Data and Architecture Delivery Lead - Data Platform

Description and Requirements
Summary of responsibilities:
MetLife Australia is transforming to be a digital data driven organisation. As we transition delivery of a new modern data platform from project into the business, we are seeking an experienced Data and Architecture Delivery Lead to join our team and lead delivery of solutions on our new data platform solution (known as the Data Exchange or "DAX").
As the Data and Architecture Delivery Lead, you will be responsible for overseeing the end-to-end delivery of our DAX data platform run and change activities (initiatives and projects). This role requires a collaborative and strategic leader who can work across business, data and technology teams and manage cross-functional teams, manage projects to an agreed scope, time and budget, and ensure the successful implementation of data platform solutions that meet business needs. You will work closely with stakeholders across MetLife (Australia and Asia Region) to align on the business problem / opportunity, activity goals with business objectives, ensuring our data platform capabilities are scalable, reliable, and future-proof with the ability to define the value of activities.
Key responsibilities:
Business Needs and Requirements

• Understand, and where required, articulate the business situation and problem statement (independently and/or in collaboration with the business, technology and / or data team).
• Determine business needs and drivers through stakeholder consultation and collaboration.
• Understand stated and solicit unstated customer needs enabling the articulation of functional and non-functional business requirements (or user-stories, as applicable).
• Ability to show traceability of business objectives to business requirements.
• Ability to document current and future state processes.
• Prior experience in dealing with a complex technology environment and a large number of intricate data flows (legacy and new systems of record and insight).

Planning and Delivery

• Play a critical role in coordinating PI Planning sessions, aligning teams on objectives, and monitoring progress throughout the PI.
• Coordinate with internal and external stakeholders (as applicable) to gather requirements, set expectations, and ensure alignment with business objectives.
• Collaborate with business, data and technology teams to prioritise features, define user stories, and establish a cadence for delivering value through iterative development cycles that enable delivery of project priorities / tasks through development of features, epics, and stories, which help break down complex projects into manageable increments.
• Manage delivery (on time, within scope, and budget).
• Manage Agile ceremonies.
• Present project updates, progress reports, and risk assessments to senior management and other key stakeholders.

Governance

• Data Management - collaborate with the Data Management team and data owners/stewards to ensure that data management principle such as metadata, data security, data lineage and data quality are adhered to.
• Technology governance - collaborate with domestic and regional Technology teams (as applicable) to adhere to Technology governance forums such as Architecture Review Boards.
• Design and Implementation - Lead the design and implementation of scalable, secure, and high-performing data architectures, ensuring alignment with the organisation's strategic goals and technical standards.
• Data Platform architecture - Collaborate closely with cross-functional teams to develop and refine the data platform architecture, incorporating best practices and innovative solutions to enhance data integration, storage, and analytics capabilities.

Partnerships, Teamwork and Influence

• Maintain positive relationships across the business, data and analytics and technology, risk and governance teams.
• Facilitate collaboration between data analysts, data engineers, and other stakeholders to ensure that everyone is working towards a common goal. By promoting transparency and communication, help teams adapt to changing requirements and deliver high-quality data solutions.

Team Management

• Supported by the Head of Data, work collaboratively with a team of data engineers, architects, data management team members, BI developers, an external source system provider and project managers and provide direction and support.
• Escalate, as appropriate matters to the Chief Information Officer and Chief Data Officer (or their delegates).
• Foster a collaborative and high-performing team environment, promoting professional development and CI (continuous improvement).

Risk
Managing risks relating to the services you and your team provide through the development and ongoing management of standard operating procedures for key information products.

• Actively support management of risk, specifically data risk, by following MetLife's risk management framework.

Operational Excellence
Quality assurance:

• Ensure all data platform solutions adhere to best practices and industry standards for data management, security, and compliance.
• Implement robust quality assurance processes to guarantee the reliability and accuracy of data solutions.

Continuous improvement:

• Identify opportunities for to optimise processes and technology to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of data platform delivery.
• Keep up-to-date on industry trends and advancements in data technologies and recommend and implementation of solutions (where appropriate).

Required Qualifications, Experience, Knowledge, Skills and Competencies
(Listed items are mandatory unless marked "preferred") .
Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or higher in a Commerce, Business, Technology Statistics, or a related discipline.

Experience

• Minimum 7 years' experience:
• Leading teams from 3 to 10 people where direct reports are individual contributors and people leaders.
• Delivery in a waterfall and agile delivery environment (specially Scaled Agile Framework "SAFe").
• Working in Information Delivery (ID) teams with experience using modern data platforms and tools such as Azure, AWS, Snowflake, Azure Data Factory, Matillion, Microsoft Power BI / Tableau, QlikView, Alteryx.
• Delivery of dimensional data models to support BI and analytics solutions.
• Delivering business intelligence products (operational, management, regulatory) in a run capacity.
• Demonstrable experience with software development lifecycle (SDLC).
• Delivering large projects to a defined, scope, time and budget.

Knowledge

• Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe).
• Understanding of waterfall and agile delivery methodologies.
• Demonstrable experience with software development lifecycle (SDLC).

• Knowledge of data management / governance principles and their importance to managing data risk (for MetLife and relationship with regulators).
• Life Insurance or Banking experience including knowledge of financial / actuarial valuation methods and processes (preferred).

Skills

• Strong understanding of data modelling, particularly dimensional modelling (Kimball) enabling you to lead the design and build of star schemas to support individual business unit's needs.
• Strong understanding of data architecture, data integration, and data warehousing concepts.
• Excellent relationship development, management and influencing skills.
• Excellent communication and presentation skills.
• Strong project management skills including the ability to solicit functional and non-functional requirements (waterfall) / develop user-stories (agile), define the definitions of ready and done and support your team with applicable ceremonies (such as stand-ups, retros).
• Understanding of SQL to support efficient coding standards.

Competencies

• Critical thinking.
• Ability to define and execute a strategy.
• Ability to manage multiple stakeholders at all levels.
• Demonstrable strong commercial acumen, problem solving and analytical skills.
• Solid understanding with the ability to collaborate with system and data architect in the development and management of solution designs and data / system architectures.
• Developing dimensional data models to support BI and analytics solutions.

Benefits We Offer
Our benefits are designed to care for your holistic well-being with programs for physical and mental health, financial wellness, and support for families. We offer health care coverage for you and your family, insurance discounts for home, car, and pet protection, as well as parental leave. We also provide premium gym membership for you and your direct relatives, volunteer time off, discounts with specific universities, flexible Fridays, connectivity reimbursement, and much more!
About MetLife
Recognized on Fortune magazine's list of the 2024 "World's Most Admired Companies", MetLife, through its subsidiaries and affiliates, is one of the world's leading financial services companies; providing insurance, annuities, employee benefits and asset management to individual and institutional customers. With operations in more than 40 markets, we hold leading positions in the United States, Latin America, Asia, Europe, and the Middle East.
Our purpose is simple - to help our colleagues, customers, communities, and the world at large create a more confident future. United by purpose and guided by empathy, we're inspired to transform the next century in financial services. At MetLife, it's #AllTogetherPossible . Join us!
#BI-Hybrid