Location: La Jolla, CA
The Details:If you have built a data foundation that actuaries, auditors and data scientists all trusted, and you want your next one to power AI where the answers drive actionable insights and measurable efficiency savings, this is that job.
Palomar is a fast-growing specialty insurer, and AI is a top company priority. We are hiring a Director, Data Architecture - AI/ML Foundations to design and build the connected data foundation that our analytics, actuarial, data science, AI and machine learning work runs on. This is a new role: you will set the architecture, make the key design decisions, and build much of the first version with a small, dedicated team that you will help staff.
You will build a trusted, connected record of our business, from submission to policy to claim, at the transaction level, with temporal history so any figure can be reproduced as of any date. You will lead the data modeling, entity resolution and semantic layer that give brokers, insureds, policies, locations and claims one consistent identity, and make that data usable by people, models and AI agents through governed access.
You will report to the EVP, Head of AI, and work closely with Actuarial, Data & Analytics, Underwriting, Claims and Finance, your first customers. As a public company, we hold our data to a high bar: governed, reconciled and auditable, without slowing the work down.
You will spend most of your first year designing and building hands-on with a small team of AI data engineers focused on entity resolution, features and retrieval.
What will you do:Design and build the foundation- Own the target architecture, data model and roadmap for the AI/ML data foundation on Snowflake, and the design decisions that go with them.
- Design append-only, temporal models at the transaction level so every figure can be traced to its source and reproduced as of any date.
- Build entity resolution and master data across internal systems and external partners, with match quality measured and every merge traceable.
- Bring structured and unstructured data, including submissions, documents, bordereaux, loss runs and third-party data, into the foundation once, governed and queryable, and define data specifications for external data.
- Build governance in from the start: role-based access, separated environments, lineage, data quality checks and reconciliation, in line with Palomar's governance and change-management standards.
- Maintain the data dictionary and metadata, with definitions shared across the company's reporting.
Enable AI and machine learning- Build what models and agents run on: feature pipelines, training datasets, retrieval and vector search, and governed tool access over the entity layer, using Snowflake ML (Feature Store, Model Registry) and Cortex where they fit.
- Work with our AI scientists and actuaries, who build the models for underwriting, claims and catastrophe risk; you own the features, retrieval and lineage from source to feature to model.
- Measure the foundation's value: entity coverage, data quality, adoption, and the time it takes to answer a new business question.
Lead the team and the partnerships- Hire, lead and develop a small team of AI data engineers, and set standards for testing, documentation, code review, data quality, and cost.
- Partner with Actuarial and Data & Analytics as your closest collaborators: you own the architecture decisions, review designs with them early and share standards and definitions.
- Work with Technology, Information Security, Legal and Compliance so data is accessed, protected and retained in line with Palomar's policies, and advise on what to build, buy or retire.
What we are looking for:- Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Mathematics, Statistics, Engineering, Information Systems or a related field, or equivalent practical experience. A proven build record matters more than pedigree.
- 10+ years in data engineering or data architecture, including an enterprise data model you personally designed and built from raw sources to a conformed layer (dimensional, Data Vault or temporal). Experience leading or mentoring engineers.
- Entity resolution or master data at scale: matching, golden records and measured match quality.
- Production Snowflake and dbt, strong SQL and Python, and engineering fundamentals: Git, automated testing, CI/CD and infrastructure as code.
- Hands-on experience making data usable by AI and ML: features, LLM-based extraction from documents, retrieval and vector search, semantic layers and agent tool access such as MCP. You use AI coding tools every day.
- Data work in a SOX-audited or similarly regulated environment: lineage, access control and change management.
- Clear communication with actuaries, finance leaders, executives and engineers: you explain tradeoffs plainly and bring partners with you.
- Able to work on-site 3x/week in a hybrid capacity.
Additional experience we value:- P&C insurance or reinsurance data, especially specialty or E&S: policy, exposure, claims, bordereaux or statistical reporting.
- Taking in messy third-party data and writing the specifications that fix it at the source.
- Snowflake ML (Feature Store, Model Registry), Cortex AI or another production ML platform; SnowPro or dbt certification.
- Semantic layers, ontologies or knowledge graphs.
- Standing up a data function or platform from the ground up.
- Geospatial or catastrophe exposure data.
We love people who want to:- Build strong relationships through transparency, trust, and respect for each other.
- Work in an agile environment, with a resilient mindset to find creative solutions to challenges.
- Collaborate and celebrate diverse perspectives, promoting inclusivity and equality.
- Do the right thing with strong conviction and integrity.
- Be bold and innovative to help make an impact.
- Demonstrable track record of working autonomously and driving progress
- Be intellectually curious, think creatively, and pragmatic
If you thrive in a dynamic environment, and like working with happy, authentic, talented people, you'll enjoy a career with Palomar!What will you get in return?- Full Suite of Medical Benefits
- Long Term Financial Incentives - STOCK!
- 401k with 3.5% Automatic Fully Vested Employer Contributions
- Competitive PTO + Holiday Program
- Lifestyle Spending Allowance
- Professional Development Assistance
- Career Exploration Opportunities
- Regular company-wide social events (even virtually!)
- To learn more visit us at www.plmr.com
Pay Range: $185,000 - $250,000 + Bonus Potential & Participation in our Competitive Long-Term Incentive (LTI) Program.
The above pay range is for all US-based roles based on function and level, benchmarked against companies of similar size and scope. To be compliant with local legislation as well as provide greater transparency to candidates, we disclose salary ranges on all job postings regardless of the desired job location. We also offer a competitive annual discretionary bonus program and the opportunity for annual long-term incentive stock grants. In addition, we offer a highly competitive benefits package. Final offer amounts are determined by multiple factors, including candidate experience and qualifications, and may vary from the amounts listed above
