Program Director - Underwriting Transformation

Advance Thinking; Sydney; On-site; AUD 200,000 - 320,000; Full time

Job summary

Advance Thinking invites applications for a Senior Program Director to lead a regional role within a major global underwriting transformation across general insurance, business strategy, operations and technology. The role ensures the region's landscape is represented in the global program and enables the regional business to adopt future‑state underwriting capabilities.

You will influence global program decisions, translate strategy into a regional roadmap, and partner with underwriting,

Qualifications

• General insurance experience is preferred.
• Understanding of underwriting lifecycle and policy environments.
• Experience leading large-scale enterprise transformations.
• Ability to operate across business, technology and strategy.

Responsibilities

• Lead regional representation in the global underwriting transformation.
• Translate regional needs into executable roadmaps and governance.
• Influence global decisions to support regional underwriting outcomes.
• Manage senior stakeholders and multiple workstreams across the region.

Job description

Senior Program Director to lead a regional role in a major global underwriting transformation across business, technology and delivery.

14th September, 2026

Role Overview
A leading general insurance organisation is seeking an experienced Program Director to act as the senior regional lead within a major global underwriting transformation program.
The role will ensure the region’s business and technology landscape is effectively represented within the global program, while positioning the regional business to successfully adopt and realise value from future-state underwriting capabilities.
This is not purely a technology Program Director role. The successful candidate will operate across underwriting, business strategy, operations, technology and transformation delivery, with the seniority and influence to represent the region within a significant global transformation.
Key Responsibilities

• Act as the senior regional lead within a major global underwriting transformation program.
• Ensure regional requirements, priorities and complexities are understood and represented within the global roadmap.
• Influence global program decisions to support regional business and underwriting outcomes.
• Translate the global transformation strategy into an executable regional roadmap.
• Partner closely with underwriting, operations, business and technology leadership.
• Lead regional adoption of future-state underwriting capabilities, processes and technology.
• Manage complex dependencies between global and regional initiatives.
• Establish strong program governance, risk management and executive reporting.
• Lead multiple workstreams and senior delivery resources across a complex transformation environment.
• Manage senior stakeholders across the region and broader global organisation.
• Drive measurable business value and operational improvement, rather than simply delivering technology or project milestones.
• Manage program financials, commercial considerations, vendors and delivery partners where required.
• Ensure business, technology, data, process and change activities remain aligned throughout the transformation.

14th September, 2026

Role Overview
A leading general insurance organisation is seeking an experienced Program Director to act as the senior regional lead within a major global underwriting transformation program.
The role will ensure the region’s business and technology landscape is effectively represented within the global program, while positioning the regional business to successfully adopt and realise value from future-state underwriting capabilities.
This is not purely a technology Program Director role. The successful candidate will operate across underwriting, business strategy, operations, technology and transformation delivery, with the seniority and influence to represent the region within a significant global transformation.
Key Responsibilities

• Act as the senior regional lead within a major global underwriting transformation program.
• Ensure regional requirements, priorities and complexities are understood and represented within the global roadmap.
• Influence global program decisions to support regional business and underwriting outcomes.
• Translate the global transformation strategy into an executable regional roadmap.
• Partner closely with underwriting, operations, business and technology leadership.
• Lead regional adoption of future-state underwriting capabilities, processes and technology.
• Manage complex dependencies between global and regional initiatives.
• Establish strong program governance, risk management and executive reporting.
• Lead multiple workstreams and senior delivery resources across a complex transformation environment.
• Manage senior stakeholders across the region and broader global organisation.
• Drive measurable business value and operational improvement, rather than simply delivering technology or project milestones.
• Manage program financials, commercial considerations, vendors and delivery partners where required.
• Ensure business, technology, data, process and change activities remain aligned throughout the transformation.

Candidate Profile
Priority will be given to candidates currently or recently operating as a:
Program Director / Transformation Director / Underwriting Transformation Lead / Senior Program Lead
Ideally coming from:

• A large general insurance organisation
• A tier-one consulting or transformation environment with significant insurance experience
• An insurance technology organisation delivering major underwriting transformation

Critical Experience:
General Insurance & Underwriting

• Strong and preferably recent general insurance experience.
• Good understanding of the underwriting lifecycle, products, policy environments and insurance operations.
• Direct exposure to underwriting transformation is highly desirable.

Large-Scale Transformation

• Proven ownership of complex, enterprise-scale and preferably multi-year transformation programs.
• Experience operating across business and technology rather than purely technology delivery.
• Ability to translate strategy into executable transformation roadmaps.

Global / Regional Programs

• Experience working within global programs where regional requirements need to be represented and influenced.
• Ability to navigate competing global and regional priorities.
• Strong stakeholder management across different business units and geographies.

Technology & Modernisation

• Strong understanding of enterprise technology transformation and how technology enables underwriting and operational change.
• Exposure to insurance platforms, data, digital, cloud or core-system modernisation would be valuable.
• Candidates who understand the relationship between underwriting, products, policies, data and technology platforms will be particularly relevant.

Executive Leadership

• Strong executive presence.
• Comfortable engaging and influencing C‑suite and senior business, underwriting and technology stakeholders.
• Able to communicate complex transformation issues clearly and concisely.
• Proven leadership of multidisciplinary teams and senior delivery resources.