Guidewire, which makes software products for the insurance industry, has announced plans to create 150 highly skilled jobs in Ireland in a move that will take headcount to over 600 people.
The news comes as the company marks ten years since its first established operations in Dublin with a move to new headquarters in Blanchardstown.
The company’s Irish operations include customer and cloud operations, delivery services, and product development.
Guidewire build core applications that insurance companies use to sell policies, settle claims and bill their customers. Founded by Marcus Ryu, John Seybold, Mark Shaw, John Raguin, James Kwak and Ken Branson in August 2001, more than 450 insurers use the company's technology.
The company, which reported revenues of $743 million in 2021 last year, employs about 3,000 people in total.
The new roles to be created over the next two to three years cover a range of activities and levels. They include business analysts, cloud operations, consulting managers, engineers, HR and recruitment, project managers, cloud transition specialists and technology consultants. Guidewire said it is offering employees fully remote and “hyperflexible” working practices.
Open-minded
Speaking to The Irish Times, Niall Lalor, Guidewire country manager for Ireland, said people often underestimate just how exciting the activities are that employees in the company are working on.
“A lot of people might perceive that insurance is boring but we’re not an insurance company,” he said. “We’re a tech company that serves the sector and we’re at the forefront in areas such as data analytics, artificial intelligence and so on.”
His comments were echoed by Sinead Condon, Guidewire's chief people officer, who said while the company is open-minded about the working patterns that employees select, many of the staff are excited to be able to return to the office.
“Our employees have largely been stuck at home for two years are craving the opportunity to connect and collaborate with each other again. They are keen to get out of the house and into an environment that is cool and where they can work together to solve problems and work on interesting projects,” she said.
Guidewire's expansion is supported through the Government via IDA Ireland.
"Guidewire is a leading player in the software industry and this expansion, which will create an additional 150 highly skilled jobs, demonstrates the company's continued commitment to Ireland after 10 years," said Tánaiste and Minister for Employment, Leo Varadkar.
