Director, PMO (APAC)

Summary

The Role
As Head of APAC PMO, you’ll lead the regional Project Management Office that underpins Guidewire delivery across Asia-Pacific. You’ll design and run the governance, tools, and practices that keep our P&C insurance and cloud transformation programs on track—spanning multiple countries, customers, and SI partners.

You’ll own portfolio-wide visibility, help senior stakeholders make better decisions, and ensure our teams apply Guidewire delivery methodology consistently. This role combines delivery excellence, P&L accountability, and practice leadership, and is a great fit if you enjoy turning complexity into clear structure, while influencing how Professional Services operates across APAC.

You’ll work closely with Engagement Leaders, Principals, Sales, Finance, and SI partners, reporting into APAC SVP and MD based out to Sydney Australia.

Job Description

Key Responsibilities

• PMO Design and Governance

  • Design and stand up the APAC Professional Services PMO, aligned with global standards and tailored to regional needs.

  • Define and maintain portfolio governance, including stage gates, RAID management, change control, and reporting.

  • Create and maintain common tools, templates, and dashboards so project teams can work in a consistent, predictable way.

• Guidewire Delivery Methodology and Cloud Programs

  • Champion Guidewire delivery methodology across APAC and help teams apply it in a practical, outcome-focused way.

  • Support the planning and execution of complex cloud programs, including multi-release roadmaps, cutovers, and transitions to BAU.

  • Localise practices to reflect APAC customer expectations, regulatory requirements, and delivery rhythms.

• Portfolio and P&L Management

  • Provide a clear view of portfolio health—scope, schedule, risk, and financials—across APAC programs.

  • Partner with Engagement and Finance leaders to plan and track revenue, margin, and utilisation at portfolio level.

  • Highlight variances early and work with delivery leaders to agree and drive corrective actions.

• Executive Stakeholder Management and Organisational Influence

  • Support executive-level governance forums (steering committees, QBRs, internal reviews) with clear, concise portfolio insights.

  • Act as a trusted advisor to internal executives and senior customer stakeholders on delivery risk, trade-offs, and options.

  • Influence how Professional Services invests in tooling, skills, and delivery models for APAC.

• Cross-Cultural Leadership and Team Development

  • Lead and mentor a distributed community of PMO and program management professionals across multiple APAC locations.

  • Build a culture of accountability, transparency, and continuous improvement, with sensitivity to local working styles.

  • Support hiring, onboarding, and development pathways for PMO and delivery leadership roles.

• Professional Services Practice Strategy and APAC Market Insight

  • Contribute to PS practice strategy for APAC, including how we package services, engage partners, and support cloud transformation.

  • Use APAC market knowledge to anticipate delivery challenges (e.g., regulatory, language, or operating model differences).

  • Share market and delivery insights back into global PS, Product, and Sales to shape future offerings.

• Partner (SI) Collaboration and Internal Knowledge

  • Use strong SI internal knowledge to define joint governance, clarify roles, and support high-performing blended teams.

  • Help align Guidewire and SI methodologies so customers experience a single, coherent delivery approach.

  • Support partner enablement on Guidewire delivery practices, tools, and expectations.

KPI’s and Success Metrics

• Delivery and Portfolio Health

  • % of APAC projects delivered on time, on scope, and within budget.

  • Reduction in red / high-risk projects and severity of escalations across the portfolio.

  • Stability of key cloud program milestones (e.g., cutovers, go-lives) with minimal disruption.

• Financial and Commercial Outcomes

  • Achievement of APAC PS revenue and margin targets at portfolio level.

  • Forecast accuracy for revenue, margin, and utilisation across the region.

  • Reduction in unplanned write-offs, revenue leakage, and non-recoverable effort.

• Methodology, Quality, and Governance

  • Adoption rate of Guidewire delivery methodology and PMO standards across active projects.

  • Improvements in delivery quality indicators (defect leakage, rework, post go-live incidents).

  • Timeliness and accuracy of portfolio reporting used by APAC and global leadership.

• Stakeholder and Customer Outcomes

  • CSAT / NPS scores for APAC Professional Services engagements.

  • Feedback from internal executives, Engagement Leaders, and SI partners on governance and support.

  • Strength and effectiveness of governance forums (e.g., clear decisions, reduced surprises).

• People, Culture, and Capability

  • Retention and engagement of PMO and program management talent in APAC.

  • Growth in the number of project/program leaders proficient in Guidewire and cloud delivery.

  • Progress against development plans, mentoring outcomes, and succession coverage for key roles.

Key Skills and Experience

• Industry and Domain

  • Strong background in P&C insurance, with experience in claims, policy, or billing transformation.

  • Hands-on exposure to cloud-based enterprise software or SaaS implementation programs.

• PMO and Program Leadership

  • Significant experience setting up or leading a PMO in a regional or multi-country context.

  • Proven track record managing portfolios or large programs with multiple workstreams and stakeholders.

  • Comfortable designing and refining governance frameworks, reporting, and delivery standards.

• Financial and Commercial Management

  • Experience working with Professional Services P&L, including revenue, margin, utilisation, and cost drivers.

  • Strong understanding of SoWs, change control, and commercial risk in large delivery programs.

• Stakeholder Management and Leadership

  • Confident working with senior business and IT stakeholders, including executives and SI leaders.

  • Demonstrated cross-cultural leadership experience in APAC, navigating different communication and decision-making styles.

  • Ability to influence without direct authority and drive alignment across Sales, PS, Product, Finance, and partners.

• Technical and Methodology

  • Familiarity with Guidewire (or similar core insurance platforms) and associated implementation practices.

  • Strong grounding in cloud program delivery, including planning, migration, cutover, and post go-live phases.

  • Proficiency with project and portfolio tools (e.g., Jira, Confluence, Smartsheet, Power BI, or similar).

• Regional and Partner Insight

  • Demonstrable APAC market knowledge, including regulatory, cultural, and operating model differences across key markets.

  • Experience collaborating with System Integrators, either within an SI or as part of a software vendor or consulting firm.

Preferred Skills and Experience

• Direct experience with Guidewire Cloud Platform (GWCP) or equivalent cloud-native insurance solutions.

• Background in a top-tier consulting, SI, or Professional Services organisation in a regional leadership role.

• Experience building or scaling a delivery or PMO hub in locations such as Malaysia, India, or the Philippines.

• Exposure to AI, data, or analytics initiatives in insurance operations (e.g., claims, underwriting, fraud, or customer engagement).

• Fluency in written and verbal English is a must

• Professional certifications such as PMP, PgMP, PRINCE2, SAFe, ITIL, or cloud certifications.

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About Guidewire

Guidewire is the platform P&C insurers trust to engage, innovate, and grow efficiently. We combine digital, core, analytics, and AI to deliver our platform as a cloud service. More than 540+ insurers in 40 countries, from new ventures to the largest and most complex in the world, run on Guidewire.

As a partner to our customers, we continually evolve to enable their success. We are proud of our unparalleled implementation track record with 1600+ successful projects, supported by the largest R&D team and partner ecosystem in the industry. Our Marketplace provides hundreds of applications that accelerate integration, localization, and innovation.

For more information, please visit www.guidewire.com and follow us on Twitter: @Guidewire_PandC.

Guidewire Software, Inc. is proud to be an equal opportunity and affirmative action employer. We are committed to an inclusive workplace, and believe that a diversity of perspectives, abilities, and cultures is a key to our success. Qualified applicants will receive consideration without regard to race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, citizenship, marital status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, veteran status, or disability. All offers are contingent upon passing a criminal history and other background checks where it's applicable to the position.

Guidewire is proud to be a disability inclusive employer. We are committed to providing individualized accommodations and support to candidates for any part of our hiring process. If you think you may need disability-related accommodations, please email EmployAbility at accommodations-gw@employ-ability.org.uk, our disability partner, or schedule a call with an EmployAbility expert (calendar booking slot) for a confidential conversation.