AVP Information Technology

Horace Mann; Madison (WI); On-site; USD 146,500 - 208,750; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary

Benefits for educators

Opportunities for professional development

Job summary

Horace Mann, a prominent insurance company in Madison, Wisconsin, is seeking a Senior Leadership role to oversee the Guidewire and P&C legacy application development team. The ideal candidate will drive meaningful transformations and lead a diverse, complex development organization of over 30 developers.

This role demands deep expertise in modern application architecture, AI development, and proven experience in leading large-scale modernization initiatives. The company values effective executive communication and the ability to navigate organizational complexities.

Qualifications

• Deep expertise in software engineering best practices.
• Proven ability to manage 30+ developers across varied functions.
• Hands-on experience translating business goals into application development.

Responsibilities

• Lead a large, complex development organization.
• Drive modernization and transformation across insurance business lines.
• Communicate effectively with senior stakeholders.

Skills

Modern application architecture expertise

Leadership of large-scale modernization initiatives

Guidewire platform experience

AI application development

Stakeholder communication skills

Organizational complexity navigation

Tools

AI tooling familiarity

Low-code/no-code platforms evaluation

Cloud platforms

Job description

Responsibilities

• Senior leadership role within a multi-line insurance company, reporting directly to me
• Directly manages the Guidewire and P&C legacy application development team
• Additionally leads through managers who support the following business lines and functions:
• Life and Retirement
• BCG
• Supplemental and Group
• Distribution and Corporate Back Office
• Responsible for a large, complex development organization (30+ developers) consisting of both individual contributors and development managers acrossall ofthese areas
• Expected to operate as a bold change agent who is unafraid to challenge the status quo and drive meaningful transformation across a diverse, multi-line portfolio

Technical & Architecture Skills

• Deep expertise in modern application architecture, cloud platforms, and software engineering best practices
• Proven track record of leading large-scale legacy modernization initiatives and reducing technical debt in complex, regulated environments
• Hands-on experience with Guidewire or comparable P&C insurance platforms is strongly preferred
• Hands-on experience designing and delivering AI-powered applications — not just AI awareness, but actual build experience
• Familiarity with insurance systems and data (policy, claims, billing) across both P&C andLife linesis a strong plus
• Experience with finance and commissions systems and processes is a nice-to-have, given the breadth of business lines supported
• Demonstrated experience leading 30+ person development organizations with a mix of ICs and engineering managers
• Skilledat developing managers — coaching, holding accountable, and elevating leadership capability across the team
• Able to attract, retain, and grow top technical talent in a competitive market
• Comfortablenavigating organizational complexity and managing through ambiguity across multiple business lines with distinct priorities

Strategic Thinking & Roadmap Ownership

• Ability to translate business goals into a clear, prioritized application development roadmap across a multi-line portfolio
• Experience leading multi-year modernization programs with measurable outcomes
• Balances long-term platform thinking with near-term delivery commitments
• Has a point of view on where AI fits into the development strategy and can build a credible path to adoption

Stakeholder & Executive Communication

• Credible and confident communicator with senior business and technology stakeholders across multiple business units
• Able to make the case for investment in modernization and AI in business value terms, not just technical terms
• Buildstrust across the organization by delivering on commitments and communicating transparently when things change
• Skilled at managing competing priorities and expectations across diverse business line partners

AI, Modern Tooling & Low-Code Platforms

• Has hands-on experience building and shipping AI-powered applications — not just theoretical knowledge
• Understands AI tooling, frameworks, and integration patterns relevant to enterprise development, including generative AI, large language models, and AI-assisted development tools
• Familiar with and able to evaluate modern low-code/no-code platforms (such as Microsoft Power Platform,OutSystems,Mendix, or similar) and knows when they are the right fit vs. custom development
• Actively leverages modern developer productivity tools — including AI coding assistants, CI/CD automation, and cloud-native development platforms — to accelerate delivery and reduce toil
• Can lead a team toward responsible, practical AI and low-code adoption that delivers real business outcomes without creating new technical debt
• Able to assess vendor solutions and build vs. buy vs. configure tradeoffs across traditional, AI, and low-code options

Pay Range

• $146,500.00 - $208,750.00

Salary is commensurate to experience, location, etc.

Horace Mann was founded in 1945 by two Springfield, Illinois, teachers who saw a need for quality, affordable auto insurance for teachers. Since then, we’ve broadened our mission to helping all educators protect what they have today and prepare for a successful tomorrow. And with our broadened mission has come corporate growth: We serve more than 4,100 school districts nationwide, we’re publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange (symbol: HMN) and we have more than $12 billion in assets.

We’re motivated by the fact that educators take care of our children’s future, and we believe they deserve someone to look after theirs. We help educators identify their financial goals and develop plans to achieve them. This includes insurance to protect what they have today and financial products to help them prepare for their future. Our tailored offerings include special rates and benefits for educators.

EOE/Minorities/Females/Veterans/Disabled. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability or protected veteran status

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