Guidewire Delivery Director (UK)
Location: UK (Hybrid / Remote + Onsite as required)
Employment Type: Permanent
Industry: Insurance / Digital Transformation
Reports to: Programme Director / CIO
Overview
We are seeking an experienced Guidewire Delivery Director to lead and oversee end-to-end delivery of Guidewire solutions across PolicyCenter, ClaimCenter, BillingCenter, and associated digital, integration, and data workstreams. This is a senior leadership role responsible for shaping delivery strategy, driving execution, ensuring alignment with business needs, and successfully managing cross-functional teams, system integrators, and key stakeholders.
The ideal candidate is not required to be a deep technical expert, but must have a strong understanding of Guidewire platforms, insurance operations, and enterprise technology delivery. This person will bring a proven track record of overseeing large-scale transformation projects and managing multiple concurrent workstreams within complex insurance environments.
Key Responsibilities
Delivery Leadership
- Lead end-to-end delivery of Guidewire products (PolicyCenter, ClaimCenter, BillingCenter) across all phases of the delivery lifecycle.
- Own delivery strategy, planning, governance, and execution.
- Ensure solutions meet business objectives, regulatory requirements, and agreed SLAs.
- Drive programme performance, identifying risks, dependencies, and mitigation options early.
Stakeholder & Vendor Management
- Act as primary delivery contact for senior internal stakeholders (C-level, Heads of Business, Technology).
- Manage third-party SI partners, Guidewire specialists, offshore teams, and internal teams.
- Ensure alignment between business, IT, and delivery partners throughout the project.
Financial & Commercial Oversight
- Manage programme budgets, forecasts, business cases, and financial tracking.
- Ensure commercial value from vendors, contractors, and SI partners.
- Report on programme health, progress, resource utilisation, and key KPIs.
People & Team Leadership
- Lead cross-functional delivery teams including BAs, PMs, Tech Leads, Architects, and Test teams.
- Drive a culture of accountability, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
- Support team development, coaching, and performance management.
Delivery Excellence
- Implement best-practice delivery frameworks (Agile, Waterfall, Hybrid).
- Ensure high-quality documentation, governance, compliance, and assurance.
- Oversee cutover planning, environment readiness, UAT, release management, and hypercare.
Guidewire Knowledge
- Maintain an up-to-date understanding of Guidewire applications, configurations, and integration patterns.
- Translate business requirements into delivery plans and feasible technical approaches.
- Understand the implications of configuration vs customisation, cloud vs on-prem, and integration with experience & Skills
Required Experience & Skills
Experience
- 10+ years’ experience in IT delivery or programme management, ideally within Insurance.
- Proven track record delivering large-scale transformation programmes (£5m–£25m+).
- Direct experience overseeing delivery of Guidewire products (PolicyCenter, BillingCenter, ClaimCenter).
- Experience managing SIs, external vendors, and multi-disciplinary delivery teams.
Skills
- Strong understanding of the Guidewire suite and insurance business processes.
- Excellent leadership, communication, and stakeholder management skills.
- Solid financial management and budget oversight.
- Ability to make informed decisions under pressure and navigate complex environments.
- Strong problem-solving, prioritisation, and governance capability.
Desirable
- Experience with Guidewire Cloud implementations.
- Background working with General Insurance (GI), Specialty, or London Market.
- Familiarity with integration middleware, data platforms, and digital front-end technologies.
What’s on Offer
Competitive salary + benefits package.
- Opportunity to lead high-impact transformation across core insurance operations.
- A collaborative, forward-thinking technology and delivery environment.
- Long-term career progression within a rapidly evolving digital organisation.