HR Business Partner

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 mindset, and our strength lies in our ability to collaborate as a powerful international team comprised of 18,000 employees spanning over 100 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 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 business partnering support to our stakeholders. The Group has an ambitious growth plan, and you will be part of a fast-growing and entrepreneurial business at a pivotal moment in its evolution.

We are looking for an experienced HR Business Partner who will be responsible for delivering commercially aligned HR solutions for our Howden UK&I Retail business. The individual will be working in a transformational environment and with divisional business leaders who are building substantial businesses. The leaders have business models that are appropriate to their customer bases and channels and will have HR needs that reflect that. It is important that the HRBP embeds themselves within the business to understand their requirements and works with leaders to provide HR solutions that are appropriate to enable the businesses to deliver their plans.

The individual will sit in, and work with, the various leadership teams and will seamlessly collaborate with and form part of, a wider HR function formed of HR Business Partners and Centres of Expertise in Recruitment, Reward, Talent & Development and HR Ops to deliver best-in-class people interventions that underpin the growth and transformation of Howden.

The successful incumbent will bring with them prior experience of embedding consistent HR practices and will have a demonstrable track record of delivery within fast-paced, highly commercial and ambitious environments. The candidate should have experience working with the HRD and colleagues in the Centres of Expertise to achieve broader HR initiatives and contribute to the group's strategy and growth.

• Strategic partner to the respective leaders across Howden UK&I Retail translating business strategy into an aligned and integrated People Plan.
• Gain a detailed understanding of the divisions' people, their aspirations, specific challenges, and talent needs for the present and future (both internal and external).
• Deploy recruitment, performance, leadership planning, talent management and organisation development to deliver strong impact of critical HR processes.
• Lead the business through people elements of transformational change (including M&A) ensuring a consistent and robust approach for efficiency and engagement.
• Collaborate across the total HR function to enable development of relevant HR initiatives, and lead delivery across all areas of HR back into the business, delivering a seamless experience for employees and managers.
• Use the expertise of COEs to craft and develop solutions that meet the specific needs of the business.
• Lead delivery of the annual compensation process and an approach to reward that ensures a robust and transparent process.
• Build strong and positive relationships with team members and customers within the organisation.
• Able to convert data into insights to inform proposals and influence people matters to solve business challenges or opportunities.
• Have a deep understanding of external market changes, challenges, and opportunities and can apply lessons learned internally.

• Experience in the Insurance industry.
• Experience as a Business Partner with a proven understanding of all HR subject areas.
• Experience of supporting leaders and partnering in a complex business, working across cultures and building and managing relationships virtually.
• Translating strategic people requirements and or regional/global context into language with which the wider business can engage and operate.
• A hands-on HR practitioner. In this role, you will work on both strategic and operational HR matters, developing effective relationships with collaborators, customers, partners, and team members.
• Approachable and innovative, able to proactively streamline and simplify processes and problem-solve using technology-based solutions to drive automation and scalability.
• Comfortable working with ambiguity and able to navigate solutions in a fast-paced, unpredictable environment with a varied workload.
• Able to challenge confidently whilst maintaining credible relationships as well as handling a range of difficult conversations and situations.

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.