Data Specialist at Discovery Limited

Key Purpose

VG’s primary focus is to help insurers and other organisations launch successful Vitality programmes. Once they do so, data begins to be generated that is new to the insurance organisation.  Vitality means that behavioural data is added to existing insurance data sets such as billing, claims and underwriting. Once Vitality is operational, data flows primarily from the IT platform that VG has put in place (or, in some cases that the organisations have provisioned for themselves) into their own organisational data store, in whatever form. The role of VG is to ensure that the data flow meets the needs of its partners, and that each partner is able to maximise the use of its expanded data assets. Data will flow to partners using a number of technical methods; VG is working to establish a unified data provisioning facility that works for all partners in a standardised way. This role involves the conceptualisation and implementation of various data-related activities that collectively facilitate VG partners’ consumption of behavioural data, as well as making that data available for internal VG use.

Some Insights

The role provides the appointee with the opportunity to work with data in both the practical and strategic sense. Data permeates all organisations, but, if unchecked, can easily spiral out of control. This role includes the coordination of various data-related activities across VG, solving for minimum duplication of work and maximum benefit for VG and its clients. Data management is something that can easily receive less attention than necessary, and this role is about elevating the role and achieving as much as possible within the constraints of a modest team size. A small data privisioning team already exists, and this role has been created to supplement existing activities.

Areas of responsibility includes

Data Provisioning for Markets

• Work with new Partner Markets to help them achieve data preparedness ahead of and leading up to Vitality launch; collect and redirect any issues found into the appropriate technical teams; ensure that any fixes are properly understood, tested, and disseminated.
• Work with existing Partner Markets to investigate, troubleshoot and remediate any data issues, either through standard extracts or other (warehouse) extracts.
• Work with Partner Markets to understand their current data needs, including their existing data analytics roadmap, if any.
• Access the central data repository using SQL / Power BI (or similar) to assist with preparation of ongoing (sometimes ad hoc) reporting requests. Feed back into technical and other teams if the data is insufficient to achieve the necessary results; ensure that the data sets are modified to cater for all possible requests.
• Ensure that markets understand the requirements for two-way flow of data, and that these requirements are correctly implemented.

Developing new Data Products

• Work in a team structure with VG stakeholders to establish and document any and all internal BI requirements.
• Develop a framework for the flow of Vitality and Insurance-related data back to VG that supports the data needs referenced above

Reporting

• Participate in working sessions with technical and data visualization teams to ensure that the gathered requirements for internal reporting are properly understood and developed according to specification and within reasonable time frames.
• Perform User Acceptance Testing on the assets delivered

VG Data Strategy

• Establish/lead/participate in initiatives that develop new avenues for the use of data within the larger VG ecosystem. This may include coordination of activities with third parties
• Help identify existing or potential data sets within the extended ecosystem of VG and its clients that enhance the existing data proposition

Personal Attributes and Skills

• Ability to synthesise information from multiple sources
• Creative problem solving and development of solutions
• Positive and optimistic
• Organised & reliable
• A broad understanding across various business functions such as product, systems, operations, marketing, finance, etc. would be advantageous.
• Effective communication skills with internal and external clients
• Ability to be flexible in order to work with international teams across potential barriers of language, culture and organisational style
• Able to lead discussions/ workshops with senior and junior level staff
• Able to work collaboratively with other disciplines on the same project, and to contribute to these, without undue disruption
• Able to convert complex problems – using experience, skills, analysis, ideas, etc. – into clear documentation that communicates effectively and at the right level depending on the audience
• Able to understand and participate in discussions regarding business strategy, systems and technology
• Strong Microsoft Office (Excel and PowerPoint) skills
• Strong SQL and Power BI (or similar) Skills

Education and Experience

Education:

Any relevant degree or diploma qualification and/ or tertiary education would be advantageous.

Experience:

• 8 to 12 years of working experience
• Data Analytics experience, including database design
• Exposure to data strategy, familiarity with key trends in data analytics, data engineering and data strategy
• International exposure, including with non-English speakers advantageous

Knowledge:

• Working knowledge of data analytics platforms in common use
• Advanced data analytics
• Data warehousing
• Research

EMPLOYMENT EQUITY   
                             
The Company’s approved Employment Equity Plan and Targets will be considered as part of the recruitment process. As an Equal Opportunities employer, we actively encourage and welcome people with various disabilities to apply.