Five reasons to apply for a technology role at Aviva

As a technology graduate at Aviva, you’ll jump straight into a permanent job instead of joining a rotational graduate scheme, but there’s no shortage of development opportunities. Aviva is all about people – its customers and its employees – so you’ll be empowered to take control of your career progression and gain more responsibility at a pace that suits you. And all the while you’ll be helping the UK’s largest insurer to better serve its customers and invest in the future. Here are five reasons you should consider applying, even if you’ve never thought about a technology-related career before.

No need for a technology background | A wide variety of roles | Training and support | A chance to make a difference | The power to drive change

1. You don’t need a technology background

If you have a genuine interest in technology and a passion for helping customers, Aviva will teach you the rest. Your degree can be in any subject. A minority of the roles do ask for experience (coding for software engineer and DevOps engineer, for example) but this can be self-taught rather than part of your studies or formal work experience. Some roles are less technical than others. ‘I can’t code or understand technical processes, but I can appreciate the vital role that technology plays in the world,’ says project manager Becca Nicholson. ‘It’s not about knowing the technology inside out; it’s more about having an appreciation of it.’

And don’t be put off if you’re unfamiliar with insurance. ‘Just because Aviva deals with lots of complex financial things, it doesn’t mean they are any different to any other industry – the focus is all about the customer,’ says software engineer Patrick Noyau. ‘I have learned so much, especially around finance and how things like pensions work (I knew nothing before I joined!).’

Becca adds: ‘Aviva is huge and it covers areas you may not even realise exist – it isn’t all about reading numbers off a screen! I’m genuinely interested in projects I never thought I’d understand since I didn’t know anything about insurance or financial services before I started.’

2. Four pathways offer a wide variety of roles

Aviva groups its technology graduate opportunities into four broad ‘pathways’. When you apply, you’ll choose a pathway based on your skills, interests and ambitions. The recruitment process will then assess you for all roles within that pathway and match you to one that’s a great fit for you. You can indicate your preference for a specific role on the application form and Aviva will take this into account, but it is not essential and you are encouraged to be as flexible as possible.

The four pathways are:

Change management

Involves: organising information and people, problem solving and re-thinking how things are done.

Roles include: business analyst, project manager, solution architect and cloud architect.

Software development

Involves: developing and releasing software to offer Aviva’s customers the most secure, reliable and engaging online experience.

Roles include: software engineer, release engineer and DevOps engineer.

Infrastructure, network and operations management

Involves: being part of a team that underpins all the other technology areas, such as infrastructure and hardware, networks and software.

Roles include: network analyst, software asset management specialist, firewall and proxy management technician, supplier performance analyst and IT service owner.

User experience

Involves: designing systems that offer a great user experience to Aviva’s customers.

Roles include: user experience designer.

3. You’re given all the training and support you need

You’ll gain all the skills and knowledge you need to succeed in your role, whatever your background. From professional qualifications to self-led learning, you’ll be empowered to progress your career. Meanwhile you’ll have the full support of your manager, mentor and buddy. ‘I love that you get the space and freedom to develop yourself but that there’s also an amazing support network to guide you in the right direction,’ says Becca.

‘I have been given the chance to have a say in my own development journey and pursue my own interests alongside my role-specific training,’ says Lillie Coles, a solution architect. ‘If the graduates and apprentices asked for a specific type of training, or a follow-up session, or to meet someone who could help us, this was always supported and arranged for us.’

Rizwan Ebrahim, a software engineer, says: ‘I think the biggest surprise is how invested Aviva is in my learning and career. There was no pressure to know everything as soon as I started. I have been on several courses since starting and my team has been great at having sessions with me on various parts of the business and projects.’

4. You make a difference to people’s lives

The customer is always the top priority at Aviva, even if your role doesn’t involve contacting them directly. Technology graduates have a vital part to play behind the scenes. ‘Before any decision is made, the question is always “How will this benefit the customer?” and “What can we do better for the customer?”’ explains project manager Georgia Lee.

Rizwan finds that this adds to the satisfaction his job gives him: ‘I am creating solutions to solve real-world problems. The point of technology is to make people’s lives better and I enjoy knowing that my work will be used to help someone.’

Whatever your role, you’ll gain an insight into how your work is making a positive difference. Lillie reflects: ‘Since starting at Aviva, I have learned a lot about Aviva’s customers and how every job role serves the customer in some way. This has included everything from listening to customer calls to learning about our responsibility to protect customer data, or how our technology can help make things easier for them. We met with senior leaders who shared the same message – customer care is key to Aviva’s business. This has shown me that there is more to Aviva than insurance policies; it is about looking after our customers when they need us at key moments in their lives.’

5. You have the power to drive change

Aviva is always striving to improve its processes and to serve customers better than ever before. Everyone, no matter how junior, is encouraged to question how things are done, suggest changes and be innovative. ‘When I first started, I was asked how I would improve certain processes,’ says Georgia. ‘You are not told, “This is the only way things are done and nothing will change”. There is always an opportunity to give an opinion and test it out.’

Rizwan reflects: ‘My manager and mentor regularly involve me in team discussions and meetings where we are looking at different ways of providing data solutions. Being involved in these gives me a great opportunity to question why we are doing things a certain way and even offer a different perspective. Even during my first few weeks I was able to sit down with our head of department and question the way things are being done on a wider scale.’

Want to learn more about Aviva? Return to the Aviva employer hub .