AVP Information Technology

AVP of Application Development Role Context• Senior leadership role within a multi-line insurance company • Directly manages the Guidewire and P&C legacy application development team • Additionally leads through managers who support the following business lines and functions: • Life and Retirement • BCG • Supplemental and Group • Distribution and Corporate Back Office • Responsible for a large, complex development organization (30+ developers) consisting of both individual contributors and development managers across all of these areas • Expected to operate as a bold change agent who is unafraid to challenge the status quo and drive meaningful transformation across a diverse, multi-line portfolio Technical & Architecture Skills• Deep expertise in modern application architecture, cloud platforms, and software engineering best practices • Proven track record of leading large-scale legacy modernization initiatives and reducing technical debt in complex, regulated environments • Hands-on experience with Guidewire or comparable P&C insurance platforms is strongly preferred • Hands-on experience designing and delivering AI-powered applications — not just AI awareness, but actual build experience • Familiarity with insurance systems and data (policy, claims, billing) across both P&C and Life lines is a strong plus • Experience with finance and commissions systems and processes is a nice-to-have, given the breadth of business lines supported Team Leadership & People Management• Demonstrated experience leading 30+ person development organizations with a mix of ICs and engineering managers • Skilled at developing managers — coaching, holding accountable, and elevating leadership capability across the team • Able to attract, retain, and grow top technical talent in a competitive market • Comfortable navigating organizational complexity and managing through ambiguity across multiple business lines with distinct priorities Strategic Thinking & Roadmap Ownership• Ability to translate business goals into a clear, prioritized application development roadmap across a multi-line portfolio • Experience leading multi-year modernization programs with measurable outcomes • Balances long-term platform thinking with near-term delivery commitments • Has a point of view on where AI fits into the development strategy and can build a credible path to adoption Stakeholder & Executive Communication• Credible and confident communicator with senior business and technology stakeholders across multiple business units • Able to make the case for investment in modernization and AI in business value terms, not just technical terms • Builds trust across the organization by delivering on commitments and communicating transparently when things change • Skilled at managing competing priorities and expectations across diverse business line partners AI, Modern Tooling & Low-Code Platforms• Has hands-on experience building and shipping AI-powered applications — not just theoretical knowledge • Understands AI tooling, frameworks, and integration patterns relevant to enterprise development, including generative AI, large language models, and AI-assisted development tools • Familiar with and able to evaluate modern low-code/no-code platforms (such as Microsoft Power Platform, OutSystems, Mendix, or similar) and knows when they are the right fit vs.