Sr. Director, Software Engineering

Job Description

What’s the secret to our success here at GEICO? It’s no secret at all; we simply find and invest in good people.

GEICO Technology Solutions is seeking a Senior Director of Engineering to lead Underwriting or our Claims technology organization. This is a senior leadership role leading a technology department of major line of business applications with a focus of collaboration with business partners to deliver agile and scalable services through enterprise design, development, and governance practices. The Sr. Director of Engineering will work with Business leaders and IT Partners to ensure strategic business and IT alignment, drive enterprise solution and application architecture patterns and practices, and build target state solutions.  This role requires immense people management, broad technical expertise and thought leadership that will help accelerate the adoption of engineering led culture and best practices, while maintaining knowledge on industry innovations and trends

Our Sr. Director, Software Engineering, under the general direction of an VP, provides leadership to a large group of associates with multiple initiatives, including leading planning and budgeting for your area, signing off on purchases up to $5000, finalizing performance appraisals, submitting salary increases, and implementing disciplinary action when needed. You will direct the activities of software engineering teams in the establishment and implementation of new or revised systems and programs.

Location: GEICO Headquarters, Chevy Chase, MD

This role is not remote or hybrid.

No third party assistance is needed.

Key Accountabilities:

• Manage the customer relationships for functional area ensuring that business plan items and operational support are in line with business objectives. 
• Manage and direct the effective operations of a functional work processing area including ensuring process improvements leading to productivity gains. 
• Provide management and technical guidance to the systems and programming activities within the section.  For Tier 1 Application areas this includes off hours support for outage events.
• Responsible to stable and reliable delivery of the application to production users within SLA.
• Direct the planning, development, scheduling, and maintenance of specific systems of projects and the programming, monitoring and modification of specific program through technical managers.
• Direct the investigations of interruptions to the functional area of existing computer systems.
• Be responsible for the hiring, terminating, promoting, and transferring associates in the section.
• Evaluate the performance of staff, Reviews results accomplished considering established objectives and recommends status and salary adjustments.
• Review and Approve section salary budget, manpower requirements and all other qualitative planning.
• Possess effective decision-making skills demonstrated using sound judgement along with tactful communication.
• Be able to craft, communicate, and execute a vision and mission for a team.
• Build, sustain, and leverage relationships across teams and divisions to execute projects collaboratively.
• Negotiate with external vendors to secure best price and access to the tools/resources required to execute plans.
• Work with your Officer to address project dependencies, negotiate and estimate incremental delivery dates for milestones with the stakeholder community, and deliver projects on time.
• Identify and raise appropriate project risks, in addition to presenting detailed and implementable solutions or alternatives.
• Understand how requirements and design choices may impact systems across multiple areas.
• Report on your team’s progress for project and other key metrics, in addition to presenting detailed and implementable ideas for areas to further improve or influence.
• Initiate and support performance evaluation of team members.
• Cultivate a culture that motivates all levels of performers to higher levels of achievement.
• Execute change management processes and best practices, adapting approach as necessary.
• Build and maintain relationships with your team members to support an environment of trust.
• Influence those you motivate and coach to be receptive to feedback by cultivating a culture that acknowledges and expects individuals to grow and be accountable because of experience gained (growth mindset).
• Identify where technical or analytical skill gaps put future team deliverables at risk and craft a plan to remediate, consistently challenge team members to share knowledge and learn new technologies.
• Proficiently execute difficult conversations on development and performance.
• Craft and deliver strategic and well-structured persuasive arguments to drive projects that drive process improvement, enhance cost leadership, and/or customer experience. 
• Manage up to leadership as well as give feedback when appropriate.
• Administer coaching plan(s) and Performance Improvement Plan(s).
• Craft fully compliant quality documentation.
• Have compliant negotiation and execution of warning administration and/or involuntary termination.
• Develop the team budget and accountable for reporting on results achieved at regular intervals.
• Significant contribution to the team planning process to include surfacing associate level proposals.

Essential Job Functions:

• Strong understanding of application development platforms and technologies such as .Net, Java, Mobile & Web Platform.
• Strong understanding of enterprise, solution and application architecture patterns and practices.
• Proven success implementing large scale projects across multiple disciplines.
• Reputation as someone who engages with team members effectively.
• Identified as someone who genuinely cares about others and invests time and attention in career counseling others, focusing time and energy in encouraging associates to continue to grow and stretch into new roles or gain experience or skillsets needed to prepare for future roles.
• Deep understanding of modern technology trends and business domains.
• Constructing, interpreting, and applying metrics to your work and decision making, able to use those metrics to identify correlation between drivers and results, and using that information drive prioritization and action.
• Initiative and creativity in solving problems and driving innovation through others.
• Delivery of information in a clear and concise manner appropriate to the audience.
• Embracing ownership of both successes and failures, demonstrating leadership maturity
• Ability to balance multiple assignments distributed across multiple teams and dependency areas.
• Confidence with decision making.
• Clearly able to see how projects interrelate and have a strategic impact.
• Ability to build and maintain a network of contacts.
• Continued understanding of and growth in emotional intelligence.
• Adheres to GEICO Code of Conduct, company policies, and operating principles.
• Meets attendance standard at business location to perform necessary job functions and to facilitate interaction with subordinates and management.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science/Information Technology or related field; Master’s degree preferred (or equivalent verifiable experience, skillset and track record of success)
• Proven technical experience (15 years) in Technology Leadership or Architecture role
• Minimum 10 years of experience developing in .NET, C#, Java, Python, SQL, Angular, React, etc.
• Proven (5 years) experience in a Senior Leadership role leading large organization.
• 5 years of experience working with Azure or AWS Cloud technologies.
• Proven experience building influential and impactful relationships internally and externally to lead and drive change.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills.
• Excellent problem-solving skills, proactive, and ability to thrive in an ambiguous environment
• Flexible and adaptable to a fast-paced work environment.

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​Benefits:

At GEICO, we make sure you have the support and resources to leverage and develop your skills, secure your financial future, and take care of your health and well-being. GEICO continually seeks to provide a workplace where everyone can be their authentic self. To help achieve this goal, we support associate-led Employee Resource Groups that foster a true sense of community. Through GEICO’s competitive benefits offerings and various training and development opportunities, we have you covered with our [ Link removed ] - Click here to apply to Sr. Director, Software Engineering* that includes:

• Premier Medical, Dental, and Vision Insurance with no waiting period
• Paid Vacation, Sick and Parental Leave
• 401(k) Matching
• Tuition Assistance including Direct Billing and Reimbursement payment plan options
• Paid Training, Licensures, and Certificates

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