Senior Data Architect

Senior Data Architect

Are you an experienced data leader ready to architect the future of enterprise-scale data platforms? Join Kinsale Insurance, a leading excess and surplus (E&S) lines carrier headquartered in Richmond, VA. We're known for our high-performance culture, innovative thinking, and data-driven approach to managing complex risks — and we're looking for a Senior Data Architect to help shape that future.

About the Role

As a Senior Data Architect at Kinsale, you'll take the lead in designing, evolving, and governing our enterprise data ecosystem. This is a high-impact, highly collaborative role where you'll partner with business and technology leaders to define data architecture standards, drive best-in-class data modeling across our cloud platforms, and mentor the next generation of data talent. If you thrive at the intersection of strategy and technical excellence, this role is built for you.

What You'll Do

Architecture & Strategy

• Lead the design and evolution of enterprise data architecture across cloud data warehouses and transactional database platforms, ensuring scalability, performance, and cost efficiency.
• Define the strategic direction for Kinsale's enterprise data warehouse and analytics platforms, balancing innovation, governance, and long-term business goals.
• Evaluate emerging technologies and architectural patterns — including lakehouse, data mesh, streaming, and MDM — and drive adoption where they deliver measurable value.

Data Modeling, Governance & Quality

• Own conceptual, logical, and physical data modeling at enterprise scale across OLAP (dimensional, star/snowflake, data vault) and OLTP (normalized, ERD-driven) workloads.
• Define and enforce enterprise data governance standards, including data ownership, lineage, metadata management, master and reference data, and regulatory alignment.
• Establish and oversee data quality frameworks — profiling, validation, monitoring, and remediation — to ensure trusted, audit-ready data across the enterprise.
• Translate business requirements into implementable architecture patterns and reusable design assets in collaboration with tech leads and engineering teams.

Technical Leadership & Team Development

• Serve as the senior technical authority on enterprise data architecture, providing direction, design reviews, and mentorship to data engineers, analysts, and architects.
• Champion a culture of technical excellence, continuous learning, and knowledge sharing across the data organization.
• Lead architectural decisions and resolve design conflicts across domains, ensuring consistent enterprise architecture is delivered at the solution level.
• Drive the responsible adoption of Generative AI tools (e.g., GitHub Copilot, Claude Code) to accelerate data modeling, documentation, and architectural analysis.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Collaborate with IT, Security, Compliance, and Audit teams to ensure regulatory alignment (e.g., SOX) in data handling, access, and retention practices.
• Partner with stakeholders across underwriting, actuarial, finance, and analytics to translate strategic needs into durable data architecture.
• Act as a trusted advisor across engineering and business disciplines, influencing enterprise architecture decisions and technology selection.

What You Bring

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, or a related field.
• 10+ years of progressive experience in enterprise data architecture, including master data management, data federation, integration, security, and quality initiatives.
• Proven experience designing and delivering enterprise data warehouses on Snowflake and Databricks, including warehouse modeling, performance tuning, and platform governance.
• Expert-level data modeling skills across both OLAP and OLTP workloads at enterprise scale.
• Deep expertise in data governance and quality frameworks, including lineage, metadata management, master data, and regulatory controls such as SOX.
• Demonstrated experience leading data or architecture teams at an enterprise level, with a strong track record of mentoring technical talent.
• Advanced SQL skills and hands-on experience with relational (Oracle, PostgreSQL, SQL Server) and non-relational (DynamoDB, MongoDB) databases.
• Strong leadership, communication, and stakeholder-management skills; experience in Agile environments preferred. Proficiency in Java is a differentiating plus.

Why You'll Love Working at Kinsale

• Competitive Pay & Bonus Opportunities – Rewarding performance and initiative.
• Comprehensive Benefits – Health, dental, and vision insurance with up to $3,600 (individual) or $6,800 (family) in HSA contributions per year.
• Work-Life Balance – Generous paid time off including 22 days of PTO and 10 paid company holidays.
• Career Growth – Clear promotion paths, mentorship, and ongoing professional development.
• Retirement & Security – Up to 6% matching 401(k) contributions on base salary and bonus, standard life insurance, and disability coverage.
• Continuous Learning – Annual $3,000 reimbursement for educational training and certifications.

Integrity & Responsibility

Kinsale values strong financial responsibility. A credit check will be conducted as part of the selection process for roles that require sound judgment, trustworthiness, or access to sensitive information.

Ready to Apply?

If you're a strategic thinker and technical leader who is passionate about data, innovation, and collaboration, this is your opportunity to make a lasting impact at one of the insurance industry's most dynamic companies. Join Kinsale Insurance and help us build a data ecosystem that drives excellence for years to come.

Apply today and start building your future with us!

Equal Opportunity Employer This employer is required to notify all applicants of their rights pursuant to federal employment laws. For further information, please review the Know Your Rights notice from the Department of Labor.