Employment Screening Assistant in Milton Keynes

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

Here at Howden Group Holdings, we are transforming the way we deliver HR services to our business and this is an exciting time to join our evolving HR function as we look to drive commercially aligned and strategic HR support to our stakeholders. Our HR Employee Services team delivers first class HR Services support to our UK businesses, providing first line HR support to a fast-growing and transformational business. In this role you will support the team and wider business to achieve an ambitious change agenda which provides a great experience to our people.

As an Employment Screening Assistant, you will play a vital role in ensuring all new starters have the correct level of security checks relevant to their role, before they join the business, in line with UK Security Vetting (UKSV) standards and business requirements. This role will also cover the co-ordination of existing employee regulatory checks, as part of annual checking processes and with changes in role. Working with the highest level of discretion and integrity, reducing risk and protecting the business.

Role responsibilities

• Initiate pre-screening checks and verifying candidates before they start in the business.
• Tracking application status and meeting agreed service level, to prevent delay in start dates.
• Validates data, clarifying information and investigating discrepancies with our screening provider, the business and the individual as necessary.
• Keeping the business informed with the progress of checks and highlighting any discrepancies or concerns.
• Development and continuous review of policy, process, guidance documents and tools to provide a great experience to candidates and employees.
• Review and feedback on performance and service delivery with screening provider.
• Initiating the waiver process in exceptional circumstances and obtaining the correct sign off to proceed with recruitment without completion of checks.
• Providing advice and guidance to support colleagues in the gathering and interpretation of information.
• Demonstrates a good understanding of security and compliance requirements, including GDPR and the confidentiality of data.
• Works with the Talent Acquisition team to ensure the applicant through to new starter process is managed efficiently and provides a great candidate experience.

Key requirements

• Delivery focused and able to demonstrate putting client experience first.
• Self-motivated with a positive attitude.
• Strong relationship building and influencing skills.
• Works well under pressure to meet deadlines whilst managing conflicting demands.
• Strong attention to detail, works to a high standard.
• Team player with the ability to learn quickly.
• Workday and HR Shared Services experience desirable.
• Ability to work well independently with confidence.
• Strong administration, organisational, communication and interpersonal skills.
• Problem solver with resilience, initiative and ability to challenge the status quo.
• Smart pragmatic and positive approach, able to build trust and offer proactive solutions.

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.