Senior Data Analyst (18 month contract) - Job Opportunity at Definity Financial Corporation

Waterloo, Canada
Contract
Senior
Posted: July 19, 2025
Hybrid
CAD 69,000-127,000 per year

Benefits

Flexible hybrid work arrangement allowing employees to balance office presence with remote productivity based on project requirements and collaboration needs
Collaborative and empowering company culture that encourages authentic self-expression and professional growth
Access to innovative projects within Canada's leading property and casualty insurance sector
Opportunity to work with cutting-edge data analytics tools and cloud platforms in a forward-thinking organization

Key Responsibilities

Drive strategic data product innovation by analyzing and evaluating emerging data sources to meet current and future business requirements, directly impacting Personal Insurance product development
Lead cross-functional collaboration by facilitating user story and requirement elaboration sessions with business and technical stakeholders, ensuring alignment between business vision and technical execution
Provide critical product management support by working closely with Product Owners and delivery teams to translate customer needs into actionable data products and capabilities
Execute comprehensive project leadership activities including scoping, impact assessments, effort estimation, risk identification, and stakeholder communication to ensure successful project delivery
Champion agile methodology adoption through active participation in sprint ceremonies, daily stand-ups, planning sessions, and retrospectives to maintain development velocity
Ensure data product quality and reliability by collaborating with business and engineering teams on test case planning, documentation, and results review
Establish data governance excellence by working with stakeholders to ensure complete documentation, monitoring protocols, and integrity standards
Drive continuous improvement by staying current on analytics tools and best practices while sharing knowledge with data consumers and colleagues across the organization

Requirements

Education

University degree in Computer Science, Mathematics, Software Engineering, or equivalent

Experience

Min 3-5 years of hand-on experience with data discovery, prototyping, and development of innovative data and analytics products; Min 3-5 years' experience as Data Analyst or equivalent in an Agile product development organization

Required Skills

Expert level skills in SQL and Python on cloud platforms Firm grasp of descriptive statistics and Exploratory Data Analysis techniques Solid understanding of data science and machine learning principles and techniques Curious and creative mind with a passion for extracting new insights from data Familiarity with GCP, Scala, Java, or C++ is also an asset

Certifications

Scrum Master / Product Owner experience/certification is an asset
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Sauge AI Market Intelligence

Industry Trends

The Canadian insurance industry is undergoing rapid digital transformation with insurtech companies like Sonnet (under Definity) leading the charge in leveraging data analytics for personalized pricing and risk assessment. Traditional insurers are investing heavily in data capabilities to compete with digital-first entrants and meet evolving customer expectations for seamless, data-driven experiences. There is significant growth in geospatial analytics within the insurance sector, particularly for property and casualty insurance, as companies seek to better understand location-based risks including climate change impacts, natural disasters, and demographic shifts. This trend is driving demand for analysts who can work with complex spatial data and cloud-based analytics platforms. The shift toward product-centric data teams in financial services reflects the industry's recognition that data is a strategic asset requiring dedicated product management approaches. Organizations are moving away from traditional IT-driven analytics toward business-embedded data products that deliver direct value to operational teams and customers.

Salary Evaluation

The CAD 69,000-127,000 range reflects competitive positioning for senior data analyst roles in the Waterloo region, which benefits from proximity to Toronto's financial district while maintaining lower cost structures. The wide range likely accounts for experience variations within the 3-5 year requirement, with the contract nature potentially commanding premium rates to offset benefits and job security trade-offs.

Role Significance

Likely working within a data team of 8-15 professionals including data engineers, scientists, and product managers, while interfacing regularly with business stakeholders across Personal Insurance lines representing hundreds of operational staff
This senior-level position represents a key individual contributor role with significant strategic influence, positioned to shape data product direction and serve as a bridge between technical capabilities and business outcomes. The role carries substantial responsibility for translating complex business requirements into scalable technical solutions.

Key Projects

Development of predictive risk modeling products for property and casualty underwriting Creation of customer segmentation and personalization engines for digital insurance platforms Implementation of real-time fraud detection and claims processing analytics Design of geospatial risk assessment tools for climate-related insurance products Building of regulatory reporting and compliance analytics solutions

Success Factors

Ability to translate complex business requirements into technical specifications while maintaining strong relationships with both technical and business stakeholders, essential for the cross-functional nature of data product development Proficiency in balancing innovation with regulatory compliance requirements specific to the insurance industry, where data products must meet strict governance and risk management standards Strong agile methodology expertise to thrive in fast-paced product development cycles while managing stakeholder expectations and delivering incremental value Deep understanding of cloud-based analytics architecture to ensure scalable and cost-effective data product deployment in enterprise environments

Market Demand

High demand driven by insurance industry digitization, with particular strength for professionals combining technical analytics skills with product development experience in regulated industries

Important Skills

Critical Skills

Expert-level SQL and Python skills on cloud platforms are fundamental as modern insurance analytics requires processing large volumes of structured and unstructured data from diverse sources including IoT devices, social media, and third-party data providers. Cloud proficiency ensures scalability and cost-effectiveness essential for enterprise-level insurance operations. Agile product development experience is crucial as insurance companies increasingly adopt technology company methodologies to accelerate innovation cycles and respond to market changes, particularly important in the competitive Canadian insurance market where digital disruption is accelerating. Statistical analysis and exploratory data analysis capabilities form the foundation for developing insights that drive underwriting decisions, pricing models, and risk assessment tools that directly impact company profitability and competitive positioning.

Beneficial Skills

Geospatial analytics experience becomes increasingly valuable as climate change impacts require more sophisticated location-based risk modeling for property insurance, particularly relevant in Canada's diverse geographic and climate landscape Scrum Master or Product Owner certification would enhance the candidate's ability to lead cross-functional teams and manage stakeholder relationships in complex data product development initiatives GCP familiarity aligns with Google Cloud's strong position in insurance analytics and machine learning services, while additional programming languages like Scala or Java expand integration capabilities with enterprise insurance systems

Unique Aspects

The 18-month contract structure provides accelerated exposure to multiple data product development cycles while offering flexibility for both candidate and company to evaluate long-term fit in a rapidly evolving industry landscape
Combination of traditional insurance industry stability with innovative insurtech approaches through brands like Sonnet creates unique learning opportunities spanning both established and emerging insurance business models
Focus on geospatial analytics reflects the growing importance of location-based risk assessment in property and casualty insurance, particularly relevant given Canada's diverse climate and geographic risk factors
Integration of product management responsibilities with technical analytics skills represents the evolution toward more strategic, business-focused data roles in financial services

Career Growth

Typical progression to next level within 2-4 years given the contract nature providing accelerated experience and the strong foundation in both technical and product management skills

Potential Next Roles

Principal Data Analyst or Lead Data Scientist roles focusing on advanced analytics and machine learning implementation Product Manager positions specializing in data products and analytics platforms within financial services Data Engineering Manager roles overseeing technical teams and infrastructure development Director of Analytics or Chief Data Officer positions in mid-sized financial services companies

Company Overview

Definity Financial Corporation

Definity Financial Corporation operates as a major player in Canadian property and casualty insurance through established brands including Economical Insurance and digital innovator Sonnet Insurance. The company represents a hybrid model combining traditional insurance expertise with modern digital capabilities, positioning it uniquely in the evolving Canadian insurance landscape.

Definity holds significant market share in Canadian P&C insurance and is recognized for innovation particularly through its Sonnet brand, which has gained attention as one of Canada's first fully digital insurance providers. The company's multi-brand strategy allows it to serve diverse market segments while leveraging shared data and analytics capabilities.
The Waterloo location positions the role within Canada's technology corridor, providing access to strong talent pools from University of Waterloo and proximity to both Toronto's financial district and the broader Ontario insurance market, while maintaining operational cost advantages over Toronto-based positions.
The emphasis on collaborative, ambitious, and empowering culture combined with hybrid work flexibility suggests a progressive approach to talent management, likely reflecting the company's need to compete for technology talent while maintaining traditional insurance industry stability and professionalism
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