The Functional Architect will play a pivotal role in driving functional solution definition, business process alignment, and delivery support within the Property & Casualty Insurance domain, with focus on Guidewire core applications across PolicyCenter, ClaimCenter, BillingCenter, and related Guidewire InsuranceSuite capabilities. The role requires strong functional expertise in Guidewire business processes, product model concepts, underwriting, policy administration, billing, claims, servicing workflows, rules, data flows, and integration touchpoints, along with a deep understanding of P&C insurance operations. The candidate will work closely with business stakeholders, product owners, architects, configuration teams, QA teams, and delivery leadership to translate business needs into clear requirements, functional designs, user stories, acceptance criteria, and implementation-ready solutions. This hybrid role requires a strategic thinker with 10+ years of overall IT experience and significant Guidewire implementation, enhancement, upgrade, cloud, or production support experience in a functional or business-facing capacity.
Responsibilities
Lead functional analysis, requirements elicitation, and solution definition activities across Guidewire PolicyCenter, ClaimCenter, BillingCenter, and related InsuranceSuite components.
Own functional workstreams covering business requirements, user stories, process flows, functional specifications, product model impacts, rating or billing behavior, claims handling, workflows, business rules, and integration touchpoints.
Provide senior-level functional expertise in Guidewire Center applications to ensure solutions align with business objectives, P&C insurance processes, Guidewire capabilities, and implementation best practices.
Collaborate with business stakeholders, product owners, architects, configuration teams, integration teams, QA teams, and client stakeholders to clarify requirements, validate solution approaches, and support delivery execution.
Prepare and maintain business requirement documents, functional specifications, process flows, user stories, acceptance criteria, traceability matrices, data mapping inputs, and implementation support notes.
Ensure functional deliverables are clear, complete, testable, and aligned with client priorities, regulatory needs, operational processes, quality expectations, and enterprise delivery standards.
Conduct requirement reviews, functional design walkthroughs, backlog refinement sessions, and solution validation discussions to improve clarity, reduce rework, and support delivery readiness.
Mentor business analysts and functional consultants, provide guidance on Guidewire functional concepts, support estimation, and promote consistent documentation and requirement practices.
Analyze and support resolution of functional issues, production defects, requirement gaps, process exceptions, data inconsistencies, and business rule conflicts across Guidewire applications.
Participate in sprint planning, backlog prioritization, story grooming, release planning, test planning, user acceptance testing, and implementation readiness activities in Agile or SAFe delivery models.
Support Guidewire cloud, upgrade, migration, and modernization initiatives by assessing functional impacts, business process changes, testing needs, user adoption considerations, and rollout readiness.
Coordinate with onsite and offshore teams to ensure timely clarification of requirements, dependency tracking, functional issue resolution, stakeholder communication, and alignment with client expectations.
Monitor functional delivery progress, identify business risks and requirement dependencies, propose mitigation actions, and provide status updates to project leadership.
Qualifications
Possess strong functional experience in one or more Guidewire core centers: PolicyCenter, ClaimCenter, or BillingCenter, with exposure to Guidewire InsuranceSuite implementation, enhancement, upgrade, cloud, or support programs.
Demonstrate practical experience in business analysis and functional solutioning, including requirements gathering, user story creation, acceptance criteria definition, process mapping, product model understanding, workflows, business rules, data flows, and integration touchpoints.
Have a strong understanding of Property & Casualty Insurance business processes across policy administration, underwriting, rating, billing, claims, servicing, renewals, endorsements, cancellations, and regulatory or operational workflows.
Demonstrate excellent analytical and problem-solving skills with the ability to identify requirement gaps, validate business scenarios, support defect triage, and recommend practical functional solutions.
Exhibit strong communication, facilitation, and stakeholder management skills with experience working in distributed onsite-offshore and hybrid delivery models.
Show proven experience leading functional workstreams, guiding business analysts, reviewing functional deliverables, supporting testing cycles, and enabling successful Guidewire releases.
Hold a bachelor’s degree in business administration, computer science, information technology, insurance, engineering, or a related field.
Certifications Required
Guidewire Certified Professional
- Please note this role is not able to offer visa transfer or sponsorship now or in the future*
We're excited to meet people who share our mission and who can make an impact in a variety of ways. Don't hesitate to apply—even if you only meet the minimum requirements. Think about your transferable experiences and unique skills that make you stand out.
Salary and Other Compensation:
Applications will be accepted until Aug 27, 2026,
The annual salary for this position is between $ 90,000 - $ 150,000 depending on experience and other qualifications of the successful candidate.
This position is also eligible for Cognizant’s discretionary annual incentive program, based on performance and subject to the terms of Cognizant’s applicable plans.
Benefits: Cognizant offers the following benefits for this position, subject to applicable eligibility requirements:
Medical/Dental/Vision/Life Insurance
Paid holidays plus Paid Time Off
401(k) plan and contributions
Long-term/Short-term Disability
Paid Parental Leave
Employee Stock Purchase Plan
Disclaimer: The salary, other compensation, and benefits information is accurate as of the date of this posting. Cognizant reserves the right to modify this information at any time, subject to applicable law.
