HR Business Partner

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.

With a no limits approach, we can rise to any challenge. Whatever the question, the concern, or the risk, we can get the right people in a room and find the right answer. Our collective power is also helping us to change the insurance narrative – doing right by our clients while using insurance as a tool to build resilience for individuals, businesses and communities. From pro bono work to insuring COVID-19 vaccine development to de-risking the carbon market, we’re using our skills, knowledge, and networks to make a difference and speed positive change in the world around us.
 

We are actively looking for a motivated and enthusiastic individual to join our growing People team within the Consumer & Local Commercial division of Howden UK & Ireland as an HR Business Partner. This role is responsible for proactively supporting the business by building strong and trusted relationships with the management population across a national Branch Network, developing local people plans and supporting delivery of the broader People agenda.

As a key contributor, you will thrive in our dynamic and fast-paced environment, embracing the complexity and commerciality that accompanies business growth plans. This role involves navigating ambiguity, turning it into opportunity, and working collaboratively with the broader HR Team to shape the operational landscape of our newly established Retail business. 

About you:

Ability to coach and develop the management population to improve individual and organisational management capability

Ownership of local day-to-day operational HR support to leaders on the full range of people issues including performance management, contractual terms, company policy and process, remuneration, case management and organisational/ change management.

Provide trusted expert advice to leaders on complex employee issues including grievance, capability, absence and disciplinary cases, redundancy, TUPE, settlement agreements and ET claims.

Identify common training needs to develop tools, processes and solutions to improve capability

Proactively support the development of a performance culture through working with leaders to ensure they fully appreciate their contribution and importance of behaviours to support this.

Effectively use HR data to proactively identify trends and shape service accordingly.

Contribute to the delivery of talent plans and succession plans for the business to build sustainable people capability.

Provide advice and guidance to leaders on the effective management of change and support the delivery of associated HR actions and plans.

Act as subject matter expert in business projects with people implications such as acquisitions, change, restructures.

Rewards:

We believe that great work and dedication should be rewarded, that’s why we offer:

25 days holiday (plus bank holidays), pro-rated for part year service

A set of core benefits, designed with your health and financial protection in mind:

Life Assurance up to 4x salary, protecting your loved ones in case the worst should happen

Income protection, guaranteeing an income for up to 5 years in the event of an illness or injury

Contributory pension scheme – 4% employer contribution and 5% employee contribution, rising to 5% & 5% in April 2025

Access to a Healthcare Cashplan, which gives you access to a variety of health related benefits

Access to a host of lifestyle and financial benefits that you can choose from:

Discounts on gym membership across the UK

Salary sacrifice schemes – Travel Insurance, Cycle to Work, Car leasing, Technology purchase

Access to discounted personal health policies – Critical illness, private medical, dental plans

A range of insurance products available commission free, including home, motor, travel and specialist vehicles

Access to hundreds of high-street retailer discounts

Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) to support employees outside of work

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.