Lead Pricing Engineer for Rating Platform & Automation

Hastingsdirectsmartmiles; Leicester; Hybrid; GBP 60,000 - GBP 80,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading digital insurance provider in the UK seeks a Lead Pricing Engineer to optimize pricing capabilities and lead a team in developing pricing algorithms. This role requires strong Python skills and experience in machine learning, with the opportunity to influence innovative practices in a collaborative environment. The company values diversity and offers a flexible working approach along with competitive benefits including a car allowance and a bonus scheme.

Benefits

Flexible working approach

Private medical insurance

Annual performance bonus

Matched pension contributions

Qualifications

• Strong experience in software engineering with a focus on pricing algorithms.
• Hands-on experience in ML engineering or advanced analytics environments.
• Proficiency in developing and maintaining complex decision logic.

Responsibilities

• Lead design and implementation of pricing changes on the rating platform.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to define requirements.
• Ensure accuracy and effectiveness of pricing changes prior to deployment.

Skills

Python programming

Machine Learning

Software engineering

Stakeholder management

Agile methodologies

Education

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or related field

Tools

Azure

Git/GitHub

SQL

Job description

Lead Pricing Engineer - Rating Platform & Automation page is loaded## Lead Pricing Engineer - Rating Platform & Automationlocations: London - 37: Remote Location: Londontime type: Full timeposted on: Posted Todayjob requisition id: 60012876**Job Title:** Lead Pricing Engineer - Rating Platform & Automation**Location:** Bexhill/Leicester/London**Reports to:** Head of Rating Change Delivery**Band:** 4**Welcome to Hastings Direct**We’re a digital insurance provider with ambitious plans to become the best and biggest in the UK market. We’ve made huge investments in our pricing and data capabilities over the past few years, along with nurturing our 4Cs culture.We provide insurance for over four million customers, but we know there’s even bigger opportunity out there – our Pricing, Data and Analytics community value curiosity, collaboration and constructive challenge.We are always looking for new ideas and diverse perspectives to question established thinking and drive meaningful change. Great pricing is built on trust, innovation and precision, so our aim is to ensure customers receive a fair and accurate price based on their individual risk, supporting fair outcomes, while delivering sustainable and profitable growth for our company.Pricing is more than just a number – it’s a strategic capability. At the heart of Hastings is deep risk insight – continually improving how we assess, segment and price risk through data and analytics.**The Role:**We are seeking a highly skilled Lead Pricing Engineer to drive the development, optimisation, and governance of our underwriting pricing capabilities and rating platforms.You will lead a team of pricing engineers responsible for designing and implementing rating changes within our in-house pricing and rating platform. The role combines hands-on technical leadership with ownership of platform standards, code quality, automation, and delivery across multiple lines of business.You will work closely with underwriting, actuarial, data, ML engineering and QA teams to ensure pricing changes are built correctly, tested effectively, and released with confidence. Alongside delivery, you will play a central role in shaping how pricing engineering is done - evolving platform tooling, automation, and ways of working to improve the quality, scalability, and resilience of pricing delivery across the organisation.As part of this role, you will help evolve how pricing engineering operates over time, introducing modern engineering practices, intelligent automation, and the responsible use of AI where it adds clear value. The ideal candidate is a strong engineer and people leader, comfortable writing and reviewing complex Python code, coaching engineers and analysts through peer review and technical guidance, supporting QA through effective test design, and influencing stakeholders across both technical and non-technical teams.**Key Accountabilities:*** Lead discussions and collaborate with cross-functional teams to develop optimised solutions for pricing implementations, enhancing performance and efficiency while gaining a deep understanding of the business requirements.* Drive the adoption of modern engineering techniques and intelligent automation, including AI-assisted development and testing practices, into production and day-to-day pricing delivery where appropriate.* Lead and collaborate on projects to ensure the seamless integration of new capabilities across multiple lines of business, proactively addressing obstacles from early development through to delivery.* Design, develop, and maintain pricing algorithms using expert-level Python skills, ensuring alignment with strategic goals and high standards of quality and control.* Lead and conduct thorough testing of pricing changes before deployment, identifying errors, and ensuring accuracy and effectiveness of implementation.* Lead pre-release activities, including code reviews, testing and preparing changes for release to ensure pricing updates are implemented accurately.* Maintain strong communication and organisational skills to manage multiple initiatives and report progress clearly and consistently.* Develop comprehensive documentation for implementations, strategies, and data pipelines, ensuring they are well-governed, transparent and compliant with internal controls.* Strategically manage resources across multiple lines of business to maximise value, efficiency, and delivery capacity.* Lead and mentor pricing engineers, establishing a Centre of Excellence to provide technical guidance, support, and best practices in pricing implementation and coding.**What we’re looking for:*** Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience.* Strong hands-on experience in software engineering, with exposure to ML engineering or advanced analytics environments.* Expert-level Python skills, with experience developing and maintaining complex pricing algorithms or decision logic.* Proven experience leading AI-assisted engineering practices, including hands-on use of LLM-based tools to support development, testing, validation, and documentation, with clear ownership of standards, controls, and governance for production use.* Practical experience working in Azure cloud environments, using version control systems (e.g. Git/GitHub), and operating CI/CD pipelines.* Proficiency with SQL and experience working with data visualisation or analysis techniques.* Strong stakeholder-management and influencing skills, with the ability to balance technical, commercial, and governance considerations.* Excellent problem-solving skills, with the ability to navigate complex pricing and engineering challenges and deliver robust solutions.* Experience delivering complex initiatives in Agile environments, using approaches such as Scrum, Kanban, BDD, TDD, or Extreme Programming.**Interview Process:**Recruiter screening call1st Round – Intro call with Hiring manager2nd Round – Case study round**What we will give you:**Join us and you’ll find a different way of doing things. We call it the 4Cs. We focus on getting it right for our colleagues, customers, company and community. As one of our colleagues, you’ll be helping to drive our growth, so in return, we’ll give you all the support, training and development you need. Not to mention plenty of recognition and rewards, and the scope to voice your ideas and put them into practice.As a Disability Confident employer, we’re committed to ensuring our recruitment processes are fully inclusive – what this means to you is if you’re applying for a job with us, you’ll have fair access to support and adjustments throughout your recruitment journey. We also welcome applications through the Disability Confident Scheme (DCS). For more information on the DCS, please visit our inclusive business page on our careers website**Benefits:** in addition to a competitive salary and £5k car allowance you will also receive…**Flexible working** – we champion a flexible hybrid working approach – please speak to your recruiter to discuss in more detail**Competitive bonus scheme** - all colleagues are eligible for our annual 4Cs performance bonus**Physical wellbeing** – as a Band 4 colleague, Hastings pay for you to receive private medical Insurance (also known as PMI). This gives you flexibility and convenience to see a specialist or consultant and allows you to decide when and where you will be seen**Financial wellbeing** – as well as providing you with 4x your salary with our life assurance cover, income protection at no extra cost, and matched pension contributions up to 10%, we are proud to provide you with an award-winning package which includes – discounts, cashback, free independent mortgage advice and free access to financial wellbeing support**Mental wellbeing programme** – we have the thrive mental health app,