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.

We are hiring for an Assistant Hospitality manager

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 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.

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 Assistant Hospitality Manager will support the Head of Hospitality with the day-to-day delivery of hospitality services across internal and executive floors.

Working closely with the Hospitality Coordinator and Hospitality Assistants, the role will help maintain high service standards, effective team coordination and a consistently professional guest experience.

The Assistant Manager will provide visible operational leadership, resolve day-to-day service issues and deputise for the Head of Hospitality when required.

• Support the Head of Hospitality with the day-to-day operation of the Hospitality department, ensuring services run smoothly across all floors.
• Provide visible operational leadership during service and act as a first point of contact for the Hospitality team.
• Deputise for the Head of Hospitality during periods of absence.

• Ensure hospitality services are delivered in line with standard operating procedures and agreed service levels.

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• Ensure the team offer all client guests refreshments and support for their meeting, regardless of which floor they are being served on

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• Manage the day to day performance and conduct of the hospitality team dealing quickly and professional with any issues that arise

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• Conduct monthly team meeting

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• Manage team briefings, and one-to-one conversations, ensuring constructive and timely feedback is provided to improve productivity

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• Assist with preparing staff rotas, and responding to short-notice changes in operational requirements.

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• Make sure unplanned absence are reported to Head of hospitality in a timely matter so adequate resourcing can be secured to meet business needs

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• Ensure employees are trained on appropriate customer service practices, uniformed and briefed

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• Support recruitment.

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• Manage onboarding, induction, and the ongoing development of team members.

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• Maintain accurate records for training, appraisals

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• Overseeing the delivery of refreshments, breakfasts, lunches to the required timings and presentation standards.

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• Support executive meetings and VIP guests with a discreet, professional and responsive service.

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• Manage the planning and delivery of fine dining lunches/ dinners and events, including last-minute requests and changes.

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• Work closely with the Reservations, Kitchen, Reception and Logistics to confirm event set-up, service timings, staffing, and equipment requirements.

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• Ensure daily and weekly menus are presented in the correct format and accurately display allergen and dietary information.

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• Work with the Head of Hospitality to contribute to service improvement initiatives 

• Promote compliance with food safety, hygiene, health and safety, and company policies and procedures.
• Liaise with Boki staff and other service partners regarding day-to-day operational requirements.
• Carry out any other reasonable duties requested by management.
• Work flexibly, including early mornings, late evenings, and occasional weekends, to manage fine dining lunches and dinners, events and other business requirements.

• 3 years minimum experience as an assistant manager or supervisor within a corporate hospitality, hotel, restaurant or fine dining environment.
• Proven experience managing a busy and demanding team, demonstrating confident and supportive leadership, with the ability to inspire, coach and motivate individuals while fostering a positive and high-performing team culture
• Strong food and beverage service knowledge, with strong experience of manage fine dining / high-profile events.
• Experience of coordinating shifts, allocating work and maintaining service coverage within a busy operation.
• Excellent customer service skills and a professional approach when supporting executives, clients and VIP guests.
• Clear communication and strong interpersonal skills, with the confidence to manage routine service issues.
• Highly organised, proactive and attentive to detail, with the ability to manage competing priorities.
• The ability to remain calm under pressure and adapt quickly to changing business requirements.
• Working knowledge of food hygiene, allergens, health and safety, and hospitality compliance standards.

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.

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.

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.

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.