Regulatory Interaction Officer in London

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.

As part of the broader Central Compliance function, the Regulatory Interaction team coordinates and manages engagement with the FCA and other regulators, including the CMA, Treasury, Jersey & Guernsey regulators and regulators in territories where Howden UK Broking has a presence. The team supports the UK Insurance and Reinsurance Broking divisions in Howden by coordinating responses to regulatory requests, completing regulatory returns and ensuring SMCR is embedded consistently across the UK Broking businesses. The team delivers consistent and timely regulatory engagement and provides a central focal point for contact by regulators. The role is part of an immediate team of four compliance professionals delivering high-quality regulatory interaction services to the UK Broking businesses.

The broader UK Broking Central Compliance function comprises four teams: Regulatory Interaction, Regulatory Change, Monitoring and Sanctions. Working alongside the divisional Compliance teams in UK Broking, the Central Compliance function provides services across the Specialty, UK Retail and UK Reinsurance divisions of Howden Broking.

Key Responsibilities

• Senior Manager & Certification Regime (SMCR)
  • Prepare SMCR applications and notifications.
  • Produce and maintain SMCR documentation, including Statements of Responsibilities and Management Responsibilities Maps.
  • Support the annual fitness and propriety reviews for all Senior Manager and Certified Function holders and undertake annual recertification.
  • Support the annual SMCR firm mapping process.
  • Ensure overseas regulators are kept up to date with Senior Manager changes where relevant.
• Regulatory engagement
  • Prepare regulatory applications, including Variations of Permissions, firm cancellations and Appointed Representative applications.
  • Complete annual firm details and directory persons attestations.
  • Support with the coordination, collation and assessment of information for FCA and other regulator information requests.
• Regulatory returns
  • Oversee and track FCA regulatory returns to completion and report progress to Compliance senior management.
  • Review regulatory return data prior to submission for consistency and accuracy. Work with stakeholders in the business to ensure any issues are addressed.
  • Deliver risk based and thematic quality assurance of FCA regulatory returns, including financial returns.
  • Provide useful guides to support users completing returns to understand the data required.
• Regulatory Awareness
  • Stay abreast of FCA regulatory developments and supervisory priorities.

Required Skills & Experience

• Required Experience
  • 1-2 years' experience in a financial services environment.
  • Experience of working in an FCA compliance team (desirable but not essential).
  • Experience of analysing data.
  • Experience of managing various stakeholders.
  • Experience of using FCA systems, inc. Connect and RegData (desirable but not essential).
  • Some experience of reviewing and understanding financial reporting helpful.
• Regulatory Knowledge
  • Exposure to FCA regulatory requirements, including ICOBS, SYSC, DISP and SMCR (desirable but not essential).
• Skills/ behaviours
  • Strong written and verbal communication skills.
  • Attention to detail.
  • Good numerical skills.
  • Good MS Word, Excel and PowerPoint literacy.
  • Self-starter / able to work independently.
  • Ability to manage competing priorities.
  • Curiosity and perseverance.
  • Strong stakeholder management.
• Qualifications
  • Highly desirable: Industry recognised qualifications, e.g. CII, desirable but not essential.
  • Educated to a minimum of Degree standard.

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.