Lead Data Solutions Strategist

Established in 2021,
Independence Pet Holdings is a corporate holding company that manages a diverse and broad portfolio of modern pet health brands and services, including insurance, pet education, lost recovery services and more throughout North America.

We believe pet insurance is more than a financial product and build solutions to simplify the pet parenting journey and to help improve the well‑being of pets. As a leading authority in the pet category we operate with a full stack of resources, capital and services to support pet parents.

Our multi‑brand and omni‑channel approach includes our own insurance carrier, insurance brands and partner brands.

Reports To:

Head of Data Strategy & Planning

Direct Reports: 2 Data Solutions Strategists

Comparable Titles:
Data Strategy Manager | Analytics Solutions Manager | Manager of Data Strategy & Planning

The Lead Data Solutions Strategist connects business priorities with data and analytics capabilities, ensuring every initiative entering the data roadmap is clearly framed, strategically justified and tied to measurable outcomes. This role owns the front door – from initiative intake and discovery through solution framing and prioritization – before handing off to the Data Product Manager for backlog ownership and delivery execution.

Managing a team of two Data Solutions Strategists, this role works across departments – from Claims and Finance to Marketing and Operations – to identify high‑value data opportunities, shape solution briefs and ensure alignment between business sponsors, data architecture and enterprise governance standards.

• Own the initiative intake process – define how requests enter the data roadmap, how they are assessed for strategic fit and how they are prioritized relative to enterprise objectives.
• Partner with business stakeholders to identify and frame high‑value data and analytics opportunities across Claims, Finance, Marketing, Operations and other functions.
• Translate complex business challenges into clear data requirements, opportunity briefs and solution recommendations.
• Collaborate with the Head of Data Strategy & Planning to support annual planning, roadmap updates and executive prioritization decisions.

• Develop solution blueprints and functional specifications that define the "what" and "why" for new data initiatives, enabling a clean handoff to the Data Product Manager for backlog ownership and delivery.
• Partner with the Data Product Manager to ensure strategic intent is accurately translated into product requirements, user stories and acceptance criteria.
• Work with the Senior Data Architect to ensure proposed designs align with enterprise data standards, architecture patterns and governance requirements.
• Support build vs. buy evaluations by providing business‑grounded input on value, risk and strategic fit – in collaboration with Architecture and Engineering.

• Lead, mentor and develop a team of two Data Solutions Strategists – setting clear expectations, reviewing deliverables, managing workload prioritization and supporting career growth.
• Ensure consistency and quality across solution briefs, stakeholder deliverables and initiative framing produced by the team.
• Facilitate cross‑functional workshops and alignment sessions with business, engineering and analytics teams.
• Build a culture of intellectual curiosity, business accountability and outcome‑oriented delivery within the strategy function.

• Define KPIs and success metrics for data initiatives at the point of intake, not just at delivery.
• Track and communicate the business value, ROI and adoption outcomes of delivered solutions to stakeholders and leadership.
• Provide regular visibility into the health and prioritization of the initiative pipeline to the Head of Data Strategy & Planning.
• Serve as an escalation path for stakeholder alignment issues that arise during solution definition or delivery.

• 8+ years of experience in data strategy, analytics, solution delivery or business…