Chief Data Officer

James Search Group; Atlanta (GA); Hybrid; USD 300,000 - 520,000; Full time

Job summary

James Search Group is leading an executive recruitment for a Chief Data Officer to drive the global data strategy, architecture, governance and platform. The role spans data strategy, governance, MDM, analytics enablement, data operations and external data integration across Underwriting, Actuarial, Claims, Finance, Compliance and IT.

The CDO will build a modern data ecosystem, recruit and lead a global team, and partner with senior leadership to turn data into strategic enterprise capability

Qualifications

• 15+ years across data, analytics and technology.
• 5+ years P&C insurance experience essential.
• Executive leadership at enterprise scale.

Responsibilities

• Define and execute enterprise data strategy.
• Build and scale a global data platform (cloud/hybrid).
• Lead a world-class data organization across architecture, governance, operations and stewardship.
• Drive data governance, MDM, metadata and data quality programs.
• Partner with senior leaders to translate data capabilities into business value.

Skills

Enterprise leadership

Data strategy

Cloud platforms

Data governance

MDM

Stakeholder influence

Education

Bachelor/Master in CS/DS/Engineering

Tools

Collibra

Informatica

Microsoft Purview

Databricks

Job description

Manhattan, NY or Atlanta, GA | Hybrid

James Search Group is working with a leading global P&C Insurance carrier to identify a transformational Chief Data Officer to lead the company’s enterprise-wide data strategy, platform, and organization.

This is a true enterprise executive leadership opportunity. The successful candidate will be responsible for developing a modern global data ecosystem while building and leading the organization required to support it. The mandate spans data strategy, architecture, engineering, governance, MDM, analytics enablement, data operations, external data integration, and data stewardship.

The CDO will partner closely with senior business and technology leadership across Underwriting, Actuarial, Claims, Finance, Compliance and IT, turning data into a strategic enterprise capability and creating a consistent, trusted view of information across the organization.

What You'll Lead

• Define and execute the enterprise data strategy, ensuring it supports business growth, regulatory requirements and long-term technology objectives.
• Build and scale a modern global data platform across cloud and hybrid environments.
• Establish and lead a world-class data organization encompassing architecture, engineering, governance, operations, analytics enablement and stewardship.
• Recruit, develop and retain high-performing global teams across data engineering, architecture, governance, quality, metadata and platform operations.
• Drive enterprise adoption of modern data architectures, including Medallion architectures, Databricks, Microsoft Fabric and other cloud data technologies.
• Oversee sophisticated batch, streaming, API, CDC and event-driven data pipelines.
• Develop enterprise Master Data Management (MDM) capabilities covering critical insurance data such as policies, customers, claims, products and financial information.
• Create an external data augmentation strategy incorporating sources such as catastrophe models, market intelligence, regulatory data, fraud and risk information, and industry benchmarks.
• Establish enterprise-wide standards for data quality, governance, lineage, cataloging, stewardship, privacy, access and retention.
• Ensure the organization's data environment meets applicable regulatory and compliance requirements, including NAIC, SOX, GDPR and CCPA.
• Serve as the senior enterprise data partner to business leaders and translate complex data capabilities into measurable business outcomes.
• Drive data democratization, self-service analytics and enterprise data literacy.
• Establish operating metrics around data quality, platform performance, reliability, integration speed, scalability, cost efficiency and business adoption.
• Own significant budgets, vendor relationships, resource planning and investment decisions across the data organization.
• Lead transformation initiatives and establish a culture of innovation, accountability and continuous improvement.

Technology Environment

The successful executive will bring significant technical depth across modern enterprise data environments, including:

Databricks | Microsoft Fabric | Snowflake | Azure/AWS/GCP | Spark | SQL | Python | Scala | ETL/ELT | Streaming | APIs | CDC | MDM | Data Cataloging | Metadata | Data Governance | Medallion Architecture

Experience with platforms and technologies such as Collibra, Informatica and Microsoft Purview is highly relevant, as is exposure to major insurance platforms including Guidewire, Duck Creek, Majesco, SAP and Workday.

What We're Looking For

This position requires a combination of enterprise executive leadership, deep technical credibility and substantial P&C Insurance domain expertise.

Ideal candidates will bring:

• 15+ years of progressive experience across enterprise data, analytics and technology.
• 5+ years of meaningful P&C Insurance experience is essential, with strong understanding of insurance data and the operating models of functions such as Underwriting, Claims, Actuarial, Finance and Compliance.
• Significant experience at the Chief Data Officer, Head of Data, SVP/VP Data or equivalent enterprise leadership level.
• A demonstrated history of building and scaling large data organizations, rather than simply managing an existing team.
• Experience leading global or distributed technology organizations across architecture, engineering, governance and operations.
• Deep understanding of modern cloud data platforms, data architecture and large-scale data engineering.
• Proven experience implementing enterprise data governance, MDM, metadata and data quality programs.
• Experience integrating internal and third-party data to support analytics, AI/ML and enterprise reporting.
• Strong financial management, budgeting and vendor-management experience.
• Exceptional executive presence and the ability to influence business and technology stakeholders at the highest levels.
• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Data Science, Engineering, Information Systems or a related discipline; advanced degree preferred.
• Relevant cloud, data or insurance certifications are advantageous.

Why This Role

This is an opportunity to define the enterprise data strategy for a major global P&C insurance organization, build the underlying technology platform, and create the organization that will support its next phase of data-driven transformation.

The role combines C-suite-level leadership, organizational buildout, enterprise architecture, modern data engineering and deep insurance business partnership.