Head of Application Services & Automation Products

The Head of Application Services and Automation Products reports directly into the Chief Information Officer (CIO), working closely with the Chief Operating Officer, Commercial, Personal and Specialty Managing Directors and their leadership teams, Chief Transformation Officer, and all Heads of Change, as well as senior stakeholders both across the UK and other OEs. The Head of Application Services and Automation Products is accountable for the governance and management of the services provided for our outsourced applications in the Allianz Holdings IT application estate; to ensure a timely and high-quality service is provided. The role holder is also accountable for Automation Products like RPA, Process Mining and other related subjects.

We are looking for a Head of Application Services and Automation Products to join us, with extensive experience operating at a senior level in IT within a regulated industry. You'll have experience in supplier relations and supplier assurance with an understanding of outsource vendor governance and management practices. Experience and understanding of IT contract and License management and negotiations, security Management processes, practices and technology. Dealing IT vendors of differing sizes. Managing third parties service provision - especially onshore, internal business stakeholders and parallel work streams. You'll have excellent communication skills; approachable; authoritative; diplomatic; demonstrate empathy; strong focus on performance measurement management and talent development Essential Skills

• Able to demonstrate leadership experience
• Able to demonstrate mastery of the managing the trade-offs that may be necessary between concept and delivery.
• Commercially savvy -able to work with suppliers and other Allianz teams to deliver the best value for Allianz overall.
• Commercial and general Insurance knowledge.
• Broad and deep technology, systems integration knowledge.
• Deep understanding of solutions available in the market.
• Deep understanding of IT risk management processes.
• Management of third party service providers - both onshore and offshore.
• IT contract & License management and negotiation.
• Extensive experience of ITIL disciplines
• Management and governance of IT outsourced and offshore third-parties, in particular for application development and service provision.
• Extensive experience and understanding of development and application standards, including
• Extensive experience and understanding of system testing approaches, methods and tools
• Extensive experience of configuration management processes and disciplines
• Extensive understanding and experience or IT service introduction methods, disciplines, tools and reporting.
We support the government scheme "Access to Work" please feel free to ask us about the access to work scheme. Desirable Skills
• Strong business awareness and focus on customer service.
• Adaptive and responsive to change.
• Ability to build and manage relationships.
• Ability to build partnerships across Allianz business units.
• Ability to effectively work with virtual teams.
• Excellent communication skills; approachable; authoritative; diplomatic; demonstrates empathy.
• Effective team-manager, trainer and coach.
• Team building, leadership and motivation
  
  Here at Allianz, we are signatories of the ABIs flexible working charter. We believe in supporting hybrid work patterns, which balance the needs of our customers, with your personal circumstances and our business requirements. Our aim with this is to help innovation, creativity, and you to thrive - Your work life balance is important to us.
Diversity & Inclusion At Allianz, we prioritize diversity and inclusion, demonstrated by our numerous accreditations: EDGE certified for gender inclusion, Women in Finance Charter members, Disability Confident employer, Stonewall Diversity Champion, Business in the Community's Race at Work Charter signatories, and Armed Forces Covenant gold standard employer. We embrace neurodiversity and welcome applications from neurodivergent and disabled candidates, offering tailored adjustments to ensure your success. We encourage our employees to advocate for their needs, whether it's assistive technology, ergonomic equipment, mentoring, coaching, or flexible work arrangements.

Recognised and rewarded for a job well done, we have a range of flexible benefits for you to choose from- so you can pick a package that's perfect for you. We also offer flexible working options, global career opportunities across the wider Allianz Group, and fantastic career development and training. That's on top of enjoying all the benefits you'd expect from the world's number one insurance brand, including:
• Flexible buy/sell holiday options
• Hybrid working.
• Annual performance related bonus
• Contributory pension scheme
• Development days
• A discount up to 50% on a range of insurance products including car, home and pet
• Retail discounts