business and renewal underwriting workflows, develops a team of data scientists, and establishes analytical best practices. The Director partners with business stakeholders, technology, and governance teams to ensure solutions are reliable, explainable, fit for purpose, secure, compliant, and supported by appropriate human oversight. Success is measured by sustained adoption and measurable improvements in business outcomes.
Requirements
- Demonstrated expertise with programming languages, applications, and data environments such as Python, SQL, Snowflake, and Dataiku.
- Demonstrated data science expertise, including data conditioning, modeling, integration, visualization, deployment support, and ongoing monitoring.
- Strong knowledge of statistical, machine-learning, and analytical foundations of data science.
- Experience leading analytical solutions that combine structured and unstructured information and translate complex inputs into reliable, business-ready insights, recommendations, or decision support.
- Experience applying analytics to underwriting, pricing, risk selection, portfolio management, or related insurance decisions.
- Commitment to data compliance, model governance, responsible AI, information security, and appropriate handling of sensitive health and business information.
- Proven people leadership and team-development experience, including setting direction, managing priorities, coaching technical talent, and maintaining high delivery standards.
- Strong business acumen and ability to connect advanced analytics work to underwriting, pricing, growth, profitability, operational efficiency, and Sun Life U.S. priorities.
- Excellent communication and stakeholder-management skills, including explaining technical concepts, trade-offs, risks, and recommendations to non-technical audiences.
- BS, MS, or PhD in a statistical, mathematical, or technical field such as computer science or data science.
- 10+/8+/6+ years of experience developing, implementing, and scaling data science, machine learning, or related advanced analytics solutions.
Nice To Haves
- MS or PhD, preferably in a statistical, mathematical, or technical field such as computer science or data science.
- Experience with Employee Benefits, Commercial Dental, Group Medical Stop Loss, or other group insurance products.
- Knowledge of group insurance underwriting, actuarial, pricing, distribution, or product management concepts.
Responsibilities
- Lead advanced analytics solution development for new business and renewal underwriting, pricing, and related decision processes across supported Sun Life U.S. group businesses.
- Shape and maintain a prioritized roadmap of high-value use cases aligned with business strategy, stakeholder needs, measurable outcomes, and emerging analytical opportunities.
- Translate business problems into analytics product requirements, success measures, implementation plans, and adoption strategies.
- Evaluate opportunities to improve multi-step business processes through better information gathering, analysis, recommendations, and workflow coordination while preserving appropriate human judgment and oversight.
- Partner with Underwriting, Actuarial, Product, Distribution, Finance, Technology, and other stakeholders to deliver workflow-ready, scalable, secure, and compliant solutions.
- Apply data science, machine learning, AI, validation, and quality-control expertise to ensure solutions are accurate, reliable, explainable, and fit for business use.
- Drive adoption with business leaders and subject-matter experts through training, feedback capture, change management, and measurement of productivity, decision quality, and business value.
- Manage and develop a team of data scientists, balancing team development, delivery priorities, and long-term capability building.
- Monitor solution performance, user feedback, data quality, model behavior, and business outcomes; identify enhancements and help ensure sustained value after deployment.
- Communicate technical concepts, risks, recommendations, and business impact clearly to technical and non-technical audiences, including senior stakeholders.
Benefits
- Generous vacation and sick time.
- Paid family, parental, and adoption leave.
- Medical coverage.
- Company-paid life and AD&D insurance.
- Disability programs.
- Partially paid sabbatical program.
- 401(k) employer match.
- Stock purchase options.
- Employer-funded retirement account.
- Flexible, inclusive, and collaborative work environment that supports career growth.
- Discretionary annual incentive award based on individual and business performance.
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Director
