Lead Data Solutions Strategist

Independence Pet Group • Chicago, IL

1d

About The Position

Independence Pet Holdings (IPH) is a corporate holding company established in 2021, managing a diverse portfolio of pet health brands and services across North America. We aim to simplify the pet parenting journey and enhance pet well-being through innovative solutions, operating with a full suite of resources and services. Our approach is multi-brand and omni-channel, encompassing our own insurance carrier, insurance brands, and partner brands.

Requirements

• 8+ years of experience in data strategy, analytics, solution delivery, or business analysis roles.
• Demonstrated ability to bridge business and technical perspectives, translating ambiguous business needs into structured, actionable data requirements.
• Strong understanding of data management concepts including data modeling, integration, governance, and quality.
• Experience working with modern data platforms such as Azure, Azure DevOps, Databricks, and Power BI.
• 2+ years of people management or team leadership experience, including mentoring and managing delivery quality.
• Excellent communication, facilitation, and stakeholder engagement skills, comfortable presenting to executive audiences and cross-functional teams.
• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Analytics, Information Systems, or related field.

Nice To Haves

• Familiarity with policy administration systems.
• Experience in insurance, financial services, or another regulated industry with complex data environments.
• Familiarity with data governance frameworks and tools (e.g., Collibra, Purview).
• Exposure to Agile/scrum delivery models and product management practices.
• Experience evaluating data products or vendor solutions as part of build vs. buy assessments.
• Pet health, insurtech, or multi-brand portfolio experience.

Responsibilities

• Own the initiative intake process for the data roadmap, assessing strategic fit and prioritizing initiatives against enterprise objectives.
• Partner with business stakeholders to identify and frame high-value data and analytics opportunities across various departments (Claims, Finance, Marketing, Operations).
• Translate complex business challenges into clear data requirements, opportunity briefs, and solution recommendations.
• Collaborate with the Head of Data Strategy & Planning on annual planning, roadmap updates, and executive prioritization.
• Develop solution blueprints and functional specifications for new data initiatives, ensuring a clear handoff to the Data Product Manager.
• Partner with the Data Product Manager to translate strategic intent into product requirements, user stories, and acceptance criteria.
• Work with the Senior Data Architect to ensure proposed designs align with enterprise data standards, architecture patterns, and governance requirements.
• Support build vs. buy evaluations with business-grounded input on value, risk, and strategic fit.
• Lead, mentor, and develop a team of two Data Solutions Strategists, setting expectations, reviewing deliverables, managing workload, and supporting career growth.
• Ensure consistency and quality in solution briefs, stakeholder deliverables, and initiative framing produced by the team.
• Facilitate cross-functional workshops and alignment sessions with business, engineering, and analytics teams.
• Build a culture of intellectual curiosity, business accountability, and outcome-oriented delivery within the strategy function.
• Define KPIs and success metrics for data initiatives at the point of intake.
• Track and communicate the business value, ROI, and adoption outcomes of delivered solutions to stakeholders and leadership.
• Provide regular visibility into the initiative pipeline's health and prioritization to the Head of Data Strategy & Planning.
• Serve as an escalation path for stakeholder alignment issues during solution definition or delivery.

Benefits

• Comprehensive full medical, dental and vision Insurance
• Basic Life Insurance at no cost to the employee
• Company paid short-term and long-term disability
• 12 weeks of 100% paid Parental Leave
• Health Savings Account (HSA)
• Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA)
• Retirement savings plan
• Personal Paid Time Off
• Paid holidays and company-wide Wellness Day off
• Paid time off to volunteer at nonprofit organizations
• Pet friendly office environment
• Commuter Benefits
• Group Pet Insurance
• On the job training and skills development
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
• Opportunities for career advancements

What This Job Offers

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