From day one, our mission has been to create an independent business with a unique culture – one that is controlled by the people who work for it. Finding the most talented and entrepreneurial people has always been key to our success.
People come to Howden for lots of different reasons, but they stay for the same one: our culture. That’s what sets us apart, and why we nurture and retain the best talent in the market. Whatever your priorities – work/life balance, career progression, sustainability, volunteering - you’ll find like-minded people driving change at Howden.
We are looking for a motivated and enthusiastic individual to provide dedicated HR support within Howden. You will work closely with the HR Business Partner(s) for the business unit you support and act as the first line of defence for HR issues and generalist queries. You will also work collaboratively with HR Employee Services, the Head of HR Advisory and Group HR Centres of Excellence (incl. Talent Acquisition, HRIS & Reward). You may be required to support other business units within the Group.
You will need to be able to work in a fast paced, complex and entrepreneurial environment and have the ability to work with a degree of ambiguity that comes with growth and transformational change.
Please note this is a London-based role that follows a hybrid work pattern (2-3 days in-office).
Role Responsibilities:

Workday / HR Systems

• Maintains and produces reports utilising Workday e.g. headcount, absence, talent, objectives etc.
• Upskilling managers on Workday self-service in collaboration with HR Employee Services
• Works with the HR Employee Services team and Workday team to improve processes, to drive greater automation and efficiencies
• Validates data and Workday records, ensures correct job titles, teams, cost centres are correct and notifications are sent to the correct business stakeholders

Employee Lifecycle

• Works with the Talent Acquisition team to ensure the efficient processing of job requisitions, within a timely manner, chasing any outstanding or delayed in the applicant tracking system on Workday
• Processes contingent worker data, ensuring data in Workday is up to date and correct, working with the Talent Acquisition team and hiring managers on aspects such as job details, contract end dates and the IR35 process
• Supports international hiring processes and issues documentation, when required
• Creates and maintains international Workday profiles, when required
• Welcomes new joiners to the Howden Group / DUAL with an introduction session to Workday, Workplace and the learning platforms, and actions any new joiner questions or queries accordingly
• Reviews / approves all job changes through Workday (team organisation changes, transfers, promotions, leavers etc.)
• Manages all Employee Relations issues as the first point of contact, with the HR Business Partners as the escalation point, making sure the relevant MI tracker or system is updated and your HR Business Partner and Head of HR Advisory are aware of any trends
• Coach, support and upskill first line leaders in order to develop Employee Relations and manager capability
• Supports with / manages Disciplinary, Capability and Grievance cases; providing advice and guidance, note taking, drafting and issuing paperwork as required
• Supports the employee experience of Family related policies (maternity/paternity/parental leave)
• Sets up business related meetings, when required
• Provides adhoc, bespoke letters, when required
• Provides support to HR Business Partners and Head of HR with M&As, new initiatives and business growth; attending meetings, taking actions and providing admin support including assistance with on-boarding teams
• Supports the annual compensation and promotions process
• Proactively runs exit interviews for members of staff (excl. senior management), informing the HR Business Partners of any key business insights and feedback

Other responsibilities

• Manages assigned projects and contributes to other initiatives and projects as required, including policy and process reviews, talent and succession planning, early careers, diversity & inclusion and manager training
• Keeps informed of all regulatory and legal changes which impact on the job role and contributes to the continuous improvement of HR procedures, policies and practices

Regulatory and Compliance:

The Board of each Operating Entity requires the highest standards of corporate governance, operational excellence and financial reporting throughout the Group from all its employees. Specific responsibilities are listed below:

• Ensures compliance of self with all applicable legal, fiscal and regulatory obligations in the form of policies and procedures
• Ensures correct authorisation is obtained and processes followed when required by the Operating Entity and/or Group
• Ensures performance, HR and T&C records are up to date and meet the Operating Entity and/or Group’s requirements
• Maintains accurate records and deal with correspondence appropriately
• Operates in an honest, professional and ethical manner
• Strictly adheres to the Group Employee Code of Conduct which strongly aligns to the FCA’s code of conduct that all regulated entities must adhere to
• Completes all relevant regulatory training
• Ensures remain competent to carry out role

Key Requirements

• A minimum of 1 year’s experience in a similar HR role
• Workday experience, preferred
• CIPD qualified, preferred
• Exposure to some international processes, preferred
• Strong customer focus and employee experience mind-set - using this for continuous improvement in service delivery
• Good Excel, PowerPoint and Word skills
• Willing to travel for HR meetings as required

Our Culture: People First

We’ve travelled far since opening our first office in 1994. Back then we were local experts – based in London, with direct access to the world’s biggest insurance market. We’re still locals, and we still deliver the right advice and the right insurance to our clients. But now, we’re local all over the world. With 15,000 global colleagues and a partner network spanning more than 100 territories, we are the largest independent insurance broker in the world. But our values haven’t changed since day one, when we set out to create a company grounded in:

• An employee-ownership model
• Aligned external investors
• The trust and integrity born of friendship
• Expertise
• Independence

Our focus on being a people-first business has always been at the very heart of Howden. Our vision was to create an independent business with a unique culture; one that would survive and thrive as a business controlled by the people working for it. Our employee ownership model sets us apart in the market. It’s created a culture of collaboration and innovation, where we’re driven to think bigger and empowered to challenge convention.
Our flat structure and entrepreneurial spirit help us attract the best people and empower them to be the best version of themselves. And when we bring in and nurture great talent, more follows. That makes us better – and that’s better for everyone.
Diversity & 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 their age, disability, race, religion or belief, gender, sexual orientation, marital status or family circumstances.
Permanen

Other responsibilities

• Manages assigned projects and contributes to other initiatives and projects as required, including policy and process reviews, talent and succession planning, early careers, diversity & inclusion and manager training
• Keeps informed of all regulatory and legal changes which impact on the job role and contributes to the continuous improvement of HR procedures, policies and practice

The Board of each Operating Entity requires the highest standards of corporate governance, operational excellence and financial reporting throughout the Group from all its employees. Specific responsibilities are listed below:

• Ensures compliance of self with all applicable legal, fiscal and regulatory obligations in the form of policies and procedures
• Ensures correct authorisation is obtained and processes followed when required by the Operating Entity and/or Group
• Ensures performance, HR and T&C records are up to date and meet the Operating Entity and/or Group’s requirements
• Maintains accurate records and deal with correspondence appropriately
• Operates in an honest, professional and ethical manner
• Strictly adheres to the Group Employee Code of Conduct which strongly aligns to the FCA’s code of conduct that all regulated entities must adhere to
• Completes all relevant regulatory training
• Ensures remain competent to carry out rol