Overview
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 22,000 employees spanning over 100 countries. Our people are our biggest asset and our inclusive culture drives our continued growth.
Why work at Howden? We are employee-owned with an entrepreneurial spirit. We hire talented specialists and empower them to make a difference for clients, while building fulfilling careers. We value culture, work/life balance, sustainability, volunteering, and career progression.
What is the role?
Responsible for development and standardisation of policies, procedures and processes across the procurement function and assists in implementing continuous improvement. Responsible for managing buy desk, system admin and product owners. Delivers initiatives set by procurement leadership including the Digital Procurement Strategy.
What will you be doing?
* Working with the Head of Procurement to provide strategic direction for the Source to Pay operational capability, to drive a best-in-class service for business users and suppliers.
* Leading the Procurement Operations teams (Buy Desk, System Admin, Product Owners) to deliver operational support to the business.
* Owning and driving the implementation of the Digital Procurement Strategy across operational teams, ensuring adoption of new tools and processes.
* Working closely with Procurement, IT, and divisions to establish a world-class S2P capability that supports growth, compliance, and operational efficiency.
* Supporting the implementation and optimisation of S2P technology platform.
* Ensuring effective management and continuous improvement of Buy Desk activities, including requisition triage, tactical sourcing, supplier enablement, and procurement-related query resolution.
* Collaborating with IT to maintain and enhance the S2P capability through integrations, system upgrades, and continuous improvement.
* Managing relationships with regional teams to ensure local compliance and alignment with global standards.
* Creating and documenting standard operating procedures (SOPs) that can scale as the organisation grows.
* Establishing and monitoring key performance indicators (KPIs) for operations to ensure service quality, efficiency, and compliance.
* Building and maintaining a robust policy framework and control environment across Source to Pay.
* Acting as an escalation point for procurement operational challenges and cross-functional issues.
What are we looking for?
Skills required
* Strong analytical, problem-solving, and project management abilities.
* Strong people / team management skills, including coaching and development of teams.
* Ability to translate strategic goals into operational processes and measurable outcomes.
* Ability to manage multiple priorities while maintaining a focus on detail and compliance.
* Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
* Experience using Source to Pay and procurement analytics tools.
* Proficiency in Microsoft Office (Excel, Word, PowerPoint, BI).
Competencies
* Extensive experience in P2P or Procurement Operations, including experience in early-stage or scaling environments.
* Strong process design and system implementation background - ideally with exposure to Source to Pay automation.
* Deep understanding of supplier lifecycle management, invoice processing, and control frameworks.
* Bachelor’s degree in Business, Procurement, or related field.
* Hands-on operator with the ability to move between strategic process design and day-to-day execution.
* Strong background and knowledge in development, deployment and management of Procurement policies, systems and tools.
* Experience leading offshore teams is highly desirable.
* Excellent collaboration, stakeholder engagement, and change management skills.
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. We know that separating home and work lives is important, and we support our people in every aspect of their lives.
Diversity and Inclusion
At Howden we value diversity - there is no one Howden ‘personality type’. 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
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.
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.
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