Director, Investment Data & Intelligence

Transamerica; Denver (CO); Hybrid; USD 173,000 - 215,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Pension Plan

401k Match

Employee Stock Purchase Plan

Medical Insurance

Dental Insurance

Vision Insurance

Paid Time Off

Parental Leave

Job summary

Transamerica is seeking a Principal/Director of Investment Data Engineering & Visualization to shape the firm’s data strategy and lead end‑to‑end data lifecycle for investments. You will architect platforms, build analytics solutions, mentor engineers, and collaborate with executive leadership to power portfolio decisions and client reporting.

You will lead data engineering, governance, and visualization efforts, partnering with investment teams to drive product innovations using AI and modern

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in CS, Engineering, Information Systems, Finance, Mathematics, or related field.
• 10–15 years in data engineering, analytics, investment tech, or data platform leadership.
• Experience with asset management or capital markets desirable.
• Strong understanding of portfolio management, risk, and performance attribution.

Responsibilities

• Lead design and evolution of an investment data platform and analytics capabilities.
• Architect cloud-native data platforms and scalable pipelines for market, reference, and transaction data.
• Deliver dashboards and reporting tools for executives, investment teams, and clients.
• Partner with product and investment teams to turn data into strategic products.
• Mentor engineers and align data strategy with firm objectives.

Skills

Investment data engineering

Cloud platforms

Python

SQL

Power BI/Tableau

Leadership

Data governance

Stakeholder management

Education

Bachelor’s degree in CS/Engineering/Info Systems

Master's degree a plus

Tools

Snowflake

Databricks

Job description

About Us

At Transamerica, hard work, innovative thinking, and personal accountability are qualities we honor and reward. We understand the potential of leveraging the talents of a diverse workforce. We embrace an environment where employees enjoy a balance between their careers, families, communities, and personal interests.

Job Family

IT Operations

About Us

At Transamerica, hard work, innovative thinking, and personal accountability are qualities we honor and reward. We understand the potential of leveraging the talents of a diverse workforce. We embrace an environment where employees enjoy a balance between their careers, families, communities, and personal interests. Ultimately, we appreciate the uniqueness of a company where talented professionals work collaboratively in a positive environment — one focused on helping people look forward and plan for the best life possible while providing tools and solutions that make it easier to get there.

Who We Are

We believe everyone deserves to live their best life. More than a century ago, we were among the first financial services companies in America to serve everyday people from all walks of life. Today, we’re part of an international holding company, with millions of customers and thousands of employees worldwide. Our insurance, retirement, and investment solutions help people make the most of what’s important to them. We’re empowered by a vast agent network covering North America, with diversity to match. Together with our nonprofit research institute and foundation, we tune in, step up, and are a force for good — for our customers and the communities where we live, work, and play. United in our purpose, we help people create the financial freedom to live life on their terms.

What We Do

Transamerica is organized into three distinct businesses. These include 1) World Financial Group, including Transamerica Financial Advisors, 2) Protection Solutions and Savings & Investments, comprised of life insurance, annuities, employee benefits, retirement plans, and Transamerica Investment Solutions, and 3) Financial Assets, which includes legacy blocks of long term care, universal life, and variable and fixed annuities. These are supported by Transamerica Corporate, which includes Finance, People and Places, General Counsel, Risk, Internal Audit, Strategy and Development, and Corporate Affairs, which covers Communications, Brand, and Government and Policy Affairs. Transamerica employs nearly 7,000 people. It’s part of Aegon, an integrated, diversified, international financial services group serving approximately 23.9 million customers worldwide.* For more information, visit transamerica.com.

Job Description Summary

We are seeking a highly strategic, hands‑on Principal / Director of Investment Data Engineering & Visualization to lead the design, development, and evolution of our investment data platform and analytics capabilities. This is a unique opportunity for a leader who thrives at the intersection of investment management, data engineering, analytics, and product innovation. As both a visionary and builder, you will define the firm’s investment data strategy while remaining close to execution—architecting platforms, delivering analytics solutions, mentoring engineers, and partnering directly with investment and executive leadership. You will own the end‑to‑end investment data lifecycle, transforming complex financial and market data into trusted, scalable, and actionable insights that power investment decisions, portfolio management, client reporting, and business growth. In a fast‑paced, entrepreneurial environment, this role requires someone who is equally comfortable designing enterprise architecture, building proof‑of‑concepts, leading teams, engaging clients, and influencing company strategy.

Responsibilities

Job Description

Data Strategy & Leadership

• Define and execute the vision, roadmap, and operating model for investment data and analytics.
• Build a scalable foundation for data‑driven decision‑making across investment, product, operations, and executive teams.
• Establish data governance, quality, lineage, stewardship, and security standards.
• Lead and grow a high‑performing team of data engineers, analytics engineers, and visualization professionals.
• Serve as the firm’s thought leader for investment data architecture and analytics innovation.

Investment Data Engineering

• Architect and build cloud‑native data platforms supporting current and future business growth.
• Develop scalable pipelines and integration frameworks for:
• Market data
• Security master and reference data
• Portfolio holdings and transactions
• Performance and attribution data
• Risk analytics
• ESG and alternative datasets
• Private market and alternative investment data
• Design data lake, lakehouse, and warehouse architectures that balance flexibility, scalability, and governance.
• Implement robust monitoring, observability, and data quality controls.

Analytics & Visualization

• Create best‑in‑class investment analytics and visualization platforms.
• Deliver intuitive dashboards and interactive reporting tools for executives, investment teams, clients, and operational stakeholders.
• Develop visualizations supporting:
• Portfolio performance
• Asset allocation
• Risk exposures
• Attribution analysis
• Trading activity
• Capital flows
• Investor and client reporting
• Enable self‑service analytics while maintaining trusted data standards.

Product & Innovation

• Partner with product and investment teams to transform data assets into differentiated products and capabilities.
• Identify opportunities to leverage AI, machine learning, and generative AI to improve investment research, portfolio analytics, and operational efficiency.
• Champion automation and eliminate manual reporting and operational processes wherever possible.
• Explore unconventional approaches and emerging technologies that create competitive advantage.

Business & Stakeholder Partnership

• Work directly with executives, portfolio managers, analysts, and clients.
• Translate business objectives into scalable data and analytics solutions.
• Present findings, recommendations, and platform strategies to senior leadership and external stakeholders.
• Support strategic initiatives, partnership discussions, customer engagements, and growth opportunities.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in computer science, Engineering, Information Systems, Finance, Mathematics, or related field
• 10 - 15 years of experience in data engineering, analytics, investment technology, or data platform leadership.
• Experience supporting asset management, wealth management, fintech, hedge funds, institutional investing, private markets, or capital markets.
• Strong understanding of:
• Portfolio management
• Investment operations
• Risk management
• Performance measurement and attribution
• Security master and investment reference data
• Expertise in:
• Python
• SQL
• Cloud platforms (Azure, AWS, or GCP)
• Modern data architecture
• Data modeling and pipeline development
• API integration frameworks
• Experience with modern visualization and reporting tools such as Power BI, Tableau, ThoughtSpot, or similar platforms.
• Demonstrated ability to lead while remaining technically hands‑on.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master's degree in technical or quantitative discipline.
• CFA, CAIA, CIPM, FRM, or similar industry certifications.
• Experience with:
• Snowflake
• Databricks
• Microsoft Fabric
• Aladdin
• Bloomberg
• FactSet
• MSCI
• Morningstar
• Experience building customer‑facing analytics products.
• Background in startup, scale‑up, or high‑growth technology environments.

Leadership Competencies

• Builder mentality with an ownership mindset.
• Balances strategic vision with execution excellence.
• Comfortable operating in ambiguity and rapidly changing environments.
• Strong executive presence and communication skills.
• Ability to influence across technical and business functions.
• Proven track record of building teams, platforms, and processes from the ground up.
• Passionate about innovation and using data to solve complex investment challenges.

Success Measures

In the first 12–18 months, this leader will:

• Build and scale a modern investment data platform capable of supporting significant business growth.
• Establish trusted, governed investment data across the organization.
• Launch executive‑grade portfolio, risk, and performance analytics dashboards.
• Increase adoption of self‑service analytics and reduce dependency on manual reporting.
• Deliver automation initiatives that improve operational efficiency.
• Create a roadmap for AI‑enabled investment intelligence and decision support.
• Recruit and develop a world‑class data engineering and analytics team.
• Position data and analytics as a strategic differentiator for the company.

Working Conditions

• Hybrid Office Environment (Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays)
• Frequent Travel 25 to 50%

This job description is not a contract of employment nor for any specific job responsibilities. The Company may change, add to, remove, or revoke the terms of this job description at its discretion. Managers may assign other duties and responsibilities as needed. In the event an employee or applicant requests or requires an accommodation to perform job functions, the applicable HR Business Partner should be contacted to evaluate the accommodation request.

Compensation

The Salary for this position generally ranges between $173,000 - $215,000 annually. Please note that the salary range is a good faith estimate for this position and actual starting pay is determined by several factors including qualifications, experience, geography, work location designation (in‑office, hybrid, remote) and operational needs. Salary may vary above and below the stated amounts, as permitted by applicable law.

Additionally, this position is typically eligible for an Annual Bonus based on the Company Bonus Plan/Individual Performance and is at the Company’s discretion.

Applicants must be authorized to work for any employer in the U.S. We are unable to sponsor or take over sponsorship of an employment Visa at this time.

This is a hybrid position requiring three days in office per week in one of our hub locations (Philadelphia, PA; Cedar Rapids, IA; Denver, CO). Relocation assistance will not be provided for this position.

What We Offer

For eligible employees, we offer a comprehensive benefits package designed to support both the personal and financial well‑being of our employees.

Compensation Benefits

• Competitive Pay
• Bonus for Eligible Employees

Benefits Package

• Pension Plan
• 401k Match
• Employee Stock Purchase Plan
• Tuition Reimbursement
• Disability Insurance
• Medical Insurance
• Dental Insurance
• Vision Insurance
• Employee Discounts
• Career Training & Development Opportunities

Health and Work/Life Balance Benefits

• Paid Time Off starting at 160 hours annually for employees in their first year of service.
• Ten (10) paid holidays per year (typically mirroring the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) holidays).
• Be Well Company holistic wellness program, which includes Wellness Coaching and Reward Dollars
• Parental Leave – fifteen (15) days of paid parental leave per calendar year to eligible employees with at least one year of service at the time of birth, placement of an adopted child, or placement of a foster care child.
• Adoption Assistance
• Employee Assistance Program
• Back‑Up Care Program
• PTO for Volunteer Hours
• Employee Matching