Principal Data Engineer

CNA; Chicago, Northern (IL, KY); Hybrid; USD 97,000 - 189,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Benefits package

Job summary

CNA is seeking a senior, hands-on technologist to steer architecture, engineering, coding, and delivery for CNA's core data systems. You will influence across teams, define long-term modernization strategy, and ensure platforms meet growth, compliance, and data-driven decision needs.

The role emphasizes technical leadership without direct people management, with a focus on practical solutions and enterprise-wide impact. In certain jurisdictions, CNA notes a base pay range for this level.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science or related field; Master’s preferred.
• 10+ years of application engineering experience.
• 7+ years of coding proficiency across multiple languages.
• Experience advancing Agile methods.
• Certifications in cloud, application development, architecture, or data engineering preferred.

Responsibilities

• Act as technical authority for modernization-focused product teams.”
• Own technical direction for architecture, design, integration, data strategy, and cloud services.
• Lead hands-on design, coding, testing, automation, and deployment of scalable, reliable solutions.
• Define modernization roadmaps to improve data quality, resiliency, and regulatory readiness.
• Translate business goals and compliance needs into practical technical delivery plans.
• Provide architecture guidance and governance across internal and external teams while remaining an IC.
• Ensure secure delivery, release readiness, and production stability aligned with standards.
• May perform additional duties as assigned.

Skills

Enterprise architecture

Technical leadership

Hands-on coding

Data strategy

Cloud concepts

Education

Bachelor’s degree

Master’s preferred

Tools

Google Cloud

BigQuery

Cloud Storage

Dataflow

Dataproc

Pub/Sub

Cloud Composer

Job description

JOB DESCRIPTION:

You have a clear vision of where your career can go. And we have the leadership to help you get there. At CNA, we strive to create a culture in which people know they matter and are part of something important, ensuring the abilities of all employees are used to their fullest potential. Hands-on principal engineer and distinguished technology leader responsible for the strategic direction, modernization, standardization, and operational excellence of CNA's reinsurance, accounting, regulatory reporting, and financial data systems. This is an individual contributor role focused on architecture, engineering, coding, technical execution, and influence across teams; it is not a people manager position. Serves as a senior technical authority partnering with business and technology executives to define long-term strategy, drive enterprise modernization, and ensure technology platforms enable growth, compliance, operational efficiency, and data-driven decision-making.

Role expectation: This position is intended for a senior hands-on technologist who remains deeply involved in architecture, engineering, coding, troubleshooting, and delivery execution. The role provides technical leadership and influence across teams but does not include direct people management responsibilities.

Essential Duties & Responsibilities

• Acts as the technical authority for a modernization-focused product team supporting CNA's reinsurance, accounting, regulatory reporting, and financial data platforms across the full solution stack, including applications, integrations, data, cloud, and architecture.


• Owns technical direction and key engineering decisions for business-critical platforms, including architecture patterns, solution design, integration approach, data strategy, cloud services, engineering standards, and technical debt reduction priorities.


• Leads and directly contributes to hands-on design, coding, automation, testing, troubleshooting, implementation, and continuous improvement of scalable, secure, reliable, and maintainable solutions.


• Defines and advances modernization roadmaps that simplify legacy ecosystems, improve data quality and reporting accuracy, strengthen resiliency, and enable long-term agility for business and regulatory needs.


• Partners with business and technology leaders to translate strategic goals, financial controls, compliance needs, and operational priorities into practical technical solutions and delivery plans.


• Provides architecture guidance, mentoring, delivery governance, and technical influence for internal, external, and offshore resources while remaining an individual contributor without direct people management responsibility.


• Maintains accountability for engineering quality, secure delivery practices, release readiness, production stability, and alignment with enterprise architecture, cloud, data, and security standards.


• May perform additional duties as assigned.

Skills, Knowledge & Abilities

Expertise in engineering, enterprise architecture, solution design, and technical leadership for modernization-focused product teams. Strong understanding of reinsurance, accounting, regulatory reporting, financial controls, reconciliation, premium and loss transaction data, and insurance business processes. Deep knowledge of the full solution stack, including application architecture, systems integration, data modeling, cloud platforms, databases, APIs, ETL/ELT, reporting data flows, and operational resiliency. Ability to make and communicate technical decisions, set engineering standards, guide architecture direction, influence and align with data strategy, and prioritize technical debt reduction. Hands-on proficiency with enterprise application development, modern engineering practices, automation, secure software delivery, Agile delivery, unit testing, release readiness, and production support. Experience with cloud and data services such as Google Cloud Platform, BigQuery, Cloud Storage, Dataflow, Dataproc, Pub/Sub, Cloud Composer, or comparable enterprise data platforms. Ability to influence senior business and technology stakeholders, mentor engineers, and guide internal, external, and offshore teams through technical expertise rather than direct people management.

Education & Experience

Bachelor’s degree with Master’s preferred in Computer Science, Information Technology, related discipline or equivalent work experience. Typically 10+ years of experience in application engineering. 7+ years of coding proficiency in multiple programming languages preferred. Experience advancing the use of Agile methods. Previous technical or project leadership experience required; direct people management experience is not required. Applicable certifications preferred, including cloud, application development, architecture, data engineering, or related enterprise technology certifications.

#LI-KJ1 #LI-HYBRID

In certain jurisdictions, CNA is legally required to include a reasonable estimate of the compensation for this role. In District of Columbia, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, New York and Washington, the national base pay range for this job level is $97,000 to $189,000 annually. Salary determinations are based on various factors, including but not limited to, relevant work experience, skills, certifications and location.

CNA offers a comprehensive and competitive benefits package to help our employees – and their family members – achieve their physical, financial, emotional and social wellbeing goals. For a detailed look at CNA’s benefits, please visit cnabenefits.com.

CNA utilizes AI-enabled technology during the recruiting process. For more information, please visit our careers page.

CNA is committed to providing reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities in the recruitment process. To request an accommodation, please contact [e-mail]

At CNA, we are focused on success, individually and collectively. We pride ourselves on promoting a culture that challenges and engages people. We strive to connect people, departments and business areas, to function as a team, and to serve our customers and communities with professionalism and respect. Our dedication to employee engagement, continuous learning and the open exchange of ideas is the cornerstone of our business. These ideals, combined with our focus on the customer, enable us to explore new market opportunities and build on our success. Our values, culture and financial strength are what differentiates us from other employers and make CNA the place you want to work. At CNA, we are committed to advancing a culture of inclusion – one that attracts talent from all walks of life, fosters respect and collaboration and enables all of our colleagues to do their best work. At CNA, we have a long standing commitment to the diverse communities in which we live and work. We actively make a difference for the greater good through partnerships, sustainability, initiatives, and working together for a better tomorrow. Corporate Social Responsibility is not one person, or one department, it's the entire enterprise coming together to make the world a better place.