Position Purpose
RLI is seeking a collaborative and driven Data Engineer to join our Data & Analytics team. You will be responsible for designing, building, and delivering scalable, end-to-end data solutions—from ingestion through data product creation and distribution to consumers via self-service and other analytic/reporting applications.
You will partner with team members and business stakeholders to understand use cases and key requirements and translate them into high-value solutions, aligned to our strategy, vision and business priorities. You will deliver work iteratively, refining solutions based on feedback and evolving requirements. You will contribute to solution design within established architectural patterns while taking a product-oriented approach—balancing speed and quality to continuously improve business impact.
In this role, you will design and deliver value-driving decision-support solutions, influence best practices, and contribute to the evolution of our data platform.
If you're passionate about data, embrace new challenges and continuous learning, and thrive in an agile, fast-paced environment, we’d love to hear from you!
Principal Duties & Responsibilities
Design, build, and optimize end-to-end data pipelines across ingestion, transformation, modeling, and distribution layers
Partner closely with team members and stakeholders to ensure solutions address customer needs, deliver measurable business value, and align to product objectives
Translate business requirements into scalable and maintainable technical solutions
Contribute to solution design decisions within established enterprise architectural patterns
Leverage AI-assisted engineering tools to accelerate development, automate tasks, and improve documentation (with validation of outputs)
Ensure changes to data pipelines and models are validated, documented, and communicated prior to release
Ensure data reliability, quality, and accessibility across systems and data products, including monitoring SLAs where appropriate
Troubleshoot and resolve complex data and system issues, including root cause analysis
Optimize performance, scalability, and cost efficiency of pipelines and data products
Collaborate with other engineers through design collaboration and code reviews
Critical Skills
Advanced proficiency in SQL and strong engineering capability in Python
Hands-on experience with Snowflake or a similar cloud-native data platform
Strong experience with Git-based version control, including branching strategies, pull requests, and code review practices
Strong understanding of data modeling, data quality, and governance practices
Experience building and optimizing scalable, reliable data pipelines, and curated data products
Experience with performance tuning, system optimization, and troubleshooting
Familiarity with AI-assisted development tools and integrating AI-enabled components where appropriate
Ability to translate business problems into data solutions
Comfortable with unstructured, semi-structured data, and APIs
Experience in the insurance or financial services industries is a plus
Experience with Snowflake Intelligence and Row Zero is a plus
Key Competencies
Operates independently while adhering to established engineering standards, driving work forward in complex and evolving environments
Applies critical thinking to solve complex challenges and anticipates scalability, performance, and integration risks early
Identifies opportunities to improve engineering practices, patterns, and overall solution quality
Uses automation and AI-assisted approaches to improve delivery speed, quality, and decision-making
Works effectively across engineering, analytics, product and business teams; communicates technical decisions and tradeoffs clearly
Supports and mentors other engineers through hands-on collaboration
Education & Experience
Bachelor’s degree in Data Analytics, Data Engineering, Data Science, or related field
4+ years of relevant experience in data engineering or related disciplines
Equivalent combination of education and experience will be considered
Additional Information
Authorization: Applicants must be authorized to work for ANY employer in the U.S.
No Visa Sponsorship is provided for this position.
Location: This position is available on-site in Peoria, IL or Chicago, IL.
Why You Should Apply
Growth Opportunities: This role offers potential for career growth within the team and across the organization. You’ll have the chance to work on cutting-edge technologies and scale data solutions that directly impact business decision-making.
Collaborative Culture: RLI fosters a supportive and team-oriented environment where diverse perspectives are valued. Work alongside talented professionals in an agile, cross-functional environment where your contributions are valued and where collaboration drives success.
- Annual bonus plans
- Employee stock ownership plan (ESOP)
- 401(k) — automatic 3% company contribution
- Annual 401k and ESOP profit-sharing contributions (Up to 15% of eligible earnings)
- Paid time off (PTO) and holidays
- Paid volunteer time off (VTO) to support our communities
- Parental and family care leave
- Flexible & hybrid work arrangements
- Fitness center discounts and free virtual fitness platform
- Employee assistance program
- Comprehensive medical, dental and vision benefits
- Flexible spending and health savings accounts
- 2x base salary for group life and AD&D insurance
- Voluntary life, critical illness, & accident insurance for purchase
- Short-term and long-term disability benefits
- Training & certification opportunities
- Tuition reimbursement
- Education bonuses
What We Do
RLI is a U.S.-based specialty insurer that serves niche property, casualty and surety markets. We provide peace of mind to the customers we serve by safeguarding their assets and helping them manage risk. We hire smart, ethical people, make them owners of the business and give them the freedom to succeed. These are the principles that drive our success, and they’re the reasons we have been successful for more than 50 years. We believe in a different way of doing business and RLI is not what you’d expect from a typical insurance company. Our creative and collaborative workplace is cultivated by employee owners empowered to make good decisions for customers and the business. We have a reputation for niche expertise, superior service and an entrepreneurial culture. In the industry and among our peers, we’re known for: The best and brightest people in the industry who build strong relationships and provide outstanding service. An underwriting focus so we perform well in all market cycles. Our empowered, creative ownership culture. A customized approach to developing insurance products to meet very specific needs. Proven financial strength.
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