Howden is a global insurance group with employee ownership at its heart. We're experts helping clients adapt and thrive in a changing 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 over 24,000 employees spanning more than 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.
The role
The Process Lead is the senior delivery role within the Process Optimisation Programme, responsible for driving pace, quality and impact across enterprise process architecture, hands‑on optimisation and capability uplift. The role exists to turn ambition into execution — setting direction, prioritising work, leading delivery teams and ensuring redesign activity is grounded in real insurance operations while building a sustainable improvement capability across the business.
What you’ll be doing
* Own and lead day‑to‑day delivery of the Process Optimisation Programme across all divisions and workstreams.
* Set clear direction, priorities and sequencing across enterprise process architecture, optimisation sprints and capability uplift.
* Lead, coach and develop the Business Analyst team, ensuring high standards, consistency and delivery pace.
* Establish and maintain a single enterprise‑wide inventory of insurance processes, including agreed hierarchies, ownership and metadata.
* Ensure credible opportunity sizing and prioritisation through robust analysis and process heatmaps by division.
* Shape, lead and assure structured design sprints on priority processes, challenging existing ways of working end to end.
* Work directly with senior stakeholders and process owners to influence, challenge and drive decisions.
* Embed Lean, Six Sigma and value‑stream thinking into practical redesign activity.
* Ensure optimisation activity integrates technology, automation and AI in a way that is operationally effective and regulatorily sound.
* Build sustainable process and optimisation capability within divisions, reducing long‑term dependency on central teams.
* Ensure work remains grounded in real insurance workflows, controls and operational constraints.
* Maintain clear visibility of progress, risks and outcomes for senior stakeholders.
Who we’re looking for
* Strong experience leading delivery within complex, multi‑year transformation or optimisation programmes.
* Deep expertise in process improvement, including Lean, Six Sigma and value stream mapping.
* Proven ability to translate strategy into execution at scale across multiple business areas.
* Strong people leadership and coaching capability, with experience building high‑performing teams.
* Experience operating in regulated environments, with sound understanding of controls and SOX‑style requirements.
* Strong understanding of systems, data and end‑to‑end insurance workflows.
* Excellent stakeholder management skills, with confidence influencing and challenging at executive level.
* Strong insurance experience, with credibility across core insurance operations.
* Practical curiosity and applied interest in AI, automation and agentic ways of working.
Qualifications
* Process improvement certification (Lean, Six Sigma or equivalent) is desirable.
* Relevant professional qualification or equivalent practical experience is desirable.
* Strong written and verbal English, with the ability to communicate clearly at all levels.
* Good numeracy skills, with confidence working with data, costs and value measures.
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
Diversity and Inclusion
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.
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.
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.
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