Tax and Contingent Risk Insurance Rotational Graduate Programme

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. There’s no such thing as individual success. We all need to play our part, contributing our skills and experience to make a true difference. That’s Howden.

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.

Howden CAP and Tax & Contingent Risk Howden CAP (Capital, Advisory and Placement) advises banks, large corporate firms and investment funds on how insurance can facilitate transactions such as investments, loans and acquisitions. Within CAP, our Tax & Contingent Risk team specialises in helping clients manage high-value legal, tax and financial risks. We deal with big 'what if' risks that would incur a large financial cost if they do happen. Rather than fixing problems after they happen, our team of experts identifies uncertain risks and designs bespoke insurance solutions to transfer those risks to insurers. You will be joining a highly technical and deal-driven environment where you will have the opportunity to work closely with private equity funds, banks and large corporates.

The Graduate Programme This 2-year rotational programme includes four 6-month rotations across the following areas:

• M&A Tax: helps buyers, sellers and investors complete deals by identifying tax risks and using bespoke insurance to remove those risks from transactions.
• Contingent Risk: protects clients against major future legal, regulatory or tax risks by designing insurance that pays out if those risks occur later.
• Client Development: helps grow the business by identifying new opportunities, building client relationships and bringing new risks and deals into the pipeline.
• Strategic Opportunities: places insurance for nuanced and untested tax risks, including risks that are highly contentious or in live dispute.

What you’ll be doing?

• M&A Tax: Supporting live deals by identifying tax and legal risks and helping draft insurance submissions and client reports. Working with clients and insurers to structure bespoke tax insurance so deals can complete without money being held back.
• Contingent Risk: Researching and analysing future legal, regulatory or tax risks, and helping design insurance to cover those risks. Preparing insurance reports, speaking with insurers, and supporting the negotiation and binding of policies on live transactions. Assisting in developing financial models to project cash flows and assess financial outcomes of a litigation portfolio.
• Client Development: Researching clients and markets, following up on leads and supporting senior team members with pitches and presentations. Helping develop new products and opportunities by working closely with broking teams and insurers.
• Strategic Solutions: Supporting the team to research complex or emerging tax risks and carrying out market analysis to identify new opportunities. Assisting on live deals, including gathering information and helping prepare documentation for insurers and clients. Learning how to analyse transactions and financing structures, and how insurance can be used to support and improve these.

What are we looking for? No experience or technical knowledge is required – we’ll teach you everything you need to know! Recent or soon-to-be graduates studying towards any degree background who are interested in careers within M&A, Tax and Banking/Finance. Ambitious and hard-working individuals who are solutions orientated. Resilient self-starters who can work at a fast pace and perform under pressure. Curious and eager learners who are motivated to apply technical concepts. Excel is useful for financial modelling tasks but not required. Great interpersonal skills and ability to build trusting relationships with stakeholders at all levels. You must have full unrestricted right to work in the UK.

Why should you apply?

• Opportunity to complete fully funded professional and technical qualifications relevant for your role and career pathway.
• Access to discounted personal health policies as well as a range of insurance products.
• 25 days annual leave plus bank holidays and an extra day off for Christmas.
• Competitive salary and generous pension scheme.
• Excellent training and development schemes and accelerated career progression.
• Cycle to work loan scheme and discount on gym memberships.
• 2 days allocated to take part in volunteering schemes.

Working structure 4 days in office.

Equal opportunity statement At Howden, we are committed to developing and maintaining a culture of equality and diversity in the workplace and welcome applications from all backgrounds.