Job of the Week: Head of IT Transformation, Allianz
Allianz more broadly has successfully ditched mainframe-based core IT applications for x67 servers with Linux operating systems.
The world’s largest insurance company, Allianz, is seeking a Head of IT Transformation for its UK subsidiary as it continues with a sweeping digital transformation which it describes as the “largest business transformation programme” at the €152.7 billion revenue colossus.
We’re making it The Stack’s Job of the Week – an ad hoc feature that we frankly forget on a regular basis but intend to revive more consistently. (Spotted an interesting senior IT leadership role advertised? Feel free to ping it over; colourful commentary welcomed at your discretion.)
The successful candidate will report to Allianz’s interim Director of Transformation, with a dotted line to the UK CIO (the well-liked Benjamin Turner, who took on the Chief Information Officer role in 2023.)
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Handily, they will have a new partner-in-crime to help out: Allianz is simultaneously recruiting for a Head of Implementation under the same programme. The person taking on that role will “lead the Operational Implementation for the UK Transformation Programme, ensuring its successful implementation [including] full, end to end design and delivery of the business change approach, including business engagement, operating model development, organisation design, roll out strategy, communication and training” so all you need to do is roll the new stack :P
Allianz did not give a salary range but we imagine it will be competitive, the benefits are good and the role looks like a compelling challenge, as well as a gateway to a future CIO or CTO role, for those aspiring.
See also: This Allianz CDO built a data architecture & culture "from scratch". Here's his advice
“Accountable for all UK IT delivery and IT persons across the UK Transformation programme, you'll be responsible for translating the UK OE's IT Strategy (incorporating the Group BMP IT Strategy) and delivering the scope and architecture signed off by the business” said Allianz.
“You'll be the key person between Allianz Technology and the UK Operating Entity and a member of the UK COO’s senior team.”
Allianz describes its transformation programme as aiming to deliver “a future business model which is digitally [and] data led, where Allianz customers buy our products and services with ease, simplicity and efficiency… enabled through the delivery of a modern IT platform.”
At a group-wide level, that has included a successful move of the entire Allianz Business System (its IT core applications including databases) off mainframes and onto standard x86 servers with Linux operating systems.
That migration was fully completed by early 2022. (One database was a several petabytes-large DB2 offering “mid-five-digit” processing power in MIPS on the mainframe, an earlier interview with Allianz Technology CTO Axel Schell revealed; surely no mean feat to migrate that smoothly.)
For those with a passion for sustainability, Allianz has also set a net zero target by 2030 within its own operations and has also set targets across its insurance portfolio. It aims to reduce GHG emissions per employee by 70% percent (compared with 2019), accelerated by purchasing 100% green electricity as of 2023 and shifting to a fully electric corporate car fleet "over time."
The job advert is here.
