Lead Data Solutions Strategist

Independence Pet Group • Chicago, IL

2d • Onsite

About The Position

Established in 2021, Independence Pet Holdings (IPH) is a corporate holding company that manages a diverse and broad portfolio of modern pet health brands and services, including insurance, pet education, lost recovery services, and more throughout North America. We believe pet insurance is more than a financial product and build solutions to simplify the pet parenting journey and help improve the well-being of pets. As a leading authority in the pet category, we operate with a full stack of resources, capital, and services to support pet parents. Our multi-brand and omni-channel approach includes 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; familiarity with policy administration systems a plus.
• 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

• Experience in insurance, financial services, or another regulated industry with complex data environments.
• Familiarity with data governance frameworks and tools (e.g., Collibra, Purview) given close partnership with the Governance function.
• 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 is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Own the initiative intake process — define how requests enter the data roadmap, how they are assessed for strategic fit, and how they are prioritized relative to enterprise objectives.
• Partner with business stakeholders to identify and frame high-value data and analytics opportunities across Claims, Finance, Marketing, Operations, and other functions.
• Translate complex business challenges into clear data requirements, opportunity briefs, and solution recommendations.
• Collaborate with the Head of Data Strategy & Planning to support annual planning, roadmap updates, and executive prioritization decisions.
• Develop solution blueprints and functional specifications that define the “what” and “why” for new data initiatives, enabling clean handoff to the Data Product Manager for backlog ownership and delivery.
• Partner with the Data Product Manager to ensure strategic intent is accurately translated 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 by providing business-grounded input on value, risk, and strategic fit — in collaboration with Architecture and Engineering.
• Lead, mentor, and develop a team of two Data Solutions Strategists — setting clear expectations, reviewing deliverables, managing workload prioritization, and supporting career growth.
• Ensure consistency and quality across 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, not just at delivery.
• Track and communicate the business value, ROI, and adoption outcomes of delivered solutions to stakeholders and leadership.
• Provide regular visibility into the health and prioritization of the initiative pipeline to the Head of Data Strategy & Planning.
• Serve as an escalation path for stakeholder alignment issues that arise 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)

What This Job Offers

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