Industry Consulting Partner - Insurance

NACBA; Sydney; Hybrid; AUD 260,000 - 380,000; Full time

Job summary

Cognizant is seeking an Insurance Technology Leader to serve as Insurance CTO for Australia and New Zealand. Set the technology agenda for strategic clients, guiding transformation, architecture and governance across General Insurance, Life Insurance, Health Insurance and Superannuation.

The role blends deep domain knowledge with executive advisory capability, enterprise architecture leadership and strong delivery governance across Consulting, Engineering, Cloud and AI.

Qualifications

• 20+ years of experience in insurance technology, consulting and digital transformation.
• Extensive experience with General Insurance, Life Insurance, Health Insurance or Superannuation.
• Proven track record advising C-level executives and leading enterprise-scale transformation programs.
• Deep expertise in Guidewire, Duck Creek or comparable core insurance platforms.
• Strong knowledge of cloud platforms including Microsoft Azure, AWS and Google Cloud.
• Excellent stakeholder management and executive communication capabilities.

Responsibilities

• Advise client CIOs, CTOs, Chief Architects and executives on enterprise technology strategy and transformation roadmaps.
• Translate insurance objectives into pragmatic architecture, modernisation, data, AI, cloud and engineering strategies.
• Provide technology leadership in governance forums and strategic reviews.
• Develop market-facing perspectives on emerging insurance technologies and ecosystem change.
• Build trusted relationships across strategic accounts in Australia and New Zealand.
• Lead technology solutioning for major pursuits and complex multi-service opportunities.
• Guidewire/Duck Creek and platform transformation across portfolios.

Skills

Insurance technology leadership

Executive advisory

Enterprise architecture

Strategic account management

Tools

Guidewire

Duck Creek

Azure

AWS

Google Cloud

Job description

Leading at Cognizant

This is a Leadership (D+) role at Cognizant. We believe how you lead is as important as what you deliver. Cognizant leaders at every level: Drive our business strategy and inspire teams around our future. Live the leadership behaviors, leading themselves, others and the business. Uphold our Values, role modelling them in every action and decision. Nurture our people and culture, creating a workplace where all can thrive.

About Cognizant Consulting

Cognizant Consulting is more than Cognizant's consulting practice-we're a global community of 5,000+ experts dedicated to helping clients reimagine their business. Blending our deep industry and technology advisory capability, we create innovative business solutions for Fortune 500 clients. And now, we're looking for our next colleague who'll join us in shaping the future of business. Could it be you?

Do you want to engineer modern businesses to improve everyday life?

We are the consulting team that guide Australia's enterprises through the strategy and execution of how AI and technology can transform the performance of their products, teams and processes. We identify new value to customers, business and humans, then shape programs that can be delivered by our global workforce of over 340,000 engineers and business associates.

We invite you to come on board at this exciting time to lead our insurance consulting business in Australia and New Zealand.

About the Role

Cognizant is seeking an accomplished Insurance Technology Leader to serve as Insurance Chief Technology Officer for Australia and New Zealand. The role will set the technology agenda for strategic insurance clients and position Cognizant as a trusted transformation partner across General Insurance, Life Insurance, Health Insurance and Superannuation.

The successful candidate will combine deep insurance domain knowledge, executive advisory capability, enterprise architecture leadership, commercial acumen and delivery governance. The role will work across Consulting, Engineering, Cloud, Data and AI, Cybersecurity, Enterprise Platforms and partner ecosystems to create differentiated, outcome-led solutions.

Cognizant's purpose is to engineer modern businesses to improve everyday life. In the context of consulting that means you will be:

• Helping a client find and create new value for their customers, their business and our society through technology
• Helping a client understand what a modern business means in their context and how to manage the transition to it
• Facilitating their future design, orchestrating how Cognizant and its partners deliver that outcome and helping the client get value from it

You will be part of the leadership team of the Consulting business and be part of our global network of consulting leaders in Insurance.

Key Responsibilities

Technology Strategy & Executive Advisory

• Advise client CIOs, CTOs, Chief Architects and business executives on enterprise technology strategy, investment priorities and transformation roadmaps.
• Translate insurance business objectives into pragmatic architecture, modernisation, data, AI, cloud and engineering strategies.
• Provide technology leadership in executive governance forums, strategic account reviews and transformation steering committees.
• Develop market-facing perspectives on emerging insurance technologies, operating models and ecosystem change.

Client Engagement & Business Growth

• Build trusted executive relationships across strategic insurance accounts in Australia and New Zealand.
• Identify technology-led growth opportunities and shape account plans, propositions and transformation portfolios.
• Lead technology solutioning for major pursuits, renewals and complex multi-service-line opportunities.
• Present differentiated solutions, value cases, roadmaps and risk positions to client executives.
• Collaborate with industry, sales, consulting, delivery and service-line leaders to improve pipeline conversion and account expansion.

Guidewire, Duck Creek & Insurance Platform Transformation

• Lead large-scale COTS Products implementation, version upgrade, remediation, modernisation and cloud migration programmes across PolicyCenter, BillingCenter and ClaimCenter.
• Define COTS Products upgrade strategies, release roadmaps and target-state architectures aligned to business outcomes, operational resilience and technology standards.
• Provide executive oversight for COTS Products Cloud adoption, application and data migration, integration modernisation, testing, cutover and post-production stabilisation.
• Guide clients in reducing customisation, managing technical debt and adopting product-aligned configuration and implementation practices.
• Oversee integration across digital channels, payment platforms, document solutions, data ecosystems, partner networks and downstream insurance systems.
• Partner with COTS Products and relevant ecosystem providers to align product roadmaps, delivery dependencies, capability uplift and transformation outcomes.
• Establish architecture, engineering, security, quality and programme governance for complex Guidewire portfolios.

Digital & Core Platform Modernization

• Lead core insurance platform transformation and modernisation across Guidewire, Duck Creek and relevant legacy ecosystems.
• Shape cloud migration, application rationalisation, API and integration modernisation, digital experience and data transformation initiatives.
• Ensure target architectures are scalable, resilient, secure, supportable and aligned to enterprise standards.
• Create phased transformation roadmaps that balance business value, delivery risk, cost, regulatory obligations and operational continuity

Data, AI & Innovation Leadership

• Champion responsible adoption of Generative AI, agentic AI, intelligent automation and advanced analytics across insurance value chains.
• Shape AI-enabled propositions for underwriting, claims, policy servicing, contact centres, software engineering and service operations.
• Develop reusable offerings, accelerators, reference architectures and proof-of-value initiatives.
• Work with Microsoft, AWS, Google Cloud and insurance technology partners to strengthen joint solutions and market differentiation

Technology Governance & Delivery Assurance

• Provide technology oversight for strategic accounts and complex transformation programmes.
• Lead architecture assurance, design governance, engineering quality and non-functional readiness reviews.
• Identify and mitigate technology, delivery, integration, data, security and operational risks.
• Promote DevSecOps, automation, observability, reliability engineering and measurable continuous improvement.
• Intervene early in critical programmes to restore technical clarity, delivery confidence and executive alignment

Commercial and Business Contribution

• Contribute to insurance portfolio growth, profitability, margin improvement and strategic account expansion.
• Shape commercially viable solutions, delivery models and transformation business cases.
• Support major deal qualification, solution governance, estimation, pricing inputs and executive reviews.
• Drive productivity through platform modernisation, reusable assets, automation, AI and optimised global delivery models

Talent & Capability Development

• Build and mentor a high-performing community of insurance architects, platform leaders, engineers and consultants.
• Define capability priorities for Guidewire, cloud, data, AI, digital engineering and enterprise architecture.
• Sponsor certification, succession, talent mobility and leadership development programmes.
• Foster a culture of accountability, inclusion, collaboration, innovation and continuous learning.

Qualifications & Experience

• 20+ years of experience in insurance technology, consulting and digital transformation.
• Extensive experience working with General Insurance, Life Insurance, Health Insurance or Superannuation organisations.
• Proven record advising C-level executives and leading enterprise-scale transformation programs.
• Deep expertise in Guidewire, Duck Creek or comparable core insurance platforms.
• Strong knowledge of cloud platforms including Microsoft Azure, AWS and Google Cloud.
• Experience in enterprise architecture, modernization, integration and digital engineering.
• Demonstrated success leading large pursuits, strategic deals and executive client engagements.
• Strong commercial, financial and business case development skills.
• Excellent stakeholder management and executive communication capabilities.

Preferred

• Previous experience as CTO, Chief Architect, Technology Consulting Partner, Technology Director or Industry Technology Leader.
• Experience in AI, Automation, Data Platforms and Digital Transformation within insurance.
• Guidewire, Cloud or Enterprise Architecture certifications.
• Consulting and advisory experience with Tier-1 insurers across Australia, New Zealand or Asia Pacific.