Note: The job is a remote job and is open to candidates in USA. Openly is redefining the insurance experience through modern technology, data-driven underwriting, and tailored insurance solutions. The VP, Insurance Data Science will set the strategic direction for data science across insurance products, oversee cost and demand modeling for pricing and underwriting, and lead the development of a high-performing data science organization.
Responsibilities
- Own the vision and delivery of Openly's data science capabilities — prioritizing initiatives that drive pricing precision, underwriting performance, and profitable growth
- Partner with pricing, underwriting, product, and engineering leadership to ensure data science efforts are tightly integrated with business strategy and operational workflows
- Serve as Openly's insurance product authority on data science methodology — staying current on advances in ML, AI, and insurance-specific modeling practice and bringing the right innovations to the team with rigor and judgment
- Represent Insurance Data Science in senior leadership conversations, translating complex modeling work into clear implications for business performance
- Set the technical standard for Openly's cost and demand modeling suite — including GLMs, gradient boosting, neural approaches, and other ML methods — ensuring models are well-validated, production-ready, and coherent with actuarial frameworks
- Drive the modeling strategy for new initiatives across existing and expansion states, spanning both homeowners and personal auto product lines, ensuring data science capabilities scale with the business
- Govern the model lifecycle — from development through validation, deployment, monitoring, and refresh — establishing clear standards for when models are production-ready and when they need to be revisited
- Collaborate closely with actuaries to ensure model outputs can be operationalized within regulatory and pricing frameworks
- Advance Openly’s data science capabilities through collaborative strategic research with Data/Machine Learning Engineering
- Collaborate with engineering dept leadership on shared development standards — code quality, version control, peer review, testing, reproducibility, and documentation
- Ensure the Insurance Data Science team can operate at the right pace and scale through strategic investments in infrastructure, tooling, and access
- Actively partner with Data/ML Engineering to design, prioritize, and implement capabilities critical to scale
- Evaluate and introduce new tools, platforms, and data sources with a bias toward practical impact over novelty
- Lead, expand, and develop the Insurance Data Science team — including senior data scientists, managers, and analysts — setting clear role expectations, investing in career growth, supporting the recruiting and hiring of external talent, and building a culture of technical excellence and intellectual rigor
- Own hiring and team structure decisions in partnership with the CIPO, building the capabilities Openly needs now and over the next several years
- Mentor senior individual contributors and managers, developing the next generation of data science leadership within the organization
Skills
- 15+ years of experience in data science or a closely related quantitative/actuarial field, with at least 8 years in a leadership role managing highly analytical teams
- Deep technical fluency in predictive modeling — GLMs, gradient boosting, and modern ML methods — with demonstrated experience delivering production models in a regulated, data-intensive industry
- Proven experience across both cost modeling (loss ratio, frequency, severity, pure premium) and demand modeling (conversion, retention, price elasticity), and the strategic judgment to prioritize across a portfolio of modeling initiatives
- Extensive experience in personal lines insurance with models directly driving pricing and underwriting decisions
- Familiarity with the actuarial context in which data science operates is a strong differentiator
- Track record of building and leading high-performing data science teams — not just managing delivery, but developing people, raising the technical bar, and creating an environment where rigorous analytical work thrives
- Strong communicator and cross-functional collaborator, equally fluent in technical depth with data scientists and in strategic implications with executive leadership
- Commercially minded: you understand how modeling decisions translate to loss ratios, growth, and profitability, and you manage your team's work accordingly
- Comfortable operating at a growth-stage company where strategic clarity and operational ambiguity coexist — and capable of creating structure without waiting for it to be handed to you
- U.S. Citizens, Green Card Holders, and those authorized to work in the U.S. for any employer
Benefits
- Remote-first culture: We supported remote work long before it became standard, and we remain dedicated to a flexible work model.
- Competitive pay & equity: Top-tier base salary paired with ownership in Openly’s growth.
- Comprehensive health coverage: Medical, dental, and vision plans tailored to you and your family.
- Life & disability insurance: Full coverage including voluntary supplemental options.
- Paid parental leave: Up to 8 weeks (320 hours) of paid parental leave for eligible employees (with additional disability coverage available for birthing parents).
- 401(k) company contribution: Openly contributes 3% of your gross income, regardless of whether you make personal contributions.
- Home office setup: A $1,500 upfront allowance to build your ideal remote workspace, plus a $75 / month internet stipend.
- Professional development: $2,000 annually to invest in courses, conferences, or resources to help you grow.
- "Be Well" program: A $50 / month stipend dedicated to your personal health and wellness.
- Volunteer hours & referral rewards: Paid time off to give back to your community, plus generous financial rewards for referring great talent.
- Select roles may also be eligible for cash incentives or sales commissions.
Company Overview