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.

Based in our Carrick On Shannon office, Howden Ireland are delighted to have a vacancy as a Associate Surety Broker that will be an integral part of our wider Howden Commercial team.

About the Role:

This is a career-track position for a recent graduate or more experienced individual seeking a different career path and who wants to build deep technical expertise in a specialist, relationship-driven corner of the Surety market and grow into a senior surety broking role.

No prior surety experience is required. We will teach you the market. What we need from you is strong numeracy, genuine interest in how businesses are financed, and the diligence to get contractual detail right.

You will join an experienced surety team placing bonds for construction, engineering, energy, infrastructure, waste and manufacturing clients across a panel of specialist surety insurers and banks. You will start by supporting senior brokers on submissions, wordings and renewals, and over time develop into a broker running your own client relationships, negotiating directly with underwriters and winning new business.

Key Responsibilities:

• Collaborate with internal teams (finance, compliance and surety broking) to ensure accurate invoicing, efficient workflow, timely bond issuance and high client satisfaction
• Act as the main control point with the existing internal Finance Team for invoicing/client payments.  
• Updating of data into the Acturis system
• Support existing Surety team with their preparation of bond submissions through input of data, scanning and issuing of documents.
• Learn and manage existing Non-Resident Director Bond requirements and Title Indemnity Bond portfolios.
• Ensure robust governance and compliance: adhere to internal procedures, regulatory requirements and delegated authorities; maintain high-quality file documentation; and support audits and risk reviews
• Reading and analysing statutory accounts and management information — net worth, working capital, gearing, liquidity, profitability, contract margins and cash flow — and learning to explain what they say about a client's ability to perform.
• Reviewing bond wordings against the underlying contract, identifying whether a bond is conditional (ABI form) or on-demand, and flagging onerous terms, expiry provisions and cross-references that create exposure for the client.
• Preparing submissions to surety underwriters: collating client financial statements, contract details, and bond wordings into a clear, well-argued presentation of the risk.
• Develop and maintain relationships with key surety underwriters and decision makers; monitor market appetite and trends; and proactively secure capacity for clients.
• Overtime ,lead placement, and negotiation of contract and commercial surety bonds (including performance, advance payment, retention, warehouse, duty deferment and specialist bonds), ensuring optimal terms, capacity and pricing.
• Overtime, originate new client relationships through targeted prospecting, referrals and surety engagement; and partner with colleagues to identify opportunities that convert into measurable pipeline and revenue
• Overtime, own day-to-day management of a surety client portfolio, acting as primary relationship lead and escalation point for service, technical and commercial issues

About You:

• A degree in business, finance, economics or law. Applicants with a degree in another discipline will be considered where they can demonstrate equivalent quantitative grounding.
• Highly proficient in Microsoft Office package, particularly word and excel
• Strong numeracy and comfort working with financial statements — you do not need to be an accountant, but you should be able to read a balance sheet and profit and loss account and know why they matter.
• Excellent written and oral English. Part of the job is persuading an underwriter; unclear submissions get declined.
• Precision and attention to detail. A single word in a bond wording can shift the exposure materially.
• Well organised, able to manage multiple deadlines and keep accurate records.
• Confident, professional communication style — you will be speaking to finance directors and underwriters.
• Postgraduate degree in business, finance, economics or law
• Previous experience in surety, banking, credit insurance, trade finance or professional services roles. Other professions will be considered where you can demonstrate equivalent quantitative grounding.
• Aptitude for learning involves specifically working towards an insurance qualification over a specified period, with APA (Accredited Product Adviser) Commercial achieved within 12 to 18 months.
  
  

About Howden Ireland:

Howden Ireland is part of Howden, the global insurance intermediary group, and has over 600 employees across 28 local offices advising clients on their commercial insurance, personal insurance, health insurance, life and pensions and mortgage requirements. Our success is primarily down to the incredible people we employ.

For more information, please visit About Us | Howden Ireland (howdengroup.com)

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.