Business Development Director – Insurance

Version 1; Manchester; Hybrid; GBP 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity scheme

Private medical insurance

Life insurance

Eye tests

Certifications (AWS/Microsoft/Oracle/​

Red Hat

Job summary

Version 1 is seeking a commercially driven Business Development Director to accelerate growth in the UK insurance sector, focusing on Life & Pensions, Broker, and General Insurance. You will drive pipeline origination, build executive relationships, and lead GTM strategies across insurers, reinsurers, brokers, and administrators.

The role requires deep insurance domain knowledge, a strong BD/sales background, and experience in selling consulting or transformation services to insurers, with

Qualifications

• Deep knowledge of the UK insurance value chain and regulatory environment.
• Proven track record in business development or sales within Insurance Services.
• Experience across Life & Pensions, Broker and General Insurance in the UK/Ireland.
• Experience selling consulting, transformation, or managed services to insurers.
• Familiarity with Sapiens, Majesco, Salesforce FSC, Snowflake, and analytics tools preferred.

Responsibilities

• Strategic Account & Pipeline Development: identify and target insurance accounts and develop pursuit plans.
• Lead go-to-market strategies and executive-level engagements with insurers, brokers, and administrators.
• Originate AI-led transformation opportunities and collaborate with domain SMEs to craft value propositions.
• Enable sales through workshops, bids, and governance on automation, data modernization, and cloud adoption.

Skills

Insurance domain knowledge

Business development

Sales experience

UK/Ireland markets

Consulting/Transformation sales

AI/ML exposure

Education

Bachelor/Master in Business/Insurance/Tech

Tools

Sapiens

Majesco

Salesforce FSC

Snowflake

Analytics suites

Job description

Business Development Director – Insurance

Locations Belfast, Birmingham, Edinburgh, London, Manchester, Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom

We are seeking a commercially driven and domain-knowledgeable Business Development Director to accelerate our growth across the Insurance sector, with a focus on Life & Pensions, Broker and General Insurance segments. This role will drive pipeline origination, build executive-level relationships, and lead go-to-market strategies across insurers, reinsurers, brokers, and administrators in the UK.

The ideal candidate will possess deep industry knowledge of insurance value chains, emerging digital and data-driven capabilities, and the ability to position solutions that solve for core system modernization, process automation, customer experience, risk optimization, regulatory compliance, and claims transformation.

Key Responsibilities

1. Strategic Account & Pipeline Development

Identify, qualify, and target insurance accounts preferably across Life & Pensions, Broker, General and reinsurance sectors.

Develop pursuit plans and account strategies aligned to policy administration, core process automation, claims, underwriting, and distribution modernization.

Originate AI-led large transformation opportunities with Tier 2 and mid-sized insurers and brokers.

Collaborate with solution architects and insurance domain SMEs to craft tailored value propositions.

Lead workshops, bids, and presentations focused on AI-led automation, data modernization, legacy system transformation, and cloud adoption.

Position techno functional solutions in areas such as intelligent document management, telematics-based underwriting, fraud analytics, and digital claims orchestration.

Stakeholder Engagement & Relationship Management

Establish trusted relationships with CIOs, Heads of Claims, COOs, and Chief Underwriters.

Represent the organization at key insurance forums and regulatory roundtables.

Identify whitespace opportunities based on competitor activity and technology adoption curves.

Work with internal practices, cloud/data units, and partner ecosystems to develop domain-led campaigns.

Enable sales enablement across the insurance vertical and mentor junior team members.

Qualifications

Required Experience & Skills

Strong understanding of insurance regulatory environment and operating models.

Strong experience in Business Development or sales experience in Insurance Services.

Strong experience in Life & Pensions, Broker and/or General Insurance segments in the UK / Ireland

Demonstrated success in selling consulting, transformation, or managed services to insurers.

Exposure to platforms such as Sapiens, Majesco, Salesforce FSC, Snowflake, and analytics suites preferable but not mandated.

Strong understanding of insurance regulatory environment and operating models.

Preferred Qualifications

Bachelor’s/ Master’s degree in Business, Insurance, or Technology.

Proven experience in business development within a medium to large scale IT services provider specifically into the Insurance sector

Experience with AI/ML use cases in underwriting, claims, and fraud.

Familiarity with cloud ecosystems (AWS, Azure), actuarial data environments, and Insurtech integration.

Additional Information

Why join Version 1?

• Share in our Success: Excellent base salary plus bonus & an opportunity to join our new V1 Equity success scheme
• Inclusive Culture: We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees.
• Professional Growth:We offer peer mentorship programs and career development opportunities to help you reach your full potential, giving you full access to modern learning platforms to grow your skills.
• Work-Life Balance: We understand the importance of work-life balance and offer flexible working arrangements.
• Supportive Community:Join a team that values collaboration, respect, and mutual support.
• AI-Native Working:We provide the latest AI models and technologies, encouraging and coaching you to build digital co-workers to help you drive efficiencies and generate new sources of value your role.

At Version 1, we believe in providing our employees with a comprehensive benefits package that prioritises their well-being, professional growth, and financial stability.

We also offer a range of tech-related benefits, including an innovative Tech Scheme to help keep our team members up-to-date with the latest technology.

We prioritise the health and safety of our employees, providing private medical and life insurance coverage, as well as free eye tests and contributions towards glasses. Our team members can also stay ahead of the curve with incentivised certifications and accreditations, including AWS, Microsoft, Oracle, and Red Hat.

#LI-PS1

Company Description

Version 1 has celebrated30 yearsinbusinessand continues to be trusted by global brands to delivertechnology and transformationsolutions that drive customer success. Ourdeepexpertiseenables our customers to navigate the rapidlyevolving technology landscape. We foster strong partnerships withglobal technology leadersincluding Microsoft, AWS, Oracle, Red Hat,OutSystems, Snowflake, ensuring that our customers are provided with the highest quality solutions and services.

We’rean award-winning employer reflecting how our employees are at the very heartof whatwe do:

10+ years as a Great Place to Work in Ireland & UK

Best Workplace for Women in the UK & Ireland by GPTW

Best Workplace for Wellbeing in the UK by GPTW

We’rea corevalues drivencompany, we hire people who share our values, and we reward those who display and foster them,it’sdeeply embedded within our DNA. Invest in us andwe’llinvest in you!.