Head of Property & Casualty Claims

Who are we?

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.

The Role

To provide strategic leadership, technical oversight and operational direction across the Property and Casualty claims teams, ensuring a consistently high-quality claims service for clients, colleagues and market partners.

The role is responsible for developing and implementing claims strategy, best practice and operating principles across these lines of business, ensuring alignment with wider business objectives, regulatory requirements and the overall claims value proposition. The role will support the visibility and profile of the claims function internally and externally, including through client engagement, tender support, market relationship management, thought leadership, using data to drive insights, training and collaboration with placing teams.

The Strategic Claims Leader will act as the claims relationship contact for key large accounts, as well as a senior referral point for complex, high-value or sensitive claims matters, supporting colleagues in the effective management, escalation and resolution of claims. The role will also drive continuous improvement across people, process, technology and data, ensuring workloads are managed effectively, capability is developed, and claims insights are used to improve client outcomes and support business growth.

The role requires a senior claims professional with strong technical expertise across Property and Casualty claims, proven leadership capability, commercial judgement, and the ability to operate confidently with clients, markets, senior stakeholders and global colleagues.

What you'll do

• Strategic Planning, Reporting and Business Performance

  Develop and implement the claims strategy for Property and Casualty claims, ensuring alignment with business priorities, claims operating principles and client service expectations.

  Contribute to operating plans, business planning and claims leadership discussions, ensuring that claims activity supports wider business goals.

  Provide high-quality, practical and commercially focused advice to senior stakeholders on claims strategy, service delivery, technical issues, market behaviour and emerging trends.

  Drive business performance through effective planning, prioritisation and support mechanisms, ensuring delivery of agreed objectives and service standards.

  Produce and present relevant management information, claims insights and performance updates to senior management, divisional leadership and other stakeholders as required.

  Lead or contribute to strategic claims projects and operational initiatives, including those involving service improvement, process standardisation, technology adoption, data quality and global claims capability.

  Ensure that the Property and Casualty claims teams are aligned with the relevant claims operating principles, service expectations and business priorities.

• Technical Claims Leadership

  Act as a senior technical referral and escalation point for complex, high-value, contentious or strategically significant Property and Casualty claims.

  Provide expert oversight of claims handling strategy, ensuring that claims are investigated, evaluated, negotiated and resolved in a timely, commercial and client-focused manner.

  Support colleagues on larger or more complex accounts and claims, ensuring that the client's needs are understood and effectively met.

  Review and advise on relevant claims documentation, coverage issues, insurer positions, market responses and negotiation strategy where appropriate.

  Support the presentation of complex claims to insurers and underwriters, ensuring that appropriate information, feedback and updates are provided to clients, insurers and internal stakeholders.

  Identify opportunities for proactive claims advocacy and ensure that claims strategies are aligned with client objectives, policy coverage and market dynamics.

  Ensure appropriate processes are in place for claims escalation, technical referral, file quality, peer review and consistent decision-making.

  Remain informed of relevant legal, regulatory, market and technical developments affecting Property and Casualty claims, ensuring that the team's technical capability remains current and credible.

• Client, Market and Business Development Support

  Promote a clear and compelling claims value proposition