Advanced Analytics & Research Specialist

**Be Here. Be Great.** Working for a leader in the insurance industry means opportunity for you. Great American Insurance Group's member companies are subsidiaries of American Financial Group. We combine a "small company" culture where your ideas will be heard with "big company" expertise to help you succeed. With over 30 specialty and property and casualty operations, there are always opportunities here to learn and grow.At Great American, we value and recognize the benefits derived when people with different backgrounds and experiences work together to achieve business results. Our goal is to create a workplace where all employees feel included, empowered, and enabled to perform at their best.As the insurance industry undergoes digital transformation, the AI Innovation Lab serves as Great American's proving ground for emerging AI capabilities. Team members evaluate, prototype, and validate AI technologies against real business needs, determining what's ready for enterprise adoption and what isn't. This is applied research with a purpose: every initiative ties directly to business requests, and successful proofs-of-concept are handed off to IT delivery teams for production implementation.**What Makes This Role Unique**This isn't a traditional research position, and it isn't a traditional development role. It's something in between:* **Rapid experimentation**: You'll go deep on a technology, build working prototypes, and determine fit-for-purpose—then move to the next challenge. If you thrive on variety and learning, this is your environment.* **Business-driven focus**: Every project originates from a real business ask. You're not exploring technology for its own sake; you're solving problems for underwriters, actuaries, claims professionals, and business analysts across our 37 business units.* **Fail-fast culture**: Not everything will work, and that's expected. A well-documented "no, and here's why" is as valuable as a successful proof-of-concept.* **Partnership model**: You'll work closely with Enterprise Architecture and IT delivery teams to ensure successful innovations transition to production. Building something that can't be operationalized isn't success.* **Human-in-the-loop philosophy**: We believe AI augments human decision-making rather than replacing it. Ethical, transparent, and explainable AI isn't optional in insurance, it's foundational.Great American’s culture is built on connection, shared learning, and strong relationships. To support this, employees in this role are expected to be on-site a minimum of two days a week, with the potential to work three days remotely. Core in‑office days are Tuesday and Thursday but will be determined by business needs.**Essential Job Functions & Responsibilities*** Evaluate emerging AI technologies (agents, workflows, RAG architectures, tool-augmented LLMs) against business requirements and enterprise constraints* Build rapid prototypes that demonstrate feasibility and business value to stakeholders* Document findings thoroughly, both successes and failures, to inform enterprise AI strategy* Partner with Enterprise Architecture to ensure prototypes align with API-first principles and can transition to production systems* Enable business-side data science capabilities: self-service analytics sandboxes, Python environments, and dashboards that don't require IT intervention* Implement and evaluate agent frameworks, Model Context Protocol (MCP) integrations, and AI orchestration patterns* Communicate complex technical concepts to business stakeholders and executives* Mentor team members and contribute to a culture of continuous learning**Job Qualifications*** PhD in Computer Science, AI/ML, or related field OR Master's degree with 7+ years of hands-on AI/ML development experience OR Bachelor's degree with 10+ years and demonstrated expertise* Strong Python programming skills and familiarity with ML frameworks (PyTorch, TensorFlow, or equivalent)* Experience building working prototypes, not just theoretical models* Demonstrated ability to learn new technologies quickly and evaluate them objectively* Understanding of API design principles and how AI capabilities integrate with enterprise systems* Strong written and verbal communication skills—you'll be explaining your findings to technical and non-technical audiences alike* Intellectual curiosity and comfort with ambiguity**Preferred Qualifications*** Experience in insurance, financial services, or other regulated industries* Hands-on experience with agentic AI frameworks (LangChain, LangGraph, CrewAI, or similar)* Familiarity with Model Context Protocol (MCP) or similar AI integration standards* Experience with Microsoft Azure cloud services* Background working with actuarial, underwriting, or claims processes* Understanding of enterprise architecture patterns and production system constraints* Experience transitioning prototypes or research projects to production teams**Technical Environment**Python, Java, Microsoft Azure, REST APIs, LLM APIs and gateways, vector databases, agent frameworks, containerization (Docker/Kubernetes), SQL and NoSQL databases. Specific tools will evolve as the technology landscape changes—adaptability matters more than expertise in any single platform.**To Apply please provide:*** Resume highlighting relevant AI/ML project experience and outcomes achieved* Examples of prototypes, proofs-of-concept, or projects you've built (GitHub, portfolio, or descriptions)* Brief description of a technology you evaluated that \*didn't\* work out, and what you learned* References who can speak to your technical capabilities and collaboration style**Business Unit:**Property & Casualty IT Services**Benefits:**We offer competitive benefits packages for full-time and part-time employees\*. Full-time employees have access to medical, dental, and vision coverage, wellness plans, parental leave, adoption assistance, and tuition reimbursement. Full-time and eligible part-time employees also enjoy Paid Time Off and paid holidays, a 401(k) plan with company match, an employee stock purchase plan, and commuter benefits. Compensation varies by role, level, and location and is influenced by skills, experience, and business needs. Your recruiter will provide details about benefits and specific compensation ranges during the hiring process. Learn more at . **\*Excludes seasonal employees and interns.**Great American Insurance Group understands the importance of choosing a financially strong company. We are an organization built for the long term and are committed to giving you that strength.For nearly 150 years, Americans have trusted us to protect them. Our innovative insurance solutions and specialization serves niche marketplaces that we know well. This expertise gives us a successful foundation that spans generations.You never know where a career in insurance will take you. Whether you are starting your career or are looking for a company to grow your experience, at Great American Insurance Group, you can join our more than 8,500 employees to “Be Here. Be GREAT!”*To learn more, visit our* #J-18808-Ljbffr Summit Consulting