Data Science Lead

Data Science Lead Role Overview

Leads the planning, governance, and execution oversight of the CDO portfolio across Data Science, Data Platforms and Engineering, and Data Governance.

The role is accountable for translating strategic priorities into an integrated portfolio view, driving prioritization and investment alignment, and providing executive visibility into progress, risks, dependencies, and outcomes.

Working in close partnership with CDO leaders and cross-functional stakeholders, this individual enables disciplined portfolio management, informed decision-making, and consistent delivery of strategic business value.

• Lead the CDO portfolio of initiatives across Data Science, Data Platforms and Engineering, and Data Governance, ensuring work is prioritized, sequenced, and aligned to strategic objectives.
• Develop and maintain portfolio roadmaps, integrated plans, milestone views, and executive reporting to provide clear visibility into delivery progress and expected outcomes.
• Govern portfolio intake, prioritization, and decision processes in partnership with CDO leaders and stakeholders, balancing business value, capacity, risk, and cross-functional dependencies.
• Partner closely with the Portfolio Planning & Delivery team to align portfolio planning, delivery oversight, reporting, and governance processes across the CDO portfolio.
• Drive cross-functional coordination to manage interdependencies, resolve delivery conflicts, and sustain execution against portfolio commitments.
• Oversee portfolio financials, including budget planning, forecasting, spend visibility, and resource alignment, to support effective investment management.
• Support portfolio execution through disciplined vendor and contract oversight, procurement coordination, and adherence to organizational policies and timelines.
• Identify, monitor, and elevate portfolio‑level risks, issues, and decisions, and drive mitigation actions to protect delivery timelines and business outcomes.
• Assess portfolio performance, delivery health, and benefit realization, and recommend adjustments to priorities, plans, and governance mechanisms to improve results.

• Bachelors Degree and 6 or more years portfolio, program, or project management experience
• OR
• High School Diploma or Equivalent and 8 or more years portfolio, program, or project management experience

• 5+ years of portfolio, program, or project management experience in data‑centric or technology‑driven environments, including accountability for multiple concurrent initiatives across functions.
• Strong knowledge of portfolio governance, intake and prioritization, resource planning, and risk management, preferably within data, analytics, or technology organizations.
• Strong executive communication, organizational, and leadership skills, with the ability to drive alignment across stakeholders and communicate status, risks, and tradeoffs with clarity.
• Demonstrated ability to manage budgets, forecasts, vendor engagements, and resource plans in complex, matrixed environments.
• Proficiency with portfolio and project management tools and reporting platforms, including the ability to track delivery, dependencies, risks, and investment performance.

• Portfolio strategy, prioritization, and governance
• Executive stakeholder communication and influence
• Cross‑functional planning and dependency management
• Financial oversight and investment alignment

At Zurich we are an equal opportunity employer. We attract and retain the best qualified individuals available, without regard to race/ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation, age, or disability.