Lead Guidewire Architect

QBE Europe is recruiting for a Lead Guidewire Architect to join our well-established Architecture team in our London Office. As the Lead Guidewire Architect, you will be required to own and lead the end‐to‐end programme architecture and design activity. The role will be accountable for shaping the target architecture, guiding delivery teams, and ensuring the transformation delivers coherent, scalable and well‐governed outcomes across the enterprise.

QBE is embarking on a major transformation of its core insurance platforms (including Pricing, Policy Administration and Underwriting). The programme is expected to run for approximately five years, with total change investment in excess of $300m. It spans multiple lines of business, geographies and distribution models, and represents one of the most complex technology transformations undertaken by the organisation.

Having the right to work in the UK is a requirement for this role. QBE may consider sponsorship at its discretion.

Your New Role

• Implement technology strategy, roadmaps, and patterns aligned with global architecture to deliver business strategy.
• Maximise alignment and leverage reuse of technology to achieve cost efficiencies.
• Monitor and review technical progress against roadmaps to ensure IT strategy objectives are met.
• Lead the establishment of strategy, reference architecture, and roadmaps for assigned domains.
• Conduct technology assurance and governance in line with architecture policy and practices.
• Facilitate the use of standardised tools and approaches for documenting enterprise architecture.
• Actively promote and embed architectural ways of working and due governance.
• Provide direction during technology decision-making activities supporting executive‐level stakeholders, translating complex architectural topics into clear business and investment decisions.
• Establish and maintain effective relationships within IT and with internal business units and external service suppliers.
• Balance operational delivery and risk commitments by identifying emerging, underlying, and accumulating risks across processes and controls.
• Run day‐to‐day architecture and design activity, including leading an architecture team, chairing design forums, and resolving complex cross‐domain issues.

About you

• Proven experience leading architecture across multiple large-scale, multi‐year transformation programmes including legacy modernisation, complex migration programmes supporting coexistence, transitional states and risk management.
• Have strong Insurance and domain expertise working with, and governing, major systems integrators and strategic delivery partners.
• Hands on experience with the Guidewire platform, including PolicyCenter, BillingCenter, ClaimCenter, and Product Model, and a strong understanding of Guidewire Cloud and upgrade strategies.
• Experience with modern insurance platforms, such as Guidewire, Hx, Salesforce and associated ecosystem technologies.
• Strong business and domain expertise across the end-to-end insurance value chain, with the ability to apply deep understanding of underwriting, pricing, distribution, policy administration, claims, finance and regulatory obligations directly to architectural and design decisions.
• Alignment to architecture governance, ensuring adherence to agreed principles, standards and controls while enabling delivery pace and pragmatic outcomes.

Benefits

We offer a range of benefits to help provide holistic support for your work life, whatever your circumstances. As a QBE employee you will have access to and benefit from:

• 30 days holiday a year with the option to buy up to 2 additional days.
• Flexible working - balancing work and life is important so our flexible working opportunities are open to all, this can include part-time, job share and compressed hours.
• Pension – you are automatically enrolled into the QBE pension plan, which entitles you to receive employer contributions of 10% of your basic salary.

Awards & Recognition

We value our employee’s experience with us and are proud to have been recognised for the following awards:

• General Insurer of the Year 2026 at the British Insurance Awards.
• Insurance Post British Insurance Awards 2025: Winner: Commercial Lines Insurer of the Year, Winner: Reinsurer of the Year - QBE Re, Winner: ESG, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Initiative of the Year, Winner: Insurance Personality of the Year - Chris Wallace, Executive Director UK insurance.
• AXCO Global Insurance Awards 2024 Winner: Network Management of the Year.
• Insurance Business UK 5-Star Cyber Awards 2024: QBE rated as a 5-Star Cyber Insurer.
• UK IT Industry Awards 2023 Winner: Green Technology Innovation of the Year.
• Working Dads Employer Awards 2023 Winner: Parental Policies Award.

If you’re looking for a career that combines your expertise and your empathy, click Apply today. Your career. At the heart of it.

Skills: Communication, Critical Thinking, Customer Service, Data Architecture Development, Detail-Oriented, Enterprise Architecture Framework, Enterprise IT Architecture, Financial Systems, Information Technology Strategies, Intentional collaboration, Managing performance, Process Improvements, Project Delivery, Stakeholder Management, Strategic Planning.