Job Description
The Opportunity
Reporting to the Manager, Enterprise Fraud, the Senior Data Specialist is a core member of the Enterprise Fraud Analytics team. This hybrid role bridges the gap between data engineering and data science, focusing on architecting scalable data pipelines and designing advanced AI/ML models to detect and prevent insurance fraud. The candidate will also support Enterprise Fraud strategic priorities and support Fraud Savings initiatives.
Operating in a highly collaborative environment, this role works alongside Business Analysts and the Special Investigations Unit (SIU). The Senior Data Specialist will heavily leverage Google Cloud Platform (GCP), BigQuery, Vertex AI, and Gemini. This role is critical in transforming complex fraud detection requirements into robust datasets and extracting predictive signals from unstructured text and claims data, ensuring both architectural scalability and mathematical rigor.
What To Expect
- Data Architecture & Pipeline Engineering Design, build, and maintain highly scalable ELT/ETL data pipelines using modern cloud infrastructure (GCP, BigQuery, GCS). Architect processes to ingest, transform, and integrate large volumes of structured claims data and unstructured third-party data to build the foundational datasets required for advanced fraud analytics.
- Algorithm Design & AI Model Development Design, train, and iterate on predictive machine learning models and AI solutions. Focus heavily on Natural Language Processing (NLP) and Generative AI (e.g., prompt engineering with Gemini) to extract actionable fraud indicators from unstructured SIU data (case notes, medical records) and structured policy data.
- Model Evaluation & Explainability Conduct rigorous offline model evaluation (precision, recall, slice analysis). Champion Explainable AI (XAI) by utilizing methods like SHAP values or LLM reasoning traces to ensure model outputs are transparent, interpretable, and trusted by non-technical SIU investigators.
- Exploratory Data Analysis (EDA) & Automation Work closely with SIU stakeholders to understand emerging fraud schemes. Conduct in-depth EDA using SQL and Python to assess data feasibility and establish baseline metrics. Design and maintain internal automations and scheduled data retrievals to improve the operational efficiency of the analytics team.
- Governance, Compliance & Best Practices Draft comprehensive technical documentation detailing pipeline lineage, model architecture, and evaluation metrics. Promote software engineering best practices (version control, CI/CD) and work with compliance teams to ensure AI solutions adhere to data privacy standards (PII/PHI) and algorithmic fairness guidelines.
What You Bring
- University degree in Computer Science, Data Science, Software Engineering, or a related quantitative discipline. (Master’s degree is an asset).
- 3-5 years of professional experience in a relevant role.
- Advanced proficiency in SQL and Python (pandas, scikit-learn) for complex data extraction, data processing, and/or model development.
- Familiarity in modern cloud data warehousing and ML platforms, with Google Cloud Platform (BigQuery, Vertex AI) and orchestration tools (e.g., Airflow, dbt) strongly preferred.
- Experience with Natural Language Processing (NLP), text classification, and Large Language Models (LLMs) / prompt engineering.
- Strong understanding of the ML lifecycle and version control systems.
- Experience implementing Explainable AI (XAI) techniques to translate complex model decisions to business stakeholders.
- Insurance industry knowledge, Fraud Risk Management, and strong business acumen are assets.
- Strong communication skills (oral/written). Bilingual in English/French is an asset.
Salary Range: $73,500-$123,500
About Us
Actual salary for the role may vary depending on work location of the successful candidate and other factors including but not limited to, skills, education, experience, working conditions and the local labour market.
This position is being posted to fill an existing vacancy.
Interested in this role, but don’t meet every requirement? We encourage you to apply! We know from experience that a candidate doesn’t need 100% of the qualifications listed to bring incredible value to our team. We’re actively seeking diverse backgrounds and perspectives to help us make insurance better. At Definity, inclusion, diversity, and equity aren’t just “nice to have” — they’re essential to our success.
What’s in it for you?
- Hybrid work schedule for most roles
- Company share ownership program
- Incentive Program - Eligible employees may participate in various incentive plans which are paid out at the discretion of the company and subject to individual and company performance.
- Pension and savings programs, with company-matched RRSP contributions
- Paid volunteer days and company matching on charitable donations
- Educational resources, tuition assistance, and paid time off to study for exams
- Focus on inclusion with employee groups, support for gender affirmation surgery, access to BIPOC counsellors, access to programs for working parents
- Wellness and recognition programs
- Discounts on products and services
Go ahead and expect a lot — you deserve it.
It’s better here — but don’t take our word for it. Definity was named by Great Place to Work® as one of the Best Workplaces™ in Canada for women, for youth, and for inclusion.
Our inclusive work environment welcomes diversity and supports accessibility. If you require accommodation at any time during the recruitment process, please let us know by contacting accessibility@economical.com.
This role requires successful clearance of background checks (including criminal checks and leadership references).
About The Team
Definity is the parent company to some of Canada’s most long-standing and innovative insurance brands, including Economical Insurance, Sonnet Insurance, Family Insurance Solutions, and Petline Insurance. Our ambition is to be one of Canada’s leading and most innovative property and casualty insurers. We can’t do that without our people, so we embrace and encourage a culture that’s collaborative, ambitious, rewarding, and empowering.
We offer a flexible, hybrid work experience where employees work from the office and virtually depending on the type of work they are doing and who they are working with. Bring your true self and be a part of our journey. It’s better here.
