Manager, Software Engineering Product Manager (Annuity Data Platform)

Nationwide Technology invites you to influence how data powers modern insurance solutions. This role leads the Annuity Data Platform team in delivering data capabilities, AI-enabled solutions, and modernization outcomes from a hybrid Columbus, Ohio schedule (in-office Wednesdays and Thursdays). You’ll guide a skilled group of engineers and data professionals, shaping platform strategy and ensuring secure, scalable data foundations that serve multiple annuity capabilities and downstream consumers.

Responsibilities

• Define and drive the strategic direction for the Annuity Data Platform in alignment with organizational goals, the Annuity Modernization Program, and broader Data Strategy priorities.
• Establish an outcome-based roadmap for ADP that balances first-launch delivery with long-term platform scalability, reuse, analytics, and AI enablement.
• Partner with architecture and business leaders to ensure the platform supports modernization capabilities, downstream consumers, and future-state reporting, analytics, and AI needs.
• Lead the ADP team in delivering data capabilities required for Annuity Modernization first launch, including support for priority business capabilities and critical-path features.
• Ensure backlog readiness, sequencing, and alignment to milestone planning, integrated plans, and cross-team handoffs to enable predictable delivery against committed outcomes.
• Address scope, dependency, and capacity issues impacting delivery while maintaining focus on business value, schedule commitments, and quality.
• Lead the design, development, and operation of scalable, secure, and resilient data platform capabilities that meet business and technology needs.
• Establish and mature engineering practices across the ADP team, including DevSecOps, automation, observability, and reliable run operations support.
• Maintain strong controls around platform health, data quality, stability, support readiness, and risk mitigation as ADP becomes foundational to multiple annuity capabilities.
• Partner with enterprise and program data leaders to shape and implement Data Strategy for Annuity, including data modeling, lineage, governance, and reusable platform patterns.
• Identify high-value opportunities for AI-based solutions enabled by trusted, governed, and reusable data assets on the ADP platform.
• Help define and mature foundational AI capabilities in data, including reliable data pipelines, governed data assets, reusable data products, and platform patterns for analytics and automation.
• Ensure the platform provides trusted, consumable data for operational processes, regulatory needs, reporting, analytics, and future AI-driven solutions.
• Work with business stakeholders to understand pain points and opportunities that data and AI-based solutions can address.
• Translate opportunities into actionable use cases, roadmaps, and delivery plans with cross-functional teams.
• Promote pragmatic adoption of AI-enabled capabilities that improve operational efficiency and speed to insight while aligning to enterprise standards and risk controls.
• Connect AI and data solutions to measurable business outcomes that support Annuity Modernization goals.
• Foster partnerships across Annuity Technology, IDS, Data Architecture, Program Leadership, and business stakeholders to ensure seamless delivery of platform capabilities.
• Collaborate with partner teams such as ALIP, Real Time Integrations, Workflow, and Correspondence to manage interdependencies and align delivery plans.
• Represent the ADP initiative in planning, governance, and escalation forums as a key leadership voice.
• Develop and manage a workforce strategy for the ADP team, aligning skills and capacity with modernization demand and first-launch commitments.
• Manage vendor relationships and external partnerships to ensure high-quality delivery, efficient onboarding, and scalable support where needed.
• Optimize build and run costs while maintaining delivery quality, platform resiliency, and long-term value realization.
• Cultivate an engineering culture focused on accountability, collaboration, learning, and continuous improvement.
• Strengthen the team’s ability to plan, execute, and support data platform work through operating rhythms, performance metrics, and talent development.
• Stay current on industry trends in data platforms, cloud, automation, analytics, and AI, applying insights to improve team effectiveness and platform outcomes.

Requirements

• Proven experience leading software engineering and/or data platform teams in large, complex technology environments.
• Strong understanding of data platforms, data engineering, data architecture, and modern software delivery practices.
• Experience leading transformational programs with significant cross-functional dependency management, delivery execution, and operational accountability.
• Solid knowledge of DevSecOps, SRE and operational practices, automation, and engineering maturity improvement.
• Experience enabling data-driven and AI-supported solutions through strong partnerships with business stakeholders, architects, and engineering teams.
• Understanding of foundational capabilities for analytics, automation, and AI use cases, including data quality, governance, lineage, and scalable platform design.
• Excellent collaboration, communication, and stakeholder management skills with the ability to influence across business and technology organizations.
• Ability to lead and inspire cross-functional teams while balancing immediate delivery needs with longer-term strategic platform outcomes.
• Up-to-date knowledge of technology trends in cloud, data, analytics, and emerging AI capabilities.
• Undergraduate studies in management information systems, engineering, math, computer science or comparable experience and education.
• Six years of experience in application suite management with at least four years leading multiple teams across technologies; demonstrated success in building engaged teams.

Benefits

• Medical, dental, and vision coverage
• Life Insurance
• Short and long term disability coverage
• Paid time off including a minimum of 18 days per year for new hires, pro-rated quarterly based on hire date
• Nine paid holidays
• 8 hours of Lifetime paid time off
• 8 hours of Unity Day paid time off
• 401(k) with company match
• Company-paid pension plan
• Business casual attire