HR Advisor

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 mind-set, and our strength lies in our ability to collaborate as a powerful international team comprised of 15,000 employees spanning over 100 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.

About the Role

Here at Howden Group Holdings, we are transforming the way we deliver HR services to our business. This is an exciting time to join our evolving HR function as we look to drive commercially aligned and strategic HR business partnering support to our stakeholders.

As part of a wider HR team, you will provide highly visible and effective end to end HR advisory services to first line leaders and employees, delivering a spectrum of operational and strategic HR support and projects across Howden Group Services (HGS) aligned with our strategic plan. Reporting to the Senior HRBP , you will support and collaborate with HR colleagues to deliver the agreed commercially aligned people plans, You will be responsible for employees and their HR needs working with Centres of Expertise (CoE's).

Howden is growing its hospitality offering, providing employees, clients and VIPs with a range of dining options hosted externally and externally. This role will partner closely with the leaders in this growing function to help define the skills, capabilities and resources required to meet increasing demand from the business for these services.

You will bring prior experience of supporting the embedding of consistent HR practices and of working in a fast-paced and sometimes challenging environment. Additionally, you will have experience of delivering beyond the day to day and working with the Senior HRBP's and other CoE's to deliver wider HR central initiatives and priorities. In summary, this a great opportunity for someone with a desire to move into Financial Services, learning a new industry and skillset, whilst still having the chance to bring value with their hospitality knowledge. You will be curious and will relish the opportunity to join us on an exciting journey as we look to transform the way we deliver HR.

Key Accountabilities

• Work in collaboration with the CoE's (e.g Reward, Organisational Development, HR Ops & Recruitment) to develop robust people focused solutions for the function that are aligned to the business
• To help deliver what is needed to meet current and emerging business needs and to drive a constant focus on high performance, talent and leadership planning
• Role model a sharp focus on people data and analytics with the aim of achieving successful business outcomes through strong people performance
• Analyse key people metrics and insight (internal and external) to drive decision making and identify ways of enhancing employee engagement and business performance
• Act as a coach and trusted advisor to first line leaders, ensuring that they are equipped to drive engagement and performance
• Continually offer constructive and commercial challenge to business stakeholders on transformation, organisational effectiveness and capability and assisting with the delivery of the people agenda and HR offering relevant to the delivery of business goals, partnering closely with Hospitality leaders
• Deliver proactive Employee Relations (ER) advice and guidance to first line leaders across HGS
• Coach, support and upskill first line leaders in order to develop ER capability
• To support the delivery on a number of key HR deliverables, including engagement, diversity and inclusion and our early careers strategy, from projects across the function from time to time on best practice

Knowledge, Skills & Experience

• Experience of assisting with the execution of people strategy to drive the business strategy
• Ability to assess ER risks and take appropriate steps, within internal processes and legal frameworks
• A track record in building and managing strong and credible relationships at all levels and ability to influence and challenge as necessary
• Strong commerciality and the ability to translate business requirements into people focused priorities
• Collaborative style and ability to work in a complex matrix organisation
• A high level of influencing skills, diplomacy and adaptability in a changing environment
• Strong customer focus and employee experience mind-set
• Be able to adapt your style, think on your feet and have a can-do mentality

What do we offer in return?

A career that you define.

Yes, we offer all the usual rewards and benefits - including great healthcare provision, a wide variety of wellbeing offers, competitive salary, generous pensions and more - but we know you expect all that.

What you might not expect is a job where everyone has a voice, where volunteering in the community is part of the day job, and where everyone is encouraged to play a part towards our sustainability goals. We want people who want to make a difference - not just in the workplace, but in the industry and in the wider community.

Our culture: People First

Our core values dictate how we live and work. We are a group with independence and people at its heart and we are a home for talent with a unique culture: the biggest small company in the world

The focus on being a People First business has always been at the very heart of the Group; Our vision was to create an independent business with a unique culture and one that would survive and thrive as a business controlled by the people working for it. And finding the most talented and entrepreneurial people to join the Group has been and will continue to be key.

Diversity & Inclusion

At Howden Group Holdings 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 their age, disability, race, religion or belief, gender, sexual orientation, marital status or family circumstances.

Who we’re looking for

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

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 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.

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. You can read more about our sustainability work here.

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