Job Description
AVP of Application Development
Role Context
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 across all of these 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 and Life lines is a strong plus
Experience with finance and commissions systems and processes is a nice-to-have, given the breadth of business lines supported
Team Leadership & People Management
Demonstrated experience leading 30+ person development organizations with a mix of ICs and engineering managers
Skilled at 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
Comfortable navigating 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
Builds trust 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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