Innovation Technical Lead

The Innovation Technical Lead in the IT CTO function reports to the Head of Innovation & Emerging Technology. This role is vital for shaping, prototyping, and developing AI-enabled, emerging technology concepts in insurance innovation.

The lead acts as the technical anchor for a cross-functional team focused on experimenting with disruptive opportunities in a variety of business areas – such as insurance sales, underwriting, customer operations, claims, risk modelling, pricing, and introduction of new business models.

This role provides strong technical and delivery leadership for the team's success and works closely with the delivery lead and innovation engineering team members.

Key Responsibilities

• Prototype Innovation Concepts: Rapidly design, build, and test technical proof of concepts (PoC) for new and emerging technologies utilising industry standard tools.
• Lead Technical Discovery: Identify promising emerging technologies such as GenAI, Agentic, Machine Learning, Reinforcement Learning, NLP, IoT, Digital Twins etc., assessing their application to real insurance challenges.
• Deliver Solution Proposals - Develop and communicate strategically aligned solution proposals – covering options, costs, and recommendations, ensuring adherence to Admiral architecture and Cyber Security standards.
• Architect Experimental Infrastructure: Maintain a secure development environment for the delivery of prototype/experimental applications.
• Collaboration with SI Partners: Collaborate with SI Partners and other suppliers to build PoC/PoV applications, supporting detailed design creation and technical solution delivery.
• Agile Management: Take responsibility for day-to-day agile management activities, coaching, line management of technical teams.
• Plan, estimate and execute systems development work to time, budget and quality targets – working closely with Innovation Delivery leads.  

Experience and Skills Required

Essential:

• Experience in agile, fast-paced environments focused on technology innovation.
• Extensive software engineering experience – with at-least 3+ years of hands-on experience in building AI / ML applications.
• Proven track record in building early-stage prototypes or MVPs – ideally in an innovation setting.
• Proven track record in leading technical teams.
• Strong programming skills (ideally in Python, Node.js, Flask, Django or similar) and familiarity with AI/ML technical stacks (PyTorch, LangChain, HuggingFace, OpenAI, Vertex AI).
• Experience with either of cloud platforms (ideally Google), containerisation (Kubernetes, Docker), and CI/CD pipelines.
• Proactive in identifying and acting on opportunities for improvement / innovation.
• Conducting structured reviews of technical work products, test plans, business cases, and key deliverables.
• Keeping objectives and strategies in mind and ensuring courses of action are aligned with the strategic context.
• Effective, approachable, and sensitive communicator in different communities and cultures.
• Strong critical thinking and analytical skills.
• Excellent interpersonal and stakeholder management skills.

Desirable:

• Possesses a strong understanding and proficiency in IT Architectures, with a particular emphasis on Solution Architectures.
• Combines technical competence with business and commercial awareness and first-class communications skills.
• Methods and techniques for delivering effective presentations, either face-to-face or online within various contexts and to a variety of audiences.
• Previous experience operating in a heavily regulated environment.
• Identifying gaps in the available information required to understand a problem or situation and devising a means of resolving them.
• Establishing relationships, contributing to an open culture, and maintaining contacts with people from a variety of backgrounds and disciplines.
• Understanding commercial considerations and ensuring alignment with them when making decisions or recommending actions.
• Understanding underlying issues in complex problems through the development of abstract representations, the identification of patterns and the analysis of hypotheses.

Admiral: Where You Can

We take pride in being a diverse and inclusive business. It's a place where you can Be You, and show up as you are. We’re committed to fostering a people-first culture where everyone is accepted, supported, and empowered to be brilliant. You can, Grow And Progress at a pace and direction that suits you, Make A Difference for our customers and each other, and Share in Our Future with all colleagues eligible for up to £3,600 of free shares each year after one year of service.

Everyone receives 33 days holiday (including bank holidays) when they join us, increasing the longer you stay with us, up to a maximum of 38 days (including bank holidays). You also have the option to buy or sell up to an additional five days of annual leave.

We’re proud of our people-first culture. In fact, we've been recognised as a Great Place to Work for Women, a Great Place to Work for Wellbeing, and an overall Great Place to Work for over 25 years! We’re fully committed to making sure your progression is not slowed or halted by barriers related to race, gender, age, sexuality or any of the protected characteristics.

Our fantastic benefits make sure our colleagues have a great work-life balance; You can view some of our other key benefits here.

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