Administrative Assistant - Clinical Trials Insurance in London

Who are we? Howden is a global insurance group with employee ownership at its heart. We're experts helping clients adapt and thrive in a changing 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 23,000 employees and spanning 56 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.

Why work at 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 Role

We are seeking a detail‑oriented and proactive Administration Assistant to support our Clinical Trials Insurance team. You will play a critical role in ensuring accurate policy administration, timely documentation, and efficient coordination with clients, brokers, underwriters, and risk managers. This is an excellent opportunity for someone who thrives in a regulated environment, enjoys process excellence, and wants to develop within the specialist world of clinical trials insurance. This role offers specialist exposure to the life sciences and clinical trials sector - a rapidly expanding, mission‑driven field. You’ll have a clear development pathway with opportunities to progress into Account Handling, Operations, or Compliance. We also provide full study support toward CII or other relevant professional qualifications.

What You’ll Do

• Prepare, proof, and issue standard documentation: quotes, binders, policies, Certificates of Insurance (COIs), schedules, endorsements, invoices, and debit/credit notes.
• Maintain accurate site lists, protocol references, territories, limits, and sponsor/CRO details across systems and trackers.
• Assist with renewals, mid-term adjustments (MTAs), and endorsement issuance, ensuring timely turnaround and version control.
• Record and track policy conditions, subjectivities, and compliance requirements (e.g., ethics committee approvals, regulatory approvals, or trial start/end dates).
• Enter and validate data in policy administration systems, CRMs, and shared trackers; support data clean-ups and audits.
• Manage shared inboxes and ticket queues, triaging requests and assigning priority.
• Generate standard MI (e.g., pipeline lists, bound premiums, turnaround times) and produce weekly/monthly operational reports.
• Support Account Handlers/Executives with client onboarding, KYC checks, and compliance information gathering.
• Liaise with underwriters, brokers and clients to chase quotes, amendments, updated documents and produce subjectivities; maintaining professional communication and records.
• Coordinate Clinical Trial insurance requests and ensure country‑specific wording compliance.
• Schedule meetings, prepare agendas, take minutes, and follow up actions.
• Follow internal SOPs, binder authorities, and QA checklists; flag exceptions.
• Handle personal data in line with GDPR and company data retention policies.
• Assist with file audits (internal/external), bordereaux prep, and regulatory reporting support.
• Support incident/complaints logging and resolution tracking where applicable.
• Maintain orderly digital files and naming conventions; support archiving.
• Assist with billing/cash allocation queries, reconciliation, and WIP management.
• Support onboarding of new joiners (access requests, inductions, training sessions).

Who We’re Looking For

• Strong attention to detail with excellent document control and version management.
• Confident communication skills - clear, professional emails and client‑facing phone manner.
• Solid Excel/Sheets (sorting, filters, lookups/basic formulas), and good Word/Outlook/Teams skills.
• Ability to manage multiple tasks with changing priorities and meet tight deadlines.
• High standard of confidentiality and data protection awareness.
• A‑Level (or equivalent) required; degree or relevant certification a plus.
• Interest in progressing toward insurance qualifications (e.g., Cert CII) is advantageous and can be supported.
• Prior experience in insurance administration or a regulated administrative role (brokerage, underwriting operations, healthcare, financial services, or clinical operations) is desirable but not essential.
• Exposure to Clinical Trials Insurance or past Insurance or Pharma Industry Experience is desirable but not essential.
• Familiarity with GxP/GCP concepts, ethics approvals, and trial lifecycle terminology is desirable but not essential.
• Experience with policy administration systems is desirable but not essential.
• Understanding of international placements (country‑specific liability requirements, limits, and compulsory insurance) is desirable but not essential.
• Basic understanding of bordereaux, binders, and delegated authority processes is desirable but not essential.

What do we offer in return? 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.

Diversity and Inclusion

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.

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.

Our sustainability promise

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.