Lead Software Engineer (Hybrid)

At Selective, we don't just insure uniquely, we employ uniqueness.

Selective is a midsized U.S. domestic property and casualty insurance company with a history of strong, consistent financial performance for nearly 100 years. Selective's unique position as both a leading insurance group and an employer of choice is recognized in a wide variety of awards and honors, including listing in Forbes Best Midsize Employers in 2025 and certification as a Great Place to Work in 2025 for the sixth consecutive year.

Employees are empowered and encouraged to Be Uniquely You by being their true, unique selves and contributing their diverse talents, experiences, and perspectives to our shared success. Together, we are a high-performing team working to serve our customers responsibly by helping to mitigate loss, keep them safe, and restore their lives and businesses after an insured loss occurs.

"Applicants must be authorized to work for any employer in the United States. Selective will not sponsor or assume the sponsorship of an employment visa at this time".

Note for NJ candidates: This role will be located at our future headquarters in Short Hills, N.J. Until the new headquarters is operational, the successful candidate will be offered the ability to work in our Branchville, N.J. location during this interim period.

As Lead Software Engineer, you will drive technical direction and execution for robust, scalable, and maintainable enterprise software solutions within our cloud-first environment. You will champion engineering discipline by enforcing coding standards, architectural principles, and best practices throughout the development lifecycle. This role is pivotal in guiding engineers, conducting thorough code reviews, leading by example in modern engineering practices, and fostering a culture of continuous improvement and technical excellence. You will also architect and integrate AI-powered features using Azure AI Services, helping deliver intelligent solutions that align with our business objectives.

• Lead the design, development, and deployment of cloud-native, full-stack applications with .NET and Azure, ensuring scalability, performance, and reliability.
• Establish and enforce coding standards, design patterns, and architectural guidelines across software projects.
• Champion best practices in automated testing, CI/CD pipelines, Infrastructure-as-Code (Terraform, Bicep, ARM), and rigorous documentation.
• Architect and integrate AI capabilities using Azure AI Services (Cognitive Services, ML, OpenAI, Bot Services) for predictive analytics, NLP, and intelligent automation.
• Conduct code reviews, provide constructive feedback, and mentor engineering talent in cloud-native, AI, and agile delivery practices.
• Collaborate with product, QA, and cross-functional teams to clarify requirements, refine technical solutions, and deliver features aligned to business needs.
• Continuously evaluate and adopt new technologies, tools, and methodologies to improve productivity, quality, and security.
• Ensure adherence to enterprise software quality, performance, and compliance requirements.

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related discipline.
• 7+ years of hands-on experience in software engineering and architecture, with deep knowledge of .NET (C#, ASP.NET Core) and Azure cloud services.
• Advanced proficiency in Azure AI Services for developing and deploying enterprise AI-driven solutions.
• Expertise in microservices, API-first design (REST/GraphQL), event-driven systems, and container orchestration (Docker, Kubernetes).
• Proficiency in DevOps, CI/CD, Infrastructure-as-Code, and Agile/Scrum/SAFe methodologies.
• Strong code review, testing, problem-solving, and leadership skills.
• Experience integrating AI features via REST APIs or SDKs into business applications.
• Business Process Management (BPM) implementation experience, especially with Pega, is a plus.
• Experience in regulated industries (e.g., Property & Casualty insurance) preferred.

Nice to Have

• Experience with Python, and familiarity with machine learning/deep learning frameworks such as TensorFlow and PyTorch.
• Hands-on with additional BPM tools (Camunda, Appian).
• Front-end frameworks (Angular, React), advanced SQL, and data streaming technologies (Kafka, RabbitMQ).
• Knowledge of data privacy, compliance, and security requirements for cloud and AI adoption.
• Demonstrated ability to lead the full lifecycle of modeling software adoption-including evaluation, implementation, and integration into enterprise systems and business processes.

Selective Insurance offers a total rewards package that includes a competitive base salary, incentive plan eligibility at all levels, and a wide array of benefits designed to help you and your family stay healthy, achieve your financial goals, and balance the demands of your work and personal life. These benefits include comprehensive health care plans, retirement savings plan with company match, discounted Employee Stock Purchase Program, tuition assistance and reimbursement programs, and 20 days of paid time off. Additional details about our total rewards package can be found by visiting our benefits page.

The actual base salary is based on geographic location, and the range is representative of salaries for this role throughout Selective's footprint. Additional considerations include relevant education, qualifications, experience, skills, performance, and business needs.

Selective is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer. That means we respect and value every individual's unique opinions, beliefs, abilities, and perspectives. We are committed to promoting a welcoming culture that celebrates diverse talent, individual identity, different points of view and experiences - and empowers employees to contribute new ideas that support our continued and growing success. Building a highly engaged team is one of our core strategic imperatives, which we believe is enhanced by diversity, equity, and inclusion. We expect and encourage all employees and all of our business partners to embrace, practice, and monitor the attitudes, values, and goals of acceptance; address biases; and foster diversity of viewpoints and opinions.

For Massachusetts Applicants

It is unlawful in Massachusetts to require or administer a lie detector test as a condition of employment or continued employment. An employer who violates this law shall be subject to criminal penalties and civil liability.