HR Programme Lead

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 23,000 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.

As our organisation continues to evolve and scale, we are seeking a strategic and delivery-focused HR Programme Lead to drive the execution of global HR Operations initiatives. This role sits at the intersection of HR strategy and programme delivery, ensuring that our people practices are efficient, scalable, and aligned with broader transformation goals.

The successful candidate will bring a strong programme management mindset, capable of leading complex initiatives across multiple workstreams, managing interdependencies, and delivering outcomes that support both operational excellence and strategic ambition.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the design and delivery of global HR programmes that support organisational growth and transformation.
• Manage a team of experts to deliver high-impact HR initiatives across multiple regions.
• Apply programme management disciplines—planning, tracking, reporting, and risk mitigation—to ensure successful delivery.
• Collaborate with HR Operations and HRIS to ensure alignment between programme outcomes and system capabilities.
• Embed compliance controls (e.g. SOX) into programme activities where required.
• Maintain programme governance through stakeholder reporting, stage gate reviews, and change control.
• Drive optimisation initiatives to improve scalability and technical alignment across HR services.
• Partner with business stakeholders to ensure successful implementation and adoption of HR programmes.
• Ensure legal and regulatory compliance is considered across all HR initiatives.
• Work with the Change Management Practice to embed changes effectively using structured change management approaches.
• Identify and escalate risks, ensuring resolution plans are in place.
• Lead teams to achieve programme goals and support evolving project needs aligned to HR strategy.

Requirements

• Proven experience in leading HR programmes within a large or scaling organisation.
• Strong programme and project management skills, including planning, governance, and delivery across multiple workstreams.
• Excellent stakeholder management and influencing skills, with the ability to engage and align diverse groups across geographies.
• Understanding of HR compliance and regulatory frameworks (e.g. SOX, GDPR).
• Experience working with HR technology platforms and translating programme requirements into system design.
• Exceptional communication skills—able to convey complex information clearly and drive engagement across all levels.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving abilities, with a continuous improvement mindset.
• Ability to lead and motivate teams in a matrixed or global environment.
• Comfortable navigating ambiguity and driving clarity in fast-paced, evolving contexts.

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.