Associate Director - FI

Who are we?

Howden is a collective – a group of talented and passionate people all around the world. Together, we have pushed the boundaries of insurance. We are united by a shared passion and no-limits mind-set, and our strength lies in our ability to collaborate as a powerful international team comprised of over 20,000 employees spanning over 100 countries.

Our people are our biggest asset as well as our largest shareholder group and are everything that makes us unique; our inclusive culture, the quality service we offer our clients, and our continued growth, all come from our people-first approach. There’s no such thing as individual success. We all need to play our part, contributing our skills and experience to make a true difference. That’s Howden.

Why work at Howden?

We have always been employee-owned and driven by entrepreneurial spirit. Right from the beginning, we've focused on employing talented individuals and empowering them to make a real difference to the company, whilst building successful and fulfilling careers at the same time. Simply put, we hire talented specialists and give them what they need to make a difference for clients. Always have, always will.

People join Howden for many different reasons, but they stay for the same one: our culture. It’s what sets us apart, and the reason our employees have been turning down disappointed head-hunters for years. Whatever your priorities – work/life balance, career progression, sustainability, volunteering – you’ll find like-minded people driving change at Howden.

The Role

The Associate Director is responsible for growing and retaining profitable business, acting as a key representative of the Company. This role involves managing complex placements and high-value accounts, liaising with clients, producing brokers, and placing brokers to ensure new business, renewals, and mid-term requirements are met. The Associate Director also leads the broking and technical teams to deliver high-quality broking services.

What you'll do

• Manage and retain a portfolio of complex insurance company and MGA clients, ensuring exceptional service and long-term account profitability.
• Lead client engagements across Financial Lines placements.
• Provide strategic advice to clients, acting as a trusted adviser on risk transfer, market developments and coverage solutions.
• Identify opportunities to grow the existing portfolio through relationship development, cross-selling and new business generation.
• Develop and maintain strong relationships with insurers, clients and key market stakeholders.
• Drive renewal strategy and oversee new business activity to achieve growth objectives.
• Prepare, review and present high-quality market submissions and client presentations.
• Negotiate directly with insurers and/or via our broking team to secure competitive and appropriate placement outcomes for clients.
• Collaborate with technical, servicing and operational teams to deliver seamless client service.
• Maintain accurate records and management information to support business planning and decision-making.
• Monitor industry, regulatory and market developments to provide informed advice and ensure compliance.
• Support the continued growth and development of the insurance for insurance companies practice through market insight and client engagement.

Who we're looking for

• Proven experience managing mid to large corporate insurance accounts within a broker or insurer environment.
• Strong technical knowledge across Financial Lines and/or Financial Institutions risks.
• Demonstrable experience handling complex placements and advising senior client stakeholders.
• Track record of retaining and growing client portfolios through strategic account management.
• Strong negotiation, presentation and stakeholder management skills.
• Experience operating autonomously in a client-facing advisory role.
• Ability to manage competing priorities while maintaining exceptional service standards.
• Excellent written and verbal English communication skills.
• Strong numeracy, analytical and commercial decision-making capability.

What do we offer in return?

A career that you define.

Our business succeeds by allowing our people to make a mark in the areas they care about most: personal development, volunteering, and fundraising for charity, or creating new insurance products that address society’s greatest challenges.

And we know that separate home and work lives don't really exist. If you're happy and healthy at home, you're more likely to be happy and fulfilled at work – and vice versa. That's why we do our best to support our people in every aspect of their lives.

Diversity and Inclusion

At Howden we value diversity - there is no one Howden ‘personality type’. Instead, we’re looking for individuals who share the same values as us:

• Our successes have all come from someone brave enough to try something new
• We support each other, in the small everyday moments and the bigger challenges
• We are determined to make a positive difference, at work and beyond

We consider our people our chief competitive advantage and as such we treat colleagues, candidates, clients, and business partners with equality, fairness, and respect – regardless of age, disability, race, religion or belief, gender, sexual orientation, marital status, or family circumstances.

Reasonable adjustments

We're committed to providing reasonable accommodations at Howden to ensure that our positions align well with your needs. Besides the usual adjustments such as software, IT, and office setups, we can also accommodate other changes such as flexible hours* or hybrid working*.

If you're excited by this role but have some doubts about whether it’s the right fit for you, send us your application – if your profile fits the role’s criteria, we will be in touch to assist in helping to get you set up with any reasonable adjustments you may require.

*Not all positions can accommodate changes to working hours or locations. Reach out to your Recruitment Partner if you want to know more.

Our sustainability promise

We’re on a life-long journey to become an ever-more sustainable group. It's a commitment to taking care of our people and the world we live in, to doing good business, and to making a positive impact wherever we can. Our governance processes, company policies, and review systems are all geared towards our goal of making a positive impact in the world. You can read more about our sustainability work here.