Head of Data Engineering

Aviva • New York, NY

1d • $200,000 - $275,000 • Hybrid

About The Position

The Head of Data Engineering is a founding leader accountable for the enterprise data strategy and the design, build, and operation of the entire data ecosystem. Every underwriting decision, pricing model, claim outcome, regulatory filing, and dollar reported to our parent depends on this platform. This is not a caretaker position: the Head of Data Engineering defines the data agenda for the enterprise, owns it end to end, and is accountable for its outcomes at the executive level.
This leader builds with leverage rather than headcount: commanding an extended delivery organization drawn from Aviva group's global data capabilities, a strategic partnership with Snowflake, and contracted vendor teams — and owning its output as if it were their own.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in computer science, Data Engineering, Information Systems, or a related quantitative discipline.
• 10+ years of progressive experience in data engineering, data architecture, or enterprise data platform leadership, including accountability for production data platforms at scale.
• Deep hands-on expertise with the modern cloud data stack, including Snowflake, dbt, and event-streaming platforms such as Kafka.
• Demonstrated success leading enterprise data platform builds, vendor delivery teams, and strategic data initiatives from greenfield to production.
• Strong understanding of US Excess and Surplus specialty insurance products and underwriting dynamics.
• Executive-level communication, presentation, and leadership skills.
• Proven ability to influence senior stakeholders and drive business outcomes.

Nice To Haves

• Experience with P&C insurance data structures (policy, claims, billing, bordereaux) and multi-framework financial reporting (US GAAP, US Statutory, IFRS 17).
• Snowflake, dbt, or cloud data platform certifications (e.g., SnowPro, AWS, Azure).
• Experience supporting executive leadership teams and board-level discussions.
• Advanced business education (MBA or equivalent) preferred.

Responsibilities

• Own the enterprise data strategy: how data is captured, modeled, governed, and distributed across every function and line of business.
• Define and own the canonical data model — the single semantic authority for policy, claim, billing, and financial data — and enforce it across all vendor platforms, with authority to accept or reject integrations based on data quality and schema conformance.
• Drive the data agenda at the executive level, setting priorities and holding the enterprise accountable to data standards no system or process is permitted to violate.
• Own the end-to-end data platform: event ingestion from the Kafka backbone, the Snowflake analytics hub, dbt transformation layers, and the semantic and reporting layers above them — from greenfield to production on the timeline the business demands.
• Lead the Snowflake strategic partnership as the company's key data relationship, directing its professional services and engineering resources as an extension of the function.
• Drive automated pipelines for bordereaux ingestion, validation, and reconciliation across MGA programs, TPA claims feeds, and reinsurer reporting, and own platform reliability, scalability, and cost as a production-grade operation.
• Own the data architecture serving US GAAP, US Statutory, and IFRS 17 reporting from a single transaction-level foundation — one data spine, three frameworks, no re-keying.
• Own the data underpinning statutory filings, NAIC reporting, AM Best submissions, and state examinations, and stand personally accountable for its accuracy, completeness, and auditability.
• Drive the quarterly and annual data delivery to Aviva plc, owning the relationship with group finance and actuarial data consumers in London.
• Own the enterprise data governance framework — ownership, stewardship, lineage, quality, and access control — enforced in the architecture, and lead compliance with data-related regulatory obligations (NYDFS Part 500, state privacy statutes, Aviva group data policies) in partnership with compliance and security leadership.
• Own the analytics estate and the data foundation for every AI capability the company deploys, defining what the company measures and delivering the single trusted version of performance to leadership, underwriting, actuarial, and finance.
• Direct a leveraged delivery model: mobilize Aviva group data engineering capabilities, lead contracted vendor teams, own the commercial and performance management of every partner in the data estate, and define the standards and operating model of the function, shaping the case for internal hires as the platform grows.
• Own the data relationship with Aviva Group, representing the US platform to group data, finance, and technology leadership in London — securing group resources where they accelerate the build and defending startup-speed autonomy where they do not.
• Collaborate with executive leaders across the organization.
• Drive alignment between data strategy and business objectives.
• Support enterprise initiatives and organizational priorities.
• Promote collaboration across underwriting, claims, finance, operations, and product functions.
• Contribute to enterprise decision-making and strategic planning processes.

Benefits

• Competitive compensation and executive incentive opportunities.
• Long-term incentive eligibility.
• Flexible work arrangements.
• Comprehensive health, wellness, retirement, and financial wellbeing programs.
• An inclusive, innovative, and high-performing culture focused on growth and excellence.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Executive