Principal Data Architect

Overview Position Summary: Mercury Insurance is seeking a Principal Data Architect to lead the strategy, design, and evolution of our enterprise data ecosystem. This leader will partner closely with Engineering, Data Science, and business teams to define and execute a scalable data architecture that supports analytics, operational reporting, and data-driven product capabilities. This is a hands-on technical leadership role that blends deep data architecture expertise, architectural thinking, and cross-functional influence. The Principal Data Architect will own the long-term direction for enterprise data models, pipelines, and platform standards while guiding teams responsible for delivering reliable, governed, and high-performing data solutions. This role is accountable for building a modern data foundation that is scalable, secure, and aligned to real business needs across Mercury. Geo-Salary Information An in-person interview may be required during the hiring process State specific pay scales for this role are as follows: $107,344.71 - $300,603.92 (NJ, NY, WA, HI, AK, MD, CT, RI, MA) $107,344.71 - $300,603.92 (NV, OR, AZ, CO, WY, TX, ND, MN, MO, IL, WI, FL, GA, MI, OH, VA, PA, DE, VT, NH, ME) $107,344.71 - $300,603.92 (UT, ID, MT, NM, SD, NE, KS, OK, IA, AR, LA, MS, AL, TN, KY, IN, SC, NC, WV) In CA: Typical hiring range is $201,933.00 - $280,462.00 The expected base salary for this position will vary depending on a number of factors, including relevant experience, skills and location. Responsibilities Essential Job Functions: Enterprise data strategy and architecture Define and lead the enterprise data architecture strategy, target state, and multi-year roadmap for Mercury’s data platform Establish reference architectures, standards, and guardrails for data ingestion, transformation, modeling, orchestration, quality, observability, and consumption Drive architecture decisions for enterprise data platforms, including EDW, lakehouse, streaming, operational data integration, and domain-oriented data products Partner with senior Technology and business leaders to align data investments to enterprise priorities, business value, and long-term scalability Evaluate current-state architecture, identify gaps, and lead rationalization of tools, patterns, and technical debt across the data ecosystem Technical leadership and architecture enablement Provide technical direction and architectural leadership to data engineering, analytics engineering, and platform teams Set standards for design quality, model integrity, operational excellence, and scalable delivery across the Enterprise Data & Operations function Mentor engineers and technical leaders in architectural thinking, modern engineering practices, and delivery excellence Build an automation-first culture focused on reliability, repeatability, maintainability, and continuous improvement Raise the bar on technical quality, design rigor, and execution…