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.

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. 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.