Director, Business Delivery Product Lead

What part will you play? If you’re looking for a place where you can make a meaningful difference, you’ve found it.

The work we do at Markel gives people the confidence to move forward and seize opportunities, and you’ll find your fit amongst our global community of optimists and problem-solvers. We’re always pushing each other to go further because we believe that when we realize our potential, we can help others reach theirs. Join us and play your part in something special! Markel, a Fortune 500 company known for its specialty insurance products, is seeking a Program Manager to join the Business Delivery team within our US & Bermuda Operations. This team is at the forefront of our technology transformation, specifically overseeing the business delivery of the Guidewire PolicyCenter Program.

This is a pivotal and exciting role focused on the PolicyCenter implementation of our highly profitable and growing Personal Lines portfolio. As a Business Delivery Program Lead, you'll serve as a liaison between business stakeholders, our System Integrator Partner, architects and internal IT delivery teams – driving alignment between business needs and solution design.

Markel’s Personal Lines is the #1 writer of E&S Homeowners insurance in the US. We distribute products through multiple mediums, spanning wholesale, retail, and alternative channels, including direct to consumer, embedded solutions and key partnerships and alliances.

Joining the Business Delivery team will enable you to build a deep understanding of both the business operations and the technology that enables our strategic growth, as well as build relationships with multiple stakeholders across all levels of the organization. The experience provides incredible possibilities for a dynamic career at Markel.

Job Location: Hybrid work arrangement based in any US Markel office, EST or CST working hours

Responsibilities

• Drive functional discussions with business stakeholders across various topics (product model, rating, forms, underwriting rules, data and downstream requirements) to ensure that business needs and requirements are clearly articulated, documented and translated for SI partner(s) and IT delivery teams to leverage.

• Drive business readiness activities and discussions proactively, particularly with business stakeholders, throughout various phases of implementation

• Work closely with business analysts (SI partner and internal) in the development of the product backlog and sprint planning exercises to ensure that requirements and design solutions are aligned with business objectives and timelines

• Collaborate with business, architects, and IT stakeholders to ensure that the functional requirements for all inbound and outbound integrations with PolicyCenter are complete and accurate

• Identify and proactively manage dependencies and relevant inter-workstream impacts across departments and implementation activities, to ensure a cohesive end-to-end solution

• Proactively identify and evaluate program risks and issues, escalating appropriately and working with the Business Delivery Owner to mitigate and develop contingency plans

• Communicate program objectives, progress updates, risk assessments, and issue resolutions effectively to stakeholders, ensuring transparency and alignment on the project.

Skills and Competencies

• Minimum of 10 years of progressive experience in program management, with multiple large-scale Guidewire PolicyCenter implementations

• Strong experience in P&C insurance domain, including a deep understanding of policy lifecycle, underwriting, rating, forms, regulatory requirements, and underwriting processes

• Experience with the Guidewire InsuranceSuite, including an understanding of the typical integrations and data needs between PolicyCenter, BillingCenter, and ClaimCenter

• Experience with portal and API development, specifically in supporting policy administration systems

• Strong leadership experience in an Agile environment, including leading sprint planning, managing backlogs, and working with multiple IT delivery teams.

• Solid problem-solving and analytical abilities

• Proficiency in project management software and tools (e.g., MS Project, Jira, Confluence)

Certifications

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Computer Science, Information Systems, or a related field (Master's degree preferred).

• Guidewire Certifications

• Program Management Professional (PgMP) certification or Project Management Professional (PMP) certification

• Business