Guidewire Project Manager – PolicyCenter

HDI Global Insurance Company; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 160,000 - 185,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

401(k) with company match

Paid Time Off

Medical

Health Reimbursement Arrangement (HRA)

Telemedicine

Wellness Program

Employee Assistance Program (EAP)

Dental

Vision

Life Insurance

Short- and Long-Term Disability

Transit and Parking benefits

Job summary

HDI Global Insurance Company is seeking a seasoned Guidewire Project Manager in Chicago to lead the PolicyCenter implementation (Program TOPSPIN). You will coordinate with business stakeholders, IT teams, SI partners, and vendors to ensure on-time, on-budget delivery across multiple releases.

The role emphasizes risk management, quality assurance, change management, and governance, with a focus on regulatory compliance and data protection throughout the project lifecycle.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Information Technology, Business Administration, Project Management, or a related field; a Master’s degree is a plus.
• 7+ years of experience managing IT projects, with at least 3 years focused on Guidewire implementations (PolicyCenter, BillingCenter, ClaimCenter, or Guidewire Rating).
• Strong project management skills, with a proven record of planning, executing, and closing complex projects on time and within budget; strong Agile/Scrum experience.
• Guidewire certification or experience with Guidewire SurePath methodology and the Guidewire Testing Framework is strongly preferred; PMP or equivalent certification is a plus.
• Knowledge of insurance business processes, especially underwriting, policy administration, claims, and billing (commercial P&C strongly preferred).
• Effective verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to convey complex information to both technical and non-technical stakeholders, including executive presence.

Responsibilities

• Lead end-to-end planning and execution of the Guidewire PolicyCenter implementation — defining scope, goals, deliverables, timelines, and resource requirements; establish and manage project plans, milestones, and dependencies in alignment with Guidewire’s SurePath delivery methodology.
• Serve as the primary point of contact for stakeholders, facilitating communication across business units, IT teams, and vendors; conduct regular status meetings, including monthly Steering Committees, and provide transparent progress and financial reporting.
• Work with the CITO and Head of Business Transformation to allocate resources effectively and manage project budgets, staffing, and timelines; monitor expenses against plan and manage discretionary budget against System Integrator requests for unplanned work.
• Identify risks and develop mitigation strategies; resolve project issues, escalating to senior management when necessary; ensure the implementation complies with regulatory requirements, data protection standards, and internal policies.
• Coordinate with Guidewire, the System Integrator, and internal QA teams to develop test plans and validate the implementation; oversee UAT, and ensure sprint, smoke, performance, and stabilization cadences, including business process and model-office testing where appropriate.
• Partner with the OCM Lead on future-state process flows, user-impact documentation, training materials, and communication plans; organize and conduct training to drive end-user adoption of new Guidewire features and functionality.
• Alongside the implementation, work with IT Governance to establish and mature project and portfolio management capabilities across the IT organization, providing guidance on portfolio steering cadences.
• Collaborate with System Integrator project management for Guidewire development while independently managing non-Guidewire workstreams and integrations to core systems (e.g., billing, CRM, data platform).

Skills

Project management

Agile/Scrum

Guidewire

Communication

Education

Bachelor's degree

Master's degree

Tools

Jira/Confluence

SharePoint

Microsoft Office Suite

Teams

Job description

Location: Chicago, IL

Job Id:REP-Nazim

# of Openings:1

Who we are

HDI Global Insurance Company is a commercial property and casualty insurer headquartered in Chicago, IL. We are a wholly owned subsidiary of HDI Global SE, which manages the industrial lines division of the Talanx Group. Our broad and flexible portfolio of products and services, combined with our international network of local insurers in more than 150 countries, enables us to provide comprehensive domestic and global insurance solutions for U.S.-based multinational companies.

With Xcelerate29, HDI is shaping its future by becoming a Trusted Global Player, achieving Next-level Excellence, and building a Forward-thinking Organisation. This direction helps HDI Global lead the profitable growth game as a globally connected business, raise the bar every day through stronger underwriting, claims, and investment performance, and win tomorrow by starting today with a lean, fast, resilient, and future-ready organisation. Together, these priorities support profitable growth, sustainable profitability, global consistency, digital transformation, AI acceleration, smart cost leadership, and stronger collaboration across teams and markets. They also reflect our focus on being a workplace of choice by building a future-ready workforce where people.

We are seeking a Guidewire Project Manager to lead the successful planning, execution, and delivery of our Guidewire PolicyCenter implementation (Program “TOPSPIN”). This senior role partners with business stakeholders, technical teams, System Integrators, and vendors to ensure the program meets requirements, stays on budget, and delivers on schedule across multiple releases. The Project Manager manages risks, tracks progress, and safeguards quality throughout the project lifecycle — managing all activities related to the Guidewire program in collaboration with the System Integrator for Guidewire development, and independently across non-Guidewire development activities.

Key Responsibilities

• Project Planning & Execution. Lead end-to-end planning and execution of the Guidewire PolicyCenter implementation — defining scope, goals, deliverables, timelines, and resource requirements; establish and manage project plans, milestones, and dependencies in alignment with Guidewire’s SurePath delivery methodology.
• Stakeholder Management & Communication. Serve as the primary point of contact for stakeholders, facilitating communication across business units, IT teams, and vendors; conduct regular status meetings, including monthly Steering Committees, and provide transparent progress and financial reporting.
• Resource & Budget Management. Work with the CITO and Head of Business Transformation to allocate resources effectively and manage project budgets, staffing, and timelines; monitor expenses against plan and manage discretionary budget against System Integrator requests for unplanned work.
• Risk Management & Issue Resolution. Identify risks and develop mitigation strategies; resolve project issues, escalating to senior management when necessary; ensure the implementation complies with regulatory requirements, data protection standards, and internal policies.
• Quality Assurance & Testing. Coordinate with Guidewire, the System Integrator, and internal QA teams to develop test plans and validate the implementation; oversee UAT, and ensure sprint, smoke, performance, and stabilization cadences, including business process and model-office testing where appropriate.
• Change Management & Training. Partner with the OCM Lead on future-state process flows, user-impact documentation, training materials, and communication plans; organize and conduct training to drive end-user adoption of new Guidewire features and functionality.
• Enterprise Project Management Discipline. Alongside the implementation, work with IT Governance to establish and mature project and portfolio management capabilities across the IT organization, providing guidance on portfolio steering cadences.
• Vendor & System Integrator Coordination. Collaborate with System Integrator project management for Guidewire development while independently managing non-Guidewire workstreams and integrations to core systems (e.g., billing, CRM, data platform).

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Information Technology, Business Administration, Project Management, or a related field; a Master’s degree is a plus.
• 7+ years of experience managing IT projects, with at least 3 years focused on Guidewire implementations (PolicyCenter, BillingCenter, ClaimCenter, or Guidewire Rating).
• Strong project management skills, with a proven record of planning, executing, and closing complex projects on time and within budget; strong Agile/Scrum experience.
• Guidewire certification or experience with Guidewire SurePath methodology and the Guidewire Testing Framework is strongly preferred; PMP or equivalent certification is a plus.
• Knowledge of insurance business processes, especially underwriting, policy administration, claims, and billing (commercial P&C strongly preferred).
• Effective verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to convey complex information to both technical and non-technical stakeholders, including executive presence.
• Proficient with Microsoft Office Suite, Teams, Jira/Confluence, and SharePoint.
• Self-motivated, solution-oriented, and collaborative — able to manage multiple workstreams simultaneously and build strong relationships across the organization.

Compensation and Benefits:

Base salary range for this position is $160,000 – 185,000, plus eligibility for a performance-based annual bonus. Actual compensation will be based on a variety of factors including experience, education, and location. We offer a competitive benefits package, including: 401(k) with company match, Paid Time Off, Sick Leave, Medical, Health Reimbursement Arrangement (HRA), Telemedicine, Wellness Program, Employee Assistance Program (EAP), Dental, Vision, Accident & Critical Illness Insurance, Flexible Spending Account (FSA), Dependent Care FSA, Group and Voluntary Life Insurance, Short- and Long-Term Disability, Pet Insurance, Transit and Parking benefits.

Additional Information

• HDI Global Insurance Company is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We consider applicants without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, age, sex, marital status, ancestry, disability, veteran status, gender identity, or sexual orientation.
• Applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States.
• HDI Global Insurance Company is an Equal Opportunity Employer and participates in E-Verify.