Operational Leverage Programme Director

Who are we?

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.

Howden is running a programme of work to realise operational leverage savings within the Group. We are seeking a dynamic and experienced transformation leader to drive the successful delivery of a high-impact programme across multiple divisions and functions. This role is pivotal in shaping and executing strategic initiatives that deliver measurable value, enhance operational efficiency, and foster a culture of empowerment and collaboration. The ideal candidate will bring a strong track record in complex programme management within Financial Services, exceptional stakeholder engagement skills, and a passion for leading high-performing teams through change. As a key partner to senior leadership, you will play a central role in aligning transformation efforts with business objectives, ensuring seamless execution, and championing a culture of continuous improvement. The key accountabilities of this role are to:

• Lead the delivery of the programme across the divisions and function and driving to successful delivery
• Look for additional opportunities to exceed savings targets
• Manage the dependencies on and for other programmes of work
• Oversee delivery of work that supports operational leverage e.g. target operating model development in the functions
• Prepare materials and lead briefings to key stakeholders internally (the business leadership team and the Board) and externally (investors)
• Build a change plan across key stakeholder groups, working with support teams e.g. comms and training, ensuring that the change plan takes into account and avoids impacting business peaks e.g. renewals season
• Act as focal point and owner of change and delivery activities that sit across related workstreams to ensure there are no gaps
• Deputise for the Group Head of IMO as required

People and Culture

• Builds and collaboratively leads an effective and high performing team that delivers exceptional results and an engaged employee base
• Generates buy in and excitement in the transformation programme
• Creates a culture of empowerment, trust and inclusion
• Role models expected behaviours and Group values
• Builds effective and productive working relationships with internal stakeholders and clients across the Group at all levels of the organisation

Capabilities

• Strong commercial acumen and the ability to deliver business requirements
• Building strong trusting relationships with senior leaders and stakeholders
• Highly collaborative with the ability to adapt style to different audiences and has a can-do mentality
• Solid communication skills; ability to synthesise and communicate information from a wide variety of sources
• Strong interpersonal skills; ability to deal with senior stakeholders throughout the business and able to present information in a clear way to different audiences

What do we need from you?

• Demonstrable experience in transformation and complex programme management
• Track record of leading high-value high-volume projects in Financial Services with multi-disciplinary teams
• A track record in building and managing strong and credible relationships at senior leadership team levels and ability to effectively challenge and influence at this level
• Strong attention to detail and high standards, problem solving and analytical capabilities
• Ability to evaluate complex challenges and deliver insightful recommendations that can be practically executed
• Experience in driving and understanding strategies and objectives straddling multiple business units
• Able to demonstrate previous evidence of drive, energy, commitment, and enthusiasm

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.

Fixed Term Contract (Fixed Term) #J-18808-Ljbffr