Chief Technology Officer - Vave

Canopius Group; London; Hybrid; GBP 80,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

An innovative firm is seeking a visionary Chief Technology Officer (CTO) to drive technological strategy and execution. This pivotal role involves leading the development of cutting-edge products that prioritize security, performance, and user experience. The CTO will define the strategic vision for technology across the organization, expand technology strategies, and represent the company at external events. With a focus on leveraging cloud technologies and AI, this position offers a unique opportunity to shape the future of a fast-growing business in the insurance sector. Join a dynamic team committed to transforming the underwriting industry through advanced technology.

Benefits

Hybrid working

Competitive base salary

Non-contributory pension

Discretionary bonus

Health insurance (family)

Dental cover

Qualifications

• Proven technology leader with experience in tech-first businesses.
• Skilled in building relationships and inspiring teams.

Responsibilities

• Define and embed the strategic vision for technology and innovation.
• Lead the build versus buy strategy for software and vendors.
• Manage technology budget and secure ongoing investment.

Skills

Leadership in technology

Innovation and growth

Building high-performance teams

Public speaking

Cloud technologies

AI in financial services

Stakeholder management

Job description

Vave originated as an algorithmic pricing engine within Canopius Group, a leading global specialty (re)insurer. It has since evolved into an MGA operating at the vanguard of insurance innovation.

We are looking for a visionary and experienced Chief Technology Officer (CTO) to join the Vave executive committee and spearhead technological vision, strategy, and execution.

As CTO, you will be pivotal in driving innovation, ensuring the scalability of our technology stack, and leading the development of products that meet the highest standards of security, performance, and user experience. This role demands a strategic thinker who can seamlessly align technology initiatives with our business goals.

Responsibilities

• Using a cross-industry view of the latest developments in tech, define and embed the strategic vision for technology and innovation across Vave.
• Expand the technology strategy to deliver new client and customer-facing products to the market.
• Lead the build versus buy strategy, assessing and selecting software and external vendors as required.
• Lead resourcing strategy within technology, supporting the engineering and infrastructure departments with the resources required to deliver scalable, high-performing solutions to the business.
• Promote the role of technology in its contribution to overall Vave business strategy through role in the Executive Committee.
• Keep the Executive Committee well informed of progress across technology and innovation, measured against specific KPIs.
• Represent the company externally at conferences, client events, and publications.
• Manage technology budget and build a compelling business case to shareholders to secure ongoing investment in technology, attending board meetings as required.

Skills and Experience

• A recognised technology leader with experience gained at technology-first businesses with a track record of innovation and growth.
• A track record of building and inspiring high-performance teams.
• Experienced in building relationships with external stakeholders.
• Comfortable with public speaking and promoting the organisation with clients, shareholders, and investors.
• Very familiar with leading edge cloud technologies and AI, and how to use them to maximise business value in the financial services sector.
• Adept at balancing the need to innovate with commercial sensibilities.

We offer all employees a comprehensive benefits package that focuses on their whole wellbeing. This includes hybrid working, a competitive base salary, non-contributory pension, discretionary bonus, insurances including health (family) and dental cover, and many other benefits to enhance financial, physical, social, and psychological health.

The Company

At Vave we take the centuries-old underwriting industry into the age of data and cloud computing by replacing traditional processes with frictionless real-time pricing, dynamic risk selection, and portfolio optimization. We use the most up-to-date tech, leverage vast amounts of internal and external data, and in-house developed algorithms. We are digital from the start and are not constrained by legacy systems and processes. We invest heavily in data science and new data sources to develop unique insights and algorithms powering our proprietary API-first underwriting platform.

Our product focus is US property, and natural catastrophe modelling is our home turf. Since beginning trading in 2019 we delivered 4 products to market and have algorithmically written over half a billion US Dollars of premium. We are continuously evolving and creating new opportunities to scale and innovate, and are now expanding our team to support the next round of growth. This is an amazing opportunity to join a dynamic fast-growing business.