Dir Solution Development
Job Summary
Horace Mann is seeking an experienced and strategic Director Solution Development to lead the software engineering and support team within IT.
This leader will play a pivotal role in ensuring the stability, efficiency, and continuous improvement of digital platforms , balancing business priorities while driving technical excellence. The ideal candidate will possess a strong technical background, deep understanding of business needs, and exceptional decision-making skills to evaluate and prioritize requests that maximize business value. The candidate will lead the team's adoption of agentic AI-assisted development to enhance productivity and creativity.
This role requires someone who is highly organized, confident in making firm prioritization decisions, and skilled in communicating trade-offs to stakeholders . The director must be able to navigate competing demands, align technology work with strategic goals, and create a structured approach to digital system support and incremental enhancements.
Key Responsibilities:
Strategic Prioritization & Business Alignment
- Evaluate and prioritize incoming requests based on business impact, urgency, and technical feasibility .
- Set clear expectations with stakeholders , ensuring alignment with organizational goals.
- Communicate trade-offs transparently, advocating for business value over reactive task execution.
- Develop a structured framework for prioritization that ensures mission-critical support needs are met while also advancing small enhancements that drive continuous improvement.
Leadership & Team Management
- Lead, mentor, and empower a high-performing team responsible for support, defect resolution, and small system enhancements.
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Ensure cross-team collaboration , fostering a shared understanding of priorities, dependencies, and technical solutions.
- Create and uphold accountability structures to ensure work is completed efficiently and with high quality.
- Drive a culture of ownership, problem-solving, and continuous learning .
- Champion and personally drive the team's use of agentic AI tools to boost team creativity, efficiency, and skill development.
Operational Excellence & Process Improvement
- Establish and refine processes for managing digital defects, incidents, and enhancement requests , ensuring smooth workflows and minimal disruption.
- Improve and implement best practices for ticketing, resolution timelines, and stakeholder communication .
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Analyze trends in defects and enhancement requests to identify opportunities for proactive improvements and efficiency gains.
- Drive continuous innovation by incorporating emerging trends and tools, including agentic AI, into project workflows.
Technical & Business Understanding
- Serve as the bridge between technology teams and business stakeholders , ensuring both sides understand priorities, constraints, and impacts.
- Maintain a strong technical grasp of digital systems , workflows, and potential challenges, ensuring informed decision-making.
- Provide guidance on best practices for system stability, scalability, and continuous improvement .
Stakeholder Communication & Expectation Management
- Set firm but fair expectations with business stakeholders, ensuring they understand how and why prioritization decisions are made.
- Provide regular updates on progress, challenges, and key outcomes related to support and enhancements.
- Communicate realistic timelines, risks, and trade-offs when managing requests.
Qualifications:
Education
- Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Business Administration, or a related field.
Experience
- 6+ years of experience in IT leadership, with a focus on managing digital operations, technical support, and system enhancements .
- Proven track record of making strategic prioritization decisions that drive business value .
- Strong background in technical support, bug resolution, and application enhanceme