Director, Data Science and Marketing Analytics Innovation

Position Overview

The Data Science and Marketing Analytics Innovation Lead drives data‐driven marketing strategies for a specific product line. This agile, empathetic, and adaptable analytics leader bridges marketing and data science teams while demonstrating deep data science marketing knowledge—including direct mail, digital strategies, customer behavior, campaign execution and optimization, and process automation—to develop effective, data‐driven decisions. Excelling at multitasking, they seamlessly transition between strategic planning and tactical execution under tight deadlines, effectively communicating complex concepts to diverse audiences. They contribute to organizational transformation initiatives, lead change management, foster a culture of data‐driven decision‐making, and identify and implement emerging analytics technologies while supervising a team of data scientists, analysts, and engineers and collaborating with product team members and managers.

Key Responsibilities

Customer Engagement Strategy and Execution

• Lead the end-to-end communication lifecycle for all policyholders—from application through beneficiary payment.
• Collaborate cross-functionally (New Business, Claims, Underwriting, Distribution, Marketing, etc.) to map the member journey and identify communication strategies that improve placed rate, lapse rate, SQI, and other key outcomes.
• Define and continuously refine member segmentation strategies to enable personalization, targeted outreach, and increased engagement.
• Design and run A/B tests, pilot programs, and iterative experiments to optimize messaging, timing, content, and channels.
• Ensure all communications reflect the AAA Life brand values of clarity, empathy, and trust.

Brand Governance & Creative Development

• Serve as the brand steward for all member-facing communications across channels (email, SMS, phone, mail, digital).
• Lead the development, standardization, and ongoing refinement of brand voice, communication guidelines, and visual identity as they apply to customer engagement.
• Oversee creative development for engagement campaigns, including message strategy, copy development, and creative asset review.
• Partner with Marketing and Compliance to ensure consistent, compliant, and on-brand communication experiences.
• Establish and enforce brand and content governance processes, templates, and quality controls to ensure consistency across departments.

Platform Ownership and Implementation

• Serve as the business owner for the enterprise member engagement platform (currently in RFP), ensuring alignment with communication, compliance, CX, and data requirements.
• Lead platform implementation, rollout, and enterprise onboarding in partnership with IT, vendors, and key stakeholders.
• Own and manage communication preference centers, opt-out mechanisms, identity verification processes, and regulatory communication requirements.
• Provide strategic oversight of day-to-day campaign execution and long-term journey architecture within the platform.
• Build, lead, and mentor a high-performing team of 3–5 customer engagement professionals.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Partner closely with Marketing, Distribution, Compliance, Legal, New Business, Technology, Claims, and Operations to align communication strategies with enterprise priorities.
• Ensure member communications meet regulatory standards while remaining customer-centric and brand-aligned.
• Serve as the organization’s central coordinator for communication strategy, messaging alignment, and cross-departmental harmonization.

Measurement, Optimization, and Reporting

• Track, analyze, and report on campaign performance, journey success, and channel effectiveness.
• Leverage insights from engagement data, VOC, and segmentation to iterate strategy and improve business outcomes.
• Champion a test-and-learn culture that encourages experimentation, iteration, and continuous improvement.
• Ion a test-and-learn approach across all communication efforts.

Required Qualifications

Leadership & Team Management

• Foster a culture of innovation, accountability, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
• Strong business acumen with a deep understanding of interdependencies across operations, distribution, underwriting, service, marketing, and technology.

Critical Thinking

• Evaluates alternatives using logical reasoning; identifies root causes, risks, and trade-offs.
• Approaches complex problems holistically, identifying interdependencies and designing integrated solutions.

Execution & Driving Results

• Makes sound decisions in high-pressure or ambiguous conditions.
• Acts decisively to deliver improvements that meaningfully impact customer outcomes and business performance.

Engage & Inspire

• Encourages high levels of performance, creativity, and ownership.
• Builds commitment and energy around the member experience vision.

Change Leadership & Influence

• Advocates for customer-centered change across the organization.
• Ensures initiatives are implemented with proper communication, metrics, and cross-functional alignment.

Effective Communication

• Models courageous and constructive dialogue.
• Can articulate complex issues clearly and influence senior stakeholders toward alignment.

Education / Experience

• Bachelor’s in Business, Communications, Marketing, or a related field; Master’s degree preferred.
• 10+ years of experience in customer lifecycle communications, CX, marketing automation, CRM, or member engagement roles—ideally in insurance, financial services, or regulated industries.
• Proven success implementing or managing omni-channel engagement platforms with measurable impact on customer behavior and retention.
• Strong understanding of segmentation, A/B testing, journey orchestration, creative development, and communication compliance.
• Demonstrated experience managing teams, influencing cross-functional leaders, and driving enterprise alignment.
• Strong analytical and presentation skills; able to translate complexity into actionable insights.
• Experience managing vendor relationships and platform rollouts preferred.