Markel is seeking a highly skilled Principal Software Engineer to lead its Guidewire Claim Center development team. As an advocate for agile/lean practices, this role requires an individual excited by innovative problem-solving in a cross-functional team. This leader will not only champion superior code quality but also drive the quest for outstanding user experience, continuously engaging in learning and applying the latest development techniques. The Principal Engineer will not only contribute to but also steer the development, maintenance, and enhancement of business applications by providing advanced technical insight and business acumen to the team. 

 What you’ll do… 

• Lead a dedicated developm team, ensuring the complete, efficient delivery of solutions. 

• Design robust architecture and oversee the development and unit testing of application software across multiple technologies. 

• Establish and advocate for best practices and design patterns, ensuring high quality of software products and reducing maintenance needs. 

• Provide strategic technical direction, championing the adoption of cutting-edge tools and technologies. 

• Drive technical excellence and innovation within the software engineering community of practice. 

• Lead in diagnosing and troubleshooting reported problems while advising on long-term solutions. 

• Manage and mentor existing systems' maintenance, while spearheading their expansion and refinement as necessary. 

About you… 

• Proven leadership experience as a key member of a passionate development team. 

• Demonstrated expertise in navigating complex, fast-paced domains and piloting strategic technological initiatives. 

• A highly collaborative engineer and an excellent communicator adept at describing complex technical concepts in plain language. 

• Known for taking ownership of tasks with a strong focus on outcomes. 

• Established record of building relationships, serving as a trusted advisor to both IT and business stakeholders. 

• Committed to continuous learning and scouting new technology solutions, programming languages, and coding practices. 

• Highly independent, capable of leading with minimal supervision. 

• Quick adapter to complex technical environments with a vision for future expansion and innovation.

• 5+ years of Guidewire development experience (Claim Center preferred). 

• 5+ years of experience coding RESTful APIs. 

• 8+ years of experience with coding in multiple programming languages such as C#, Java, Python, etc. 

• 8+ years of experience with relational databases and SQL – MS SQL Server & Transact SQL proficiency preferred. 

• Expertise in the end-to-end design and development of business database applications. 

• Experience creating modern web applications and designing Web APIs with REST/JSON. 

• In-depth understanding of design thinking and customer-centric development. 

• Bachelor’s (or higher) degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, or other related fields, or equivalent experience. 

 Other desirable/ advantageous skills and experience… 

•  Extensive understanding of DevOps, CI/CD, test automation, and cloud deployment methodologies. 

• Leadership and project management experience within insurance claims or related business domains. 

The base salary offered for the successful candidate will be based on compensable factors such as job-relevant education, job-relevant experience, training, licensure, demonstrated competencies, geographic location, and other factors. The salary for the Principal Software Engineer position is $120,000 - $140,000 with a 35% bonus potential.

Must be authorized to work in the U.S., and not require sponsorship now or in the future.

Who we are:

Markel Group (NYSE – MKL) a fortune 500 company with over 60 offices in 20+ countries, is a holding company for insurance, reinsurance, specialist advisory and investment operations around the world.

We’re all about people | We win together | We strive for better

We enjoy the everyday | We think further

What’s in it for you:

In keeping with the values of the Markel Style, we strive to support our employees in living their lives to the fullest at home and at work. 

• We offer competitive benefit programs that help meet our diverse and changing environment as well as support our employees’ needs at all stages of life. 
• All full-time employees have the option to select from multiple health, dental and vision insurance plan options and optional life, disability, and AD&D insurance. 
• We also offer a 401(k) with employer match contributions, an Employee Stock Purchase Plan, PTO, corporate holidays and floating holidays, parental leave.  
• Markel offers hybrid working schedules of 3 days in the office and 2 days remote.  

Are you ready to play your part?

Choose ‘Apply Now’ to fill out our short application, so that we can find out more about you.

The base salary offered for the successful candidate will be based on compensable factors such as job-relevant education, job-relevant experience, training, licensure, demonstrated competencies, geographic location, and other factors. 

Caution: Employment scams

Markel is aware of employment-related scams where scammers will impersonate recruiters by sending fake job offers to those actively seeking employment in order to steal personal information. Frequently, the scammer will reach out to individuals who have posted their resume online. These "job offers" include convincing offer letters and frequently ask for confidential personal information. Therefore, for your safety, please note that:

• All legitimate job postings with Markel will be posted on No other URL should be trusted for job Markel Group Careers.
• All legitimate communications with Markel recruiters will come from Markel.com email addresses.

We would also ask that you please report any job employment scams related to Markel to [email protected].

Markel is an equal opportunity employer. We do not discriminate or allow discrimination on the basis of any protected characteristic. This includes race; color; sex; religion; creed; national origin or place of birth; ancestry; age; disability; affectional or sexual orientation; gender expression or identity; genetic information, sickle cell trait, or atypical hereditary cellular or blood trait; refusal to submit to genetic tests or make genetic test results available; medical condition; citizenship status; pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions; marital status, civil union status, domestic partnership status, familial status, or family responsibilities; military or veteran status, including unfavorable discharge from military service; personal appearance, height, or weight; matriculation or political affiliation; expunged juvenile records; arrest and court records where prohibited by applicable law; status as a victim of domestic or sexual violence; public assistance status; order of protection status; status as a smoker or nonsmoker; membership or activity in local commissions; the use or nonuse of lawful products off employer premises during non-work hours; declining to attend meetings or participate in communications about religious or political matters; or any other classification protected by applicable law. 

Should you require any accommodation through the application process, please send an e-mail to the [email protected].