Director/Sr. Director, Data Product Manager

What part will you play? If you’re looking for a place where you can make a meaningful difference, you’ve found it.

The work we do at Markel gives people the confidence to move forward and seize opportunities, and you’ll find your fit amongst our global community of optimists and problem-solvers. We’re always pushing each other to go further because we believe that when we realize our potential, we can help others reach theirs. Join us and play your part in something special! The Senior Dir is responsible for all aspects of the division’s information technology strategy and associated systems. This includes the direct management of dedicated delivery resources as well as oversight of all aspects of technology support and operations pertaining to the division business functions. This role drives overall technology strategy and directs the planning and implementation of technology related business solutions in support of business application in order to improve cost effectiveness, service quality, and business development.

Role Overview

The Data Product Manager is the strategic leader and accountable owner for a portfolio of data products within the Insurance domain. This role leads a group of Data Product Leads and defines the vision, strategy, and operating model for the domain’s data ecosystem.

Acting as the enterprise authority for the assigned data domain, the Data Product Manager ensures alignment with business strategy, enterprise architecture, regulatory frameworks, and modernization objectives. The role bridges long-term strategy and Agile execution, enabling delivery teams to build scalable, compliant, reusable, and high-quality data products that power operational processes, regulatory reporting, and advanced analytics.

Operating horizontally across delivery verticals, this role establishes consistent end-to-end data design patterns, reduces duplication and rework, embeds data-as-a-product principles, and drives modernization initiatives including cloud transformation, AI enablement, and interoperability at scale.

Key Responsibilities

1. Domain Strategy & Vision

• Define and own the multi-year data product strategy and roadmap for the assigned insurance data domain.
• Translate enterprise strategy into domain-level priorities, measurable outcomes, and investment cases.
• Identify modernization opportunities (cloud migration, AI adoption, automation, interoperability).
• Establish and promote data-as-a-product principles including ownership, discoverability, quality, and reuse.

2. Portfolio & Product Leadership

• Lead and coach a team of Data Product Leads responsible for individual products within the domain.
• Ensure alignment of product roadmaps, value realization, and dependency management across verticals.
• Oversee portfolio intake, discovery, prioritization, and scope rationalization to reduce complexity and technical debt.
• Drive measurable business outcomes and ROI for the domain’s data investments.

3. Enterprise Data Architecture & Governance Alignment

• Partner with enterprise architecture, governance, risk, and compliance functions to ensure adherence to standards.
• Define and enforce canonical data models, API-first integration patterns, and interoperability frameworks.
• Champion modern architectures such as cloud-native platforms and data lakehouse ecosystems.
• Embed regulatory and data governance controls into product design from inception.

4. Cross-Functional & Executive Engagement

• Act as the senior domain representative to executive stakeholders.
• Communicate complex data concepts through compelling business storytelling.
• Drive cross-functional collaboration with Underwriting, Claims, Reinsurance, Finance, Actuarial, and IT.
• Own strategic stakeholder engagement, proactively building relationships across the US & Bermuda Insurance operation, IT, and broader Markel.

5. Delivery Enablement & Value Realization

• Ensure Agile delivery teams have clear epics, features, and acceptance criteria aligned to strategic outcomes.
• Monitor value realization, KPIs, and adoption metrics for data products.
• Reduce rework by promoting standardized design patterns and reusable data assets.
• Drive continuous improvement across product lifecycle management.

Required Skills & Experience

Strategic Leadership

• Proven experience defining and executing domain-level strategies within complex, matrixed organizations.
• Demonstrated ability to lead leaders (experience managing Product Leads or equivalent senior roles).

Insurance Expertise

• Deep understanding of market and regulatory knowledge in insurance (commercial lines, specialty).
• Strong grasp of regulatory obligations and operational data requirements within insurance environments.

Data Management & Architecture Expertise

• Strong knowledge of:

• Data modeling
• API-driven integration patterns
• Interoperability standards
• Data standardization and harmonization practices

• Familiarity with modern data architectures including:

• Data lakehouse patterns
• Cloud-native ecosystems
• AI/ML enablement architectures

• Ability to balance governance rigor with delivery agility.

Product & Portfolio Management

• Experience developing product roadmaps and managing complex backlogs.
• Expertise in Epic/Feature definition and measurable outcome tracking.
• Strong discovery and intake management capabilities.
• Experience managing cross-domain dependencies and risks.

Stakeholder & Communication Excellence

• Executive-level communication and storytelling skills.
• Ability to influence without direct authority across verticals.
• Strong collaboration skills across business, technical, and data communities.

Experience

• Bachelor’s degree required; Master’s preferred in Business, Insurance, Technology, Data Science, or related field.
• Advanced certifications (e.g., PMP, Agile, Lean Portfolio Management, CPCU, Data Governance).
• 8+ years in insurance data management, product delivery, or related leadership roles.
• Proven success in leading large-scale transformation and innovation initiatives.
• Proven experience leading multi-product portfolios or managing senior product leads.
• Experience in large-scale data transformation or modernization programs preferred.

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US Work Authorization

US Work Authorization required. Markel does not provide visa sponsorship for this position, now or in the future.

Pay information:

The base salary offered for the successful candidate will be based on compensable factors such as job-relevant education, job-relevant experience, training, demonstrated competencies, geographic location, and other factors. The base salary range for the Sr. Director,  Data Product Manager is $190,000-$240,000 with a 55% bonus.