At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead software development projects and design innovative cloud-based solutions.
- Company: Join Oliver Wyman, a leading consultancy with a collaborative culture.
- Benefits: Enjoy competitive salary, hybrid work, and opportunities for professional growth.
- Other info: Dynamic role with excellent career advancement opportunities in a supportive environment.
- Why this job: Make a real impact by transforming complex actuarial requirements into scalable software.
- Qualifications: Experience in full-stack development and strong communication skills are essential.
The predicted salary is between 60000 - 80000 £ per year.
Company / Practice: Oliver Wyman — P&C Actuarial Practice
Reports to: Senior Manager & Solutions Architect
Location / pattern: Hybrid — London
Engagement: Permanent
Role summary
We are seeking a hands-on Development Lead (Manager grade) to lead and deliver our software development on client projects, and to support the Senior Manager as a number two, within Oliver Wyman's P&C actuarial practice. You will lead and contribute to development across the full stack, design cloud-based solutions, work hands-on under tight timelines, and collaborate closely with actuarial specialists and client teams to turn complex actuarial and financial requirements into reliable, scalable software. You will prioritise pragmatically, organise your own work and that of others with minimal oversight, and share technical ownership with the Senior Manager across a growing portfolio of client work.
Key responsibilities
- Technical design & architecture
- Design cloud-native, secure, and scalable solutions for client software implementations and internal tooling.
- Provide sound technical recommendations to the Senior Manager, clients, and internal stakeholders, evaluating options and trade-offs.
- Own technical design decisions, data models, and integration patterns; document and communicate them so others can build against them.
- Help define technical standards and pragmatic build / buy / integrate choices across projects.
- Apply AI-assisted development practices in day-to-day delivery, and guide the business and clients on where and how to adopt AI-driven solutions effectively and responsibly.
- Hands-on development (full stack)
- Write production-quality code across front end, back end, and data layers. This is and remains a genuinely hands-on role.
- Build and integrate APIs, data pipelines, and tooling that turn actuarial and financial models into usable software.
- Design and evolve database schemas and data models, working alongside the existing team.
- Implement and maintain CI/CD pipelines, automated testing, and DevOps practices.
- Development & delivery leadership
- Lead the development effort across multiple concurrent client projects, owning scope, quality, and deadlines.
- Plan, estimate, prioritise, and sequence work under tight timelines; self-organise and drive progress with minimal supervision.
- Where the project requires it, lead developers and small cross-functional teams (engineers, actuarial specialists, analysts) through to delivery; on other projects, deliver hands-on as an individual contributor.
- Work within Agile / Scrum delivery practices and run ceremonies where needed.
- Collaboration & stakeholder engagement
- Work closely with actuarial specialists, and other quantitative or scientific experts, to translate their models and requirements into software.
- Partner with client-side technical engineers and stakeholders as a credible technical point of contact.
- Communicate complex technical concepts clearly to both non-technical and actuarial audiences.
- Quality, governance & continuity
- Uphold secure coding standards (e.g. OWASP), code quality, and engineering governance.
- Ensure solutions are reliable, maintainable, and appropriately documented.
- Provide hands-on support and continuity to the Senior Manager as a number two, sharing technical ownership as the project portfolio grows.
- Mentor and coach the practice's developer and other team members, growing overall engineering capability.
Essential skills & experience
- Solid, demonstrable experience as a hands-on full-stack developer who also leads development, combining day-to-day coding with technical design and solution architecture.
- Experience working closely with actuaries, quantitative analysts, or scientists, translating their models and requirements into working software.
- Exposure to financial systems or financial software (e.g. pricing, risk, capital, trading, or other quantitative/financial applications).
- Proven experience designing and architecting cloud-based solutions (Azure and/or AWS).
- Strong full-stack development across a modern back-end stack (e.g. C# / .NET Core and/or Python) and front end (e.g. Angular or React, JavaScript / TypeScript).
- Strong database and data-modelling skills (e.g. SQL Server / PostgreSQL; schema design; DBML or equivalent).
- Experience building and maintaining CI/CD pipelines and DevOps practices (e.g. Azure DevOps, PowerShell / YAML, Docker, Git).
- AI-assisted development best practices are a must, using AI coding tools and assistants effectively, responsibly, and securely, together with the ability to guide the business and clients on adopting AI-driven solutions.
- Demonstrated experience leading developers or a development effort and delivering to tight timelines.
- Strong prioritisation, self-organisation, and ownership; comfortable with ambiguity and minimal oversight.
- Excellent communication and stakeholder-management skills, with the credibility to work directly with clients.
- Experience working in Agile / Scrum environments.
Desirable skills & experience
- Insurance-domain experience (ideally P&C / general insurance), insurtech, or fintech is a plus, but not a requirement.
- Familiarity with actuarial workflows (pricing, reserving, capital modelling, reinsurance) and/or catastrophe modelling (e.g. Oasis LMF, Moody's RMS, Verisk, KatRisk).
- Experience integrating with insurance / actuarial platforms or external data providers.
- Exposure to regulated environments (FCA, Lloyd's of London, Solvency II, IFRS 17).
- Experience with CQRS, microservices, message brokers (RabbitMQ / NServiceBus), or NoSQL databases.
- A consulting or client-delivery background.
Representative technical environment
The technical stack varies from project to project and client to client; the list below is representative rather than fixed.
- Back end: C# / .NET Core, Python
- Front end: Angular or React, JavaScript / TypeScript
- Data: SQL Server, PostgreSQL, DBML, NoSQL databases
- Cloud & DevOps: Azure, AWS, Docker, Azure DevOps, GitHub, CI/CD, PowerShell, YAML
- Ways of working: Agile / Scrum, OWASP-aligned secure development
Qualifications
- Degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or a related discipline, or equivalent practical experience.
- Cloud architecture certification desirable (e.g. Azure Solutions Architect Expert, AWS Solutions Architect).
Behavioral competencies
- Ownership and accountability for outcomes.
- Pragmatic prioritisation under pressure.
- Self-starting and self-organising.
- Collaborative and credible with engineers, actuarial specialists, and clients.
- A clear communicator and a willing mentor.
- Comfortable being a leader and a hands-on contributor in the same role.
What success looks like (first 6–12 months)
- Takes technical ownership of, and independently leads, the development on key client engagements.
- Lifts overall delivery capacity, enabling the practice to run more software implementations in parallel.
- Works as an effective number two to the Senior Manager, sharing ownership and providing continuity across the portfolio.
- Establishes or strengthens engineering practices (architecture standards, CI/CD, quality) across projects.
- Builds trusted relationships with actuaries and client-side technical teams.
Development Lead (Manager) in London employer: Oliver Wyman
At Oliver Wyman, we pride ourselves on being an exceptional employer, offering a dynamic and inclusive work culture that fosters collaboration and innovation. Our Newcastle office provides a supportive environment where employees can thrive, with ample opportunities for professional growth and development, competitive compensation, and a strong commitment to work-life balance. Join us to make a meaningful impact while advancing your career in a globally recognised firm dedicated to excellence.
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We think this is how you could land Development Lead (Manager) in London
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We think you need these skills to ace Development Lead (Manager) in London
Some tips for your application 🫡
Show off your coding skills:When applying for a software engineering role, it's super important to showcase your coding skills. Make sure your CV includes your tech stack, any relevant programming languages you’re comfortable with, and examples of projects you've worked on. If you have a GitHub profile, link it up! We love to see code in action.
Tailor your portfolio:For a full-time role, we’d expect to see some solid examples of your work in your portfolio. Make sure to include at least two or three projects that highlight your problem-solving skills and your ability to work with different technologies. Focus on the projects that are most relevant to the position at Oliver Wyman.
Craft a killer cover letter:Your cover letter is your chance to stand out—make it personal! Explain why you want to work at Oliver Wyman and how your skills align with the role. Show us your passion for software development. We dig enthusiastic candidates who understand the value of collaboration and continuous learning!
Be clear and concise:When it comes to writing your CV and cover letter, clarity is key. Avoid jargon that could confuse us and stick to simple, direct language. Highlight your achievements with quantifiable results where possible, and keep everything easy to read. A well-organised application goes a long way!
How to prepare for a job interview at Oliver Wyman
✨Brush Up on Your Coding Skills
For a full-time software engineering role, it's crucial that we stay sharp with our coding abilities. Expect technical questions that might involve solving problems on the spot or discussing algorithms. Practise on platforms like LeetCode or HackerRank to get comfortable with the types of questions that often come up.
✨Know Your Tools and Frameworks
Make sure we’re well-acquainted with the tools and technologies listed in the job description. Familiarise ourselves with any specific frameworks or programming languages mentioned. If Oliver Wyman uses React or Node.js, for instance, be ready to discuss how we’ve used them in previous projects or coursework.
✨Showcase Your Projects
Bring along a portfolio that highlights our best work. This could be code samples, GitHub repositories, or any side projects we’ve built. Make sure we can talk through our thought process for each project, especially the challenges we faced and how we solved them—this shows our problem-solving skills in action.
✨Prepare for Behavioural Questions
While technical skills are key, full-time positions also require cultural fit. Be ready to discuss our previous experiences and how we handle teamwork, conflict, and deadlines. Brush up on the STAR method—Situation, Task, Action, Result—to clearly articulate our past experiences when discussing how we've contributed to a team.
