Who are we?

Howden is a global insurance group with employee ownership at its heart. Together, we have pushed the boundaries of insurance. We are united by a shared passion and no-limits mindset, and our strength lies in our ability to collaborate as a powerful international team comprised of 24,000 employees spanning over 56 countries.

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 headhunters for years. Whatever your priorities – work / life balance, career progression, sustainability, volunteering – you’ll find like-minded people driving change at Howden.

About the Role

We are looking for an experienced Product Manager to own the AI & Automation product area within our Retail UK & Ireland Product team. You will drive the strategy, roadmap and delivery of AI-powered capabilities across the insurance customer journey, from quote and bind through renewals, claims and servicing. The goal is to help the business move faster, reduce manual effort for branch teams and deliver better outcomes for customers.

This is a high-visibility role supporting our 2030 Vision of scaled, technology-enabled growth. You will work closely with Business Partner, Engineering, UX/UI, Compliance, market leaders and branch and operations stakeholders to turn AI opportunity into shipped, adopted products and commercially valuable transformation programmes.

What You'll Do

Product Strategy, Discovery & Delivery

· Own the product strategy and roadmap for AI & Automation, aligned with broader Product team, market and business priorities.

· Identify and prioritise high-value AI use cases across the insurance lifecycle, including document and data extraction, underwriting support, claims triage, CRM and pipeline automation, and agent copilots.

· Translate ambiguous business problems into clear product requirements, working with Engineering to scope solutions that are feasible, valuable and scalable.

· Run structured discovery with branch agents, underwriters, operations teams and market leaders to ground AI initiatives in real workflow pain points and client demand.

· Manage delivery through the full product lifecycle: discovery, requirements, build, testing, rollout, adoption and value realisation.

Commercial & Go-to-Market Leadership

· Help originate, shape and deliver large AI transformation programmes that may span multiple years, functions and parts of the insurance value chain.

· Build and maintain a robust pipeline of AI opportunities across UK&I, partnering with market leaders to convert demand into prioritised initiatives and revenue opportunities.

· Deliver profitable AI-led engagements and product capabilities with clear commercial outcomes, measurable client value and transparent success criteria.

· Define and champion a clear AI narrative for insurance, supported by practical propositions and flagship use cases that anchor client and internal conversations.

· Equip colleagues, market leaders and client-facing teams with practical AI sales tools, demonstrations, business cases and reusable propositions.

· Strengthen the firm’s external position through thought leadership, credible use cases and evidence of client and operational impact.

Technology & Product Evolution

· Leverage the current AI ecosystem, including large language models, Microsoft Copilot, cloud platforms and enterprise automation tools, to deliver immediate value using our technology estate.

· Feed proven client and operational demand into the development of proprietary AI-enabled capabilities and reusable product components.

· Ensure technology investment is driven by validated client and user needs, strategic value and measurable outcomes rather than internal agendas.

· Stay current on AI and LLM capabilities and the vendor landscape, and assess their relevance to insurance operations and growth.

Adoption, Governance & Behaviour Change

· Drive practical AI adoption across the wider team and business, embedding AI considerations into relevant propositions, transformation programmes and product decisions.

· Build teams’ confidence through training, playbooks and hands-on support focused on practical AI application.

· Identify and remove low-value manual work through AI-enabled products and delivery methods.

· Work with leaders to align objectives, measures and incentives so they support responsible AI-led growth, adoption and delivery.

· Work with Compliance, Legal and Risk to ensure AI features meet regulatory, data governance and responsible AI standards relevant to insurance.

· Represent the AI & Automation workstream in cross-functional planning, stakeholder updates and leadership reviews, and support the Head of Product when needed.

What We're Looking For

Essential

· Proven 5–7 years’ experience in product management, as a Product Manager or Product Lead, with direct exposure to AI, automation or data-driven products.

· Experience working in or with insurance.

· Experience shaping and delivering complex transformation programmes across multiple functions, with demonstrable commercial or operational outcomes.

· Strong stakeholder management skills, with the confidence to work with senior leadership, market leaders, engineering teams, client-facing colleagues and frontline operational staff.

· Ability to translate technical AI and ML concepts into business language, and business problems into product requirements and compelling propositions.

· Track record of shipping products from discovery through to adoption, with clear success metrics and value realisation measures.

· Commercial mindset, with experience building opportunity pipelines, business cases or go-to-market propositions.

· Excellent written and visual communication skills, with the ability to produce clear roadmaps, business cases, sales tools and stakeholder decks.

· Comfortable operating with ambiguity in a team that is still defining its structure and ways of working.

What Success Looks Like in the First 6 Months

· A clear, prioritised AI & Automation roadmap aligned with business, market and 2030 Vision priorities.

· At least one AI use case moved from discovery to live pilot, with adoption, value and commercial metrics in place.

· A visible and qualified pipeline of AI opportunities, with priority propositions and flagship use cases defined.

· Strong working relationships established with Engineering, Compliance, market leaders and branch operations stakeholders.

· A repeatable framework for evaluating, prioritising and funding new AI opportunities based on client demand, user need, feasibility, risk and value.

· Practical AI enablement materials and training in use, with evidence of improved adoption and reduced low-value manual work.

What do we offer in return?

A career that you define. At Howden, we value diversity – there is no one Howden 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

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.