Information Technology AVP/Technical Development Leader

Horace Mann is seeking a hands-on, innovative, and technically proficient Information Technology AVP/Technical Development Leader’ to drive our Digital Enablement Development team. This role demands a proven technical expert with exceptional leadership and problem-solving abilities, who thrives in dynamic environments and has a passion for leveraging cutting-edge technologies to achieve strategic outcomes.  This role is for a builder, problem solver, and visionary who thrives at the intersection of technology and leadership.

As a key player in driving digital transformation, this leader will actively contribute to coding efforts, architecting solutions, and enabling teams to adopt modern practices, including generative AI, to enhance productivity and creativity. This role is ideal for someone who can seamlessly blend technical proficiency, strategic vision, and team empowerment to deliver impactful results.

Key Responsibilities

Project Leadership

• Own and deliver multiple technical projects, aligning with Digital Enablement and corporate growth objectives.
• Architect solutions that leverage modern technologies, ensuring scalability, reliability, and performance.
• Drive technical projects from concept to completion, providing architectural guidance and hands-on contributions to ensure high-quality outcomes.
• Define project milestones and KPIs, ensuring alignment with business goals.
• Drive continuous innovation by incorporating emerging trends and tools, including generative AI, into project workflows.

Hands-On Technical Expertise

• Actively contribute to software development, architecture design, and code reviews.
• Use generative AI to optimize development processes, enhance team productivity, and solve complex challenges.
• Provide technical mentorship, guiding teams in adopting modern programming languages, frameworks, and AI-powered tools.
• Champion best practices in software engineering, including CI/CD, automated testing, and cloud-native development.

Team Leadership

• Inspire, mentor, and manage a high-performing development team.
• Promote the use of generative AI tools to boost team creativity, efficiency, and skill development.
• Cultivate a culture of ownership, accountability, and innovation.
• Evaluate team performance and identify growth opportunities through personalized development plans.

Problem Solving and Innovation

• Proactively identify and resolve technical and business blockers.
• Foster collaborative problem-solving sessions, encouraging teams to experiment and innovate.
• Lead by example, demonstrating a solutions-oriented mindset and a commitment to delivering high-quality results.

Stakeholder Communication

• Collaborate with business units, external partners, and leadership to align on goals, strategies, and deliverables.
• Communicate technical concepts effectively to both technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Provide regular updates on progress, risks, and opportunities.

Process and Workflow Optimization

• Continuously assess and improve development processes to enhance team efficiency and quality.
• Collaborate with IT leadership to implement agile and DevOps practices.

Strategic Alignment

• Work closely with the VP of Digital Enablement to align technical strategies with long-term corporate goals, including household growth and worksite expansion.
• Advocate for investments in modern tools, technologies, and methodologies to maintain competitive advantage.

Qualifications

Education

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or a related field. Master’s degree preferred.

Experience

• 7+ years of experience leading technical teams and delivering impactful software solutions.
• Proven track record in hands-on software development and technical leadership.
• Experience implementing generative AI technologies in development workflows.
• Strong background in cloud technologies (AWS, Azure, or GCP) and DevOps practices.

Skills and Competencies

Technical Expertise

• Mastery of modern programming languages (e.g., Python, JavaScript/TypeScript, C#) and frameworks.
• Expertise in software architecture, APIs, microservices, and cloud-native solutions.
• Proficiency in leveraging generative AI tools like ChatGPT, Copilot, or similar to enhance development workflows.

Problem Solving and Innovation

• Ability to analyze complex challenges, design innovative solutions, and execute them efficiently.
• Strong decision-making skills, particularly under pressure.

Leadership

• Exceptional team-building and mentoring skills.
• Ability to lead by example, motivating teams to adopt modern practices and tools.
• Demonstrated ability to foster a culture of innovation, collaboration, and accountability.

Project Management

• Strong organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously.
• Familiarity with agile methodologies and tools (e.g., Jira, Azure DevOps).

Communication

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, capable of translating technical concepts for diverse audiences.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with generative AI in software development and operations.
• Deep understanding of modern front-end and back-end technologies, including serverless computing.
• Expertise in managing hybrid or fully remote teams.
• Certifications in cloud technologies or project management (e.g., AWS, Azure, PMP).

Pay Range:

$139,300.00 - $205,450.00  

Salary is commensurate to experience, location, etc.

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