Risk Business Partner

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.

We are recruiting for a Risk Business Partner

Location: UK

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.

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.

What is the role?

The Risk Business Partner sits within the Risk function and supports UK&I Retail and its central functions. Reporting to the Interim Head of Risk, this permanent UK-based role will build strong relationships across the business and help embed the Enterprise Risk Management Framework, giving stakeholders the practical guidance, constructive challenge and confidence they need to manage risk effectively.

What will you be doing?

• Partner with stakeholders across UK&I Retail and its central functions to embed the Enterprise Risk Management Framework into business activity and decision-making

• Provide practical, proportionate risk advice and communicate risk responsibilities clearly across the business

• Support the development and application of risk appetite, monitor agreed metrics and help stakeholders address tolerance breaches

• Lead and support risk and control assessments, agreeing proportionate actions to strengthen the control environment

• Embed effective risk event reporting and support root-cause analysis to identify recurring themes and systemic issues

• Challenge the business on policy coverage, implementation and adherence, including requests for exceptions and waivers

• Design and coordinate stress and scenario testing, gather relevant data, challenge assumptions and review model outputs

• Prepare clear risk information and reports for relevant boards, committees and senior stakeholders

• Identify and monitor emerging risks, track remedial actions and support the effective management of agreed actions

• Deliver risk training and awareness activity, manage assigned projects and contribute to wider change initiatives

What are we looking for?

• Proven knowledge of risk management gained within a regulated environment

• Experience applying or supporting enterprise risk management frameworks, risk appetite processes, risk assessments or control frameworks

• Experience in insurance, financial services or another regulated sector, with retail insurance experience desirable

• Evidence of providing clear, practical advice and constructive challenge to business stakeholders

• Experience supporting operational resilience, stress testing or scenario testing

• Demonstrated ability to analyse risk information, identify themes and translate findings into proportionate actions

• A track record of delivering projects or change activity while managing competing priorities

• Experience building effective stakeholder relationships and supporting confidence in new or changing processes

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.

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.

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.

*Not all positions can accommodate changes to working hours or locations. Reach out to your Recruitment Partner if you want to know more.

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.

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

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.

*Not all positions can accommodate changes to working hours or locations. Reach out to your Recruitment Partner if you want to know more.