Senior Data Scientist (Peoria, IL or Chicago, IL)

About Us

We’re not like other insurance companies. From our specialty products to our business model, our culture to our results — we’re different. Different is who we are, and how we work, interact, deliver and succeed together. Creating a different and better insurance experience doesn’t just happen. It takes focus and a shared passion for going beyond the expected to forge relationships and deliver care that makes a difference. This approach rises from and is supported by our talented, ethical and smart team of employee owners united around a single purpose : to work alongside our customers and partners when they need us, in unexpected ways, with exceptional results. Apply today to make a difference with us.

RLI is a company with a strong, successful background. For decades, our financial track record has been stellar — a testament to our culture and validation of our reputation as an excellent underwriting company.

Role Overview

We’re hiring a mid-level Data Scientist to play a foundational role in shaping how AI / ML is applied across our Personal Umbrella Policy (PUP) and E&S Property lines of business. This individual will work hands-on to design, build, deploy and maintain curated data and analytical models within Snowflake, collaborating closely with our product, actuarial, analyst and engineering teams.

You’ll own the full model lifecycle—from experimentation and feature engineering to deployment, monitoring, and retraining—while contributing to the development of a repeatable, scalable data science foundation at RLI.

Key Responsibilities

Design, create, document and maintain user-friendly and purpose-built data products for use by models and non-technical end users.

Develop, train, and deploy models using Snowflake Cortex, Snowpark, and integrated Python execution.

Own the end-to-end model lifecycle : experimentation, feature engineering, validation, production deployment, and monitoring.

Work closely with our underwriting, claim, actuarial, and analyst teams to translate business needs into data science solutions.

Design, create, document and maintain user-friendly and purpose-built data products for use by models and non-technical end users.

Partner with data engineering to ensure the availability and readiness of Snowflake-based datasets for modeling and inference.

Contribute to the development of model governance, reusability standards, and operational monitoring frameworks.

Stay current on Snowflake’s evolving capabilities to ensure model development aligns with platform best practices.

Assist in building a shared foundation for data science best practices and help inform future tooling and infrastructure investments.

Required Qualifications

3–5 years of hands-on experience in applied data science or machine learning roles.

Proficiency in Python (e.g., scikit-learn, XGBoost, pandas) and SQL.

Experience developing and deploying models in Snowflake using Snowpark, Cortex, or similar cloud-native tools.

Strong understanding of supervised learning, feature engineering, and model performance evaluation.

Proven ability to work cross-functionally with both technical and non-technical stakeholders.

Excellent problem-solving, communication, and documentation skills.

In-office requirement of 3 days minimum in our Peoria or Chicago office.

Preferred Qualifications

Background in insurance, risk modeling, or financial services.

Experience working in environments with governed data platforms and production ML workflows.

Exposure to MLOps practices, model versioning, and drift monitoring.

Why Join RLI?

Opportunity to shape the future of data science at a financially strong, innovation-minded company.

Work with a modern data stack (Snowflake, Power BI, Azure).

Partner closely with experienced leaders and cross-functional teams.

Make a direct impact on underwriting precision, claims operations, portfolio risk management, and product innovation.

Compensation Overview

The base salary range for the position is listed below. Please note that the base salary is only one component of our robust total rewards package at RLI. The salary offered will take into account a number of factors including, but not limited to, geographic location, experience, scope & responsibilities of the role, qualifications / credentials, talent availability & specialization, as well as business needs. The below range may be modified in the future.

Base Pay Range

$107,411.00 - $156,551.00

Total Rewards

At RLI, we're all owners. We hire the best and the brightest employees and allow them to share in the company's success through our Total Rewards. With the Employee Stock Ownership plan at its core, the Total Rewards program includes all compensation, benefits and perks that come with being an RLI employee.

Financial Incentives

Annual bonus plans

Employee stock ownership plan (ESOP)

401(k) — automatic 3% company contribution

Annual 401k and ESOP profit-sharing contributions (Up to 15% of eligible earnings)

Work & Life

Paid time off (PTO) and holidays

Paid volunteer time off (VTO) to support our communities

Parental and family care leave

Flexible & hybrid work arrangements

Fitness center discounts and free virtual fitness platform

Employee assistance program

Health & Wellness

Comprehensive medical, dental and vision benefits

Flexible spending and health savings accounts

2x base salary for group life and AD&D insurance

Voluntary life, critical illness, & accident insurance for purchase

Short-term and long-term disability benefits

Personal & Professional Growth

RLI encourages its employees to pursue professional development work in insurance and job-related areas. We make a commitment to employees to provide educational opportunities that help them enhance their skills and further their career advancement. RLI fosters a true learning culture and encourages professional growth through insurance courses, in-house training and other educational programs. RLI covers the cost for most programs and employees typically earn a bonus upon successful completion of approved courses and certifications. Our personal and professional growth benefits include :

Training & certification opportunities

Tuition reimbursement

Education bonuses

Diversity & Inclusion

Our goal is to attract, develop and retain the best employee talent from diverse backgrounds while promoting an environment where all viewpoints are valued and individuals feel respected, are treated fairly, and have an opportunity to excel in their chosen careers. We actively support, and participate in, initiatives led by the American Property Casualty Insurance Association that aim to increase diversity in the insurance industry. Cultivating an exceptional and diverse workforce to deliver excellent customer service reinforces our culture and is a key to achieving superior business results.

RLI is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate in hiring or employment on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, citizenship, gender, marital status, sexual orientation, age, disability, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law.