We are seeking an exceptional Application & Software Engineering Lead with deep Insurance domain expertise to drive the design, delivery, and evolution of our core technology platforms. This is a high-impact leadership role sitting at the intersection of engineering excellence and insurance business capability, responsible for leading cross-functional engineering teams to deliver scalable, resilient, and compliant software solutions.
You will act as a trusted technology partner to the world’s largest insurance firms, translating complex insurance workflows — spanning policy administration, underwriting, claims, and regulatory compliance — into robust, modern application architectures. You will set the technical vision, champion engineering best practices, and cultivate a high-performing team culture.
Key Responsibilities
Engineering Leadership
- Lead, mentor, and grow a team of software engineers, architects, and analysts across multiple squads.
- Define and uphold engineering standards, coding practices, and quality frameworks across the function.
- Drive a culture of continuous improvement, psychological safety, and technical craftsmanship.
- Conduct regular 1:1s, performance reviews, and career development conversations with direct reports.
- Collaborate with Engineering Managers, Product Owners, and Delivery Leads to ensure aligned, outcome-driven delivery.
Application Strategy & Architecture
- Own the application roadmap for core insurance platforms, including policy management, claims, underwriting, and distribution systems.
- Design and govern scalable, event-driven, cloud-native architectures appropriate for the insurance technology landscape.
- Lead technical design reviews, architecture decision records (ADRs), and proof-of-concept evaluations.
- Assess and manage technical debt; prioritise remediation in balance with feature delivery.
- Evaluate and recommend third-party insurance software (e.g. Guidewire, Duck Creek, Majesco) and integration patterns.
Insurance Domain Delivery
- Apply specialist knowledge of insurance business processes to shape technical solutions that meet regulatory and operational requirements.
- Oversee delivery of insurance-specific capabilities: policy lifecycle management, claims handling, bordereaux processing, reinsurance ceding, and premium calculation engines.
- Ensure compliance with industry standards and regulations including Solvency II, FCA requirements, market standards, and GDPR.
- Act as a subject matter expert (SME) bridging business stakeholders and engineering teams on insurance domain requirements.
Delivery & Execution
- Own end-to-end software delivery for one or more product areas; accountable for quality, timeliness, and technical integrity.
- Champion Agile and DevSecOps practices; contribute to sprint planning, backlog refinement, and release governance.
- Define and track engineering KPIs including lead time, deployment frequency, MTTR, and defect escape rate.
- Manage stakeholder expectations and provide transparent reporting on engineering progress and risk.
- Partner with Product, Actuarial, Risk, Compliance, and Operations teams to understand and shape business requirements.
- Manage relationships with technology vendors and insurance software providers; lead procurement and contract negotiations where required.
- Represent the engineering function in senior leadership forums, architecture boards, and client-facing engagements.
Skills & Experience
- Significant experience (7+ years) in software engineering.
- Demonstrable insurance domain expertise across one or more of: Specialty, London Market / Lloyds, or Reinsurance.
- Strong command of modern application development: microservices, API-first design, event-driven architecture, and cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, or GCP).
- Proven ability to lead distributed engineering teams delivering in an Agile/SAFe environment.
- Deep understanding of insurance data models, regulatory frameworks (FCA, PRA, Solvency II), and compliance requirements.
- Excellent communication skills with the ability to engage technical and non-technical audiences, including C-suite stakeholders.
Highly Desirable
- Consulting experience.
- Background in data engineering or analytics within an insurance context (e.g. actuarial data platforms, claims analytics).
- Relevant certifications: AWS Solutions Architect, Azure Solutions Architect, TOGAF, or equivalent.
- Exposure to AI/ML applications in insurance (e.g. fraud detection, underwriting automation, NLP for claims).
- Languages & Frameworks: Java, Python, .NET, or similar enterprise-grade stack; REST and GraphQL APIs.
- Data & Integration: Kafka / event streaming, enterprise integration patterns, EDI/ACORD XML or JSON standards.
- Security & Compliance: OWASP practices, data privacy engineering, secure SDLC.
What We Offer
- Competitive base salary benchmarked to senior tech consulting market rates.
- Annual performance bonus tied to individual and company outcomes.
- Comprehensive benefits package including private medical insurance, life assurance, and income protection.
- Hybrid working model with flexible arrangements to support work-life balance.
- Generous pension scheme with enhanced employer contributions.
- Continuous learning budget and access to industry conferences, certifications, and training programmes.
- 25 days annual leave plus bank holidays, with option to buy additional days.
- Employee assistance programme and wellbeing support.
