About the Role
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.
Responsibilities
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
Requirements
- 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.
- Consulting experience.
- Background in data engineering or analytics within an insurance context (e.g. actuarial data platforms, claims analytics).
- Experience delivering large-scale digital transformation or legacy modernisation programmes in insurance.
- 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).
Skills
- Java
- Python
- .NET
- REST APIs
- GraphQL APIs
- Kubernetes
- Terraform
- CI/CD pipelines (GitHub Actions, Azure DevOps, Jenkins)
- Kafka / event streaming
- Enterprise integration patterns
- EDI/ACORD XML or JSON standards
- OWASP practices
- Data privacy engineering
- Secure SDLC
Location
- United Kingdom
- United States
- France
- Netherlands
- Luxembourg
- Switzerland
- Asia
Work Type
- Hybrid working model
Experience Level
- 7+ years in software engineering
Education Level
- AWS Solutions Architect certification
- Azure Solutions Architect certification
- TOGAF certification
Salary/Compensations
- Competitive base salary benchmarked to senior tech consulting market rates.
- Annual performance bonus tied to individual and company outcomes.
Benefits
- Comprehensive benefits package including private medical insurance, life assurance, and income protection.
- 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.
About the Company
- Alpha Financial Markets Consulting (Alpha) is a leading global consultancy to the financial services industry.
- We are a boutique management consulting firm that offers the world’s top industry players a competitive edge through our expertise and industry insight.
- Our team is of a uniquely high calibre and by focusing across the General Insurance & Specialty value chain, we build deep knowledge and experience within our industry.
- We have our headquarters located the United Kingdom, as well as offices in major global financial centres across the United States, France, Netherlands, Luxembourg, Switzerland, and Asia.
- The Insurance team works with industry leading carriers, brokers, market bodies, ancillary businesses, and technology providers to position our clients for future success.
- We have a fast growing team of dedicated consultants with deep experience from working both within the industry and consulting.
- Successful candidates should expect a diverse range of complex and strategic engagements across the market.
- As we continue to expand our client base and expertise, we are looking for individuals to join our team to support our growth journey.
