Who are we?
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.
Role title: Senior Internal Audit Manager
Role based in: UK (London-based hybrid working)
Reporting Line: To Group Head of Internal Audit
Role Summary
Internal audit is an independent, objective assurance and consulting activity designed to help Howden Group and its entities accomplish its strategic objectives by bringing a detailed, focused approach to evaluate and improve the efficiency of risk management, control and governance processes. Internal Audit reports functionally to the Howden Group Audit Committee and administratively to the Group CRO.
The goal of our function is not to find fault, but to help management and the businesses succeed in delivering their objectives successfully. We accomplish this by utilising our diverse range of skillsets to challenge the status quo and bring insight and value alongside our core assurance work.
This role sits as part of the Internal Audit Leadership Team and therefore is a key role in supporting the Head of Internal Audit, and the overall success of the function.
The key role deliverables are:
- Portfolio and Stakeholder Management responsibility for the audit plans of one of the Group’s UK insurance businesses.
- Management of the delivery of a range of diverse internal audits from within the Howden Group Internal Audit plan; assessing business processes and risks and evaluating internal controls to provide an independent appraisal of the internal control environment. Recommendations to improve processes and controls, and contribution towards greater business efficiency will be key outcomes.
- Developing and maintaining positive relationships with key partners within the business, including Senior Management. This is a high profile role with access to senior leaders within the business.
- People management and talent development. Coaching junior team members.
- Contributing to the continual improvement of the function through innovation and efficiency, including challenging current methods.
Training and development will be fully supported, but driven by the candidate, ensuring that skills and expertise remain current and can add value.
This role may require travel throughout the UK and Ireland region, and potentially to any of the businesses and offices within the wider Howden Group globally if business needs arise. As a guide only, we would estimate 10-15% travel.
Skills and abilities
- Leadership and vision to develop and deliver audit services to assigned portfolio.
- Ability to lead and develop team members in support of the audit delivery.
- Strong communication skills (written & verbal).
- Strong organisational skills with excellent time management to run a portfolio of audit assignments concurrently
- Ability to demonstrate credibility and generate rapport in dealings with stakeholders of all levels.
- High level of business understanding and the ability to empathise with auditees and identify pragmatic solutions which address identified risks; strong negotiating and influencing skills.
- Proficient in Microsoft applications, especially Excel; experience in data analytics / AI viewed favourably.
- Highly motivated and proactive self-starter; co-operative and encouraging teammate.
Knowledge and Experience
- Professional qualification within either finance/business or insurance industry.
- Consistent track record within an internal audit environment evidencing strong performance in conducting high-quality audit work, and delivering high-quality findings and reports. Exposure to drafting committee reporting and presenting at committees and boards.
- Experience in presenting and communicating information in a logical, professional and objective manner, and handling discussions to successfully build consensus and drive forward-looking actions.
- Solid understanding of technical auditing concepts, and internal control systems.
- Insurance / Reinsurance industry experience essential. In addition, knowledge of UK regulatory requirements would be a significant advantage.
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
