Programme Director/Manager – Mainframe Modernisation (Global Reinsurance)

6-Month Contract - Outside IR35

UK-Based | London (Hybrid)

A leading global reinsurance organisation is seeking an experienced Programme Manager to lead a high-impact Mainframe Modernisation initiative. This is an exciting opportunity to drive a complex transformation programme within a global environment, working across multiple regions and stakeholder groups.

Key Responsibilities:

• Programme Leadership: Lead the planning, execution, and delivery of a global software modernisation programme, ensuring alignment with business objectives and timelines.
• Strategic Delivery: Define the programme structure and methodology, ensuring clear objectives, scope, and governance aligned with customer value and business outcomes.
• Stakeholder Engagement: Build strong relationships with global reinsurance teams, central IT, third-party vendors, and senior stakeholders (including C-suite), ensuring alignment and collaboration.
• Vendor & Partner Management: Oversee external delivery partners and service integrators, ensuring performance, compliance, and value delivery.
• Governance & Reporting: Establish and manage programme governance, including SteerCo oversight, risk management, and regular reporting to executive leadership in London and New York.
• Scope & Dependency Management: Manage programme scope and interdependencies across workstreams, ensuring timely delivery and budget adherence.
• Benefits Realisation: Support the business in identifying, tracking, and realising programme benefits throughout the lifecycle.

Key Experience & Skills:

• Proven experience delivering complex IT transformation programmes in large, global organisations.
• Strong track record of mainframe modernisation, ideally involving BlueAge or similar technologies – very desirable.
• Experience migrating legacy systems to public cloud environments – desirable.
• Demonstrated ability to manage multi-vendor delivery models and complex stakeholder landscapes.
• Experience in the reinsurance or insurance sector, ideally with exposure to broking platforms such as Trace/OpenTwins – highly advantageous.
• Exceptional leadership, communication, and negotiation skills, with the ability to operate at senior levels and influence outcomes.
• Comfortable working in fast-paced, ambiguous environments with a hands-on, delivery-focused mindset.

If you're a senior programme leader with a passion for transformation and experience in global delivery, we’d love to hear from you. Apply now and we’ll be in touch to discuss the opportunity further.