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 mindset, and our strength lies in our ability to collaborate as a powerful international team comprised of 18,000 employees spanning over 100 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.
Howden Ireland are delighted to announce a new and exciting position as a Sales Operations Manager within our Commercial team. The successful candidate will play a pivotal role in shaping the future of our sales strategy as we move towards 2026 and beyond.
About the role
We are seeking a detail-oriented and strategic Sales Operations Manager to support and optimize our commercial insurance sales team who will be responsible for driving operational excellence, improving sales processes, managing CRM systems, and delivering actionable insights to enhance performance and revenue growth. The successful candidate will also provide structured support for complex tender and bid submissions, working closely with account executives and leadership to secure new commercial business.
The role is focused on administrative, operational and sales support services, allowing producers to focus on selling and achieving our combined growth targets and collaborate with sales leaders to implement our sales strategies across our various regions.
This position is designed for a dynamic and strategic thinker who is passionate about sales and committed to achieving excellence in the commercial insurance sector.
Key Responsibilities:
Develop and implement efficient sales processes, tools, and workflows to support the sales cycle.
Implement and refine sales workflows to improve efficiency and consistency
Create and distribute dashboard and performance for leadership and sales team
Standardise procedures for lead management, quoting and binding
Manage and maintain the CRM system (e.g., Howden Pipelines) ensuring data integrity and user adoption.
Monitor and improve data and reporting capabilities
Analyse sales data and generate reports, dashboards, and forecasts to support decision-making.
Collaborate with sales leadership to define and manage regional plans and sales campaigns
Ensure accurate data capture and pipeline visibility to support team productivity and decision-making.
Deliver insights on campaign or sales initiative performance, enabling data-driven decisions.
Train and support the sales team in best-practice CRM usage, ensuring optimal adoption and system utilisation.
Identify and implement tools and resources to improve sales team effectiveness.
Support cross selling initiatives with Howden Group
Coordinate with marketing to ensure alignment on lead generation and campaign tracking
Monitor compliance with internal policies and industry regulations.
Support audits and maintain documentation for compliance purposes
Lead or support special projects related to sales strategy, growth initiatives, and process improvement.
Manage RFP responses to ensure content and presentation requirements are met
Enhance sales documentation with the support of marketing
Coordinate the end-to-end preparation of complex commercial insurance bids and proposals, ensuring timely and high-quality submissions.
Work with Account Executives and underwriters to compile product information, pricing, terms, and service capabilities.
Own the bid library and ensure all standard templates, credentials, and supporting content are up to date and aligned with brand and regulatory guidelines.
Track and report on bid success rates and contribute to continuous improvement of proposal quality.
About You:
CIP qualification is essential
7+ years’ experience within a sales operations, business operations or commercial insurance position
Experience within an insurance brokerage or commercial financial services firm is strongly preferred
Strong understanding of the Irish insurance market, products, and regulatory landscape.
Demonstrated success in supporting the execution of sales strategies that drive revenue growth.
Commercial acumen, with the ability to analyse financial data with strong Verbal and Written Communications skills
Experience of developing and generating reports to support the sales
Ability to manage multiple initiatives, timelines & Stakeholders
Demonstrable experience in bid/tender preparation or support
Ability to streamline administrative tasks and improve workflows
Experience of Power BI & Acturis is preferable but not essential
Experience of responding to RFPs/Etender is preferable but not essential
Strong interpersonal skills and a collaborative mindset
Ability to interpret complex data and generate actionable insights
About Howden Ireland:
Howden Ireland is part of Howden, the global insurance intermediary group, and has over 500 employees across 28 local offices advising clients on their commercial insurance, personal insurance, health insurance, life and pensions and mortgage requirements. Our success is primarily down to the incredible people we employ.
What do we offer in return?
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
Reasonable adjustments
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.
Permanent
