Senior Guidewire Developer

ABOUT THE POSITION

The Core Insurance Platform team in Santam STS (Santam Technology Services) is looking for a Lead Developer, who will be based in Bellville.

JOB DESCRIPTION

As a Lead Developer, your primary responsibility extends beyond individual technical contributions. You are expected to actively mentor and provide guidance to other developers within the team. This mentorship includes sharing best practices, offering constructive feedback, and supporting the professional growth of team members.

Additionally, you play a crucial role in elevating the overall quality of the team's deliverables. By setting high standards, facilitating code reviews, and encouraging adherence to established development processes, you help ensure that the solutions delivered by the team consistently meet or exceed business requirements and quality expectations.

PRINCIPLE ACCOUNTABILITIES

• Adheres to defined software development lifecycles and best practice (including code standards, code reviews, source control, etc.)
• Configure and develop screens and applications that meet business requirements (UI’s, business logic, rules, process flow, etc.)
• Build integration / web services
• Create XML payloads for integration between systems
• Create test data and unit tests to ensure developed software works according to business requirement, design and specification
• Considers non-functional requirements during software development (e.g. performance, load, response, etc.)
• Prepare and produce releases of software components
• Support and maintain developed applications and services
• Continuous improvement of the team processes, quality of deliverables and technical standards
• Provide estimates on development efforts required for sprint planning

Generic Functions

• Contributes and collaborates with team members across the SDLC from business analysis, design, development and testing in Agile / self-managed team environment
• Identification of potential risks / issues and give input into risk plan
• Provide support to other members of the Development Team and members of the Project Management team as required.
• Give technical guidance to Developers in the team.

Quality Assurance

• Unit and functional testing of developed software to ensure it meets cloud quality standards
• Responsible for code reviews and merging artefacts.
• Participate in technical issue resolution meetings

QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE

• Relevant Tertiary IT qualification and/or qualification through experience
• Minimum of 7 years’ IT development experience across the systems development lifecycle
• Guidewire Cloud Certification (ACE Preferred)

Solid experience in :

• Java 8, J2EE
• XML
• Object oriented development
• Web application development
• Web services
• Experience in SQL
• Experience with all phases of the software development lifecycle
• Experience with Agile Methodology
• Experience in integrating applications with 3rd party solutions using REST/JSON and SOAP/XML requests 

KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS

• Knowledge of SOLID principles / Design Patterns and their use
• Working knowledge of the Atlassian Suite of products (e.g. Bamboo, JIRA, Confluence) would be advantageous
• Knowledge of Agile methods, e.g. Kanban, SCRUM
• Knowledge of AWS & Cloud Development advantageous
• Knowledge of the short-term insurance industry is advantageous
• Competent in problem solving and troubleshooting
• Working effectively as a team member sharing responsibility, providing support and maintaining communication
• Identifying, resolving or escalating risks, issues, dependencies, etc.
• Must be able to work in a highly pressurised and dynamic environment
• Investigation and analysis of information
• Able to accept accountability for actions and decisions
• Proven teamwork and communication skills

COMPETENCIES

• Client focus
• Cultivates Innovation
• Drives Results
• Collaborates
• Flexibility and adaptability
• Competent in problem solving and troubleshooting
• Prioritising objectives and planning
• IT Data Analysis
• Project Oversight
• Reporting and Administration
• Quality, Compliance and Accreditation
• Business Requirements Definition
• Technologies

ABOUT SANTAM

Santam is the market leader in the general insurance industry in Southern Africa. As a large, diversified, and expanding company, we are committed to transformation and growth. While our headquarters are in South Africa, we are rapidly extending our presence into emerging markets across Africa and Asia.

With a client base of over 1 million policyholders, Santam serves individuals, commercial enterprises, specialist business owners, and institutions—including 80 of the Top 100 companies listed on the JSE. Our commitment to Insurance, Good and Proper goes beyond just providing cover—we offer peace of mind, ensuring our clients can focus on living in the moment, not worrying about the unexpected. Because at Santam, we believe the freedom to seize every day is worth protecting.

People drive our business, and we are committed to attracting the best talent, whether for permanent roles or short-term opportunities. 

Santam is committed to diversity, inclusion, and belonging. As an equal opportunity employer, we encourage applications from candidates of all backgrounds, including persons with disabilities. We are dedicated to neuro-inclusivity and fostering a workplace where everyone can thrive. 

Take the next step in your career—apply now and be part of a company that’s shaping the future of insurance. This is Freedom!