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 24,000 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: Associate Cloud Engineer
Team: Cloud Engineering
Location: Hybrid, UK
Tech: Azure, Azure DevOps, Infrastructure as Code (Bicep), Networking, Identity, Monitoring
As one of the largest insurance groups in the world and the fifth largest employee-owned business in the UK, we manage premiums on behalf of millions of clients across a wide range of product offerings and our development team work on solutions that innovate and put the users’ needs at the forefront.
Role
As an Associate Cloud Engineer at Howden, you will join the Cloud Engineering team, contributing directly to the build, operation, and improvement of our Azure cloud platform.
This role is suited to a junior cloud engineer who has foundational Azure experience and is ready to take responsibility for hands-on engineering work in a production environment. You will work on core platform components that support all cloud-hosted workloads, including subscriptions, identity, networking, monitoring, and deployment automation.
You will contribute to platform changes using Infrastructure as Code, follow established engineering and governance standards, and support the operation of live environments. As part of the team, you will help investigate incidents, perform root cause analysis, and implement preventative improvements.
You will work closely with senior cloud engineers and architects to deliver platform roadmap items, improve reliability and security, and enable delivery teams through well-defined, well-documented cloud services. Over time, your scope and autonomy will grow as your technical confidence and judgement develop.
This role requires someone who is comfortable taking ownership of tasks, working methodically, and contributing to shared systems that are relied upon across the organisation.
About you:
Familiarity or practical experience working with Microsoft Azure
A working understanding of core cloud services such as compute, storage, networking, and identity
Experience (or strong interest) in Infrastructure as Code, ideally using Bicep
Familiarity with using Azure DevOps or similar tools for source control and pipelines
Understanding of why environments, subscriptions, and access controls are structured and governed
Awareness of cloud security fundamentals such as identity, role-based access, and secure configuration
Experience following engineering standards and change processes in shared environments
Comfortable making controlled changes to production or pre-production systems
Interest in monitoring, logging, and understanding how systems behave in real-world usage
Ability to troubleshoot issues methodically and escalate appropriately when needed
Willingness to document work clearly and keep platform documentation accurate
A practical, detail-oriented mindset with care taken when working on shared infrastructure
Good communication skills and the ability to work effectively within a team
Comfortable participating in agile ceremonies and collaborative planning sessions, where required
Motivated to develop deeper expertise in cloud and platform engineering over time
GCSE (or equivalent)
Maths and English at Grade C, 4 or above
If you don't have this yet, you'll need to achieve this level through a function skills programme in your first year.
Additional qualifications (one of the following):
96 UCAS points from three A levels (we accept General Studies)
112 UCAS points with at least 64 from two A levels or equivalent BTEC
Access to HE Diploma with at least 45 credits at level three and 15 credits at level two
A completed level three apprenticeship
Rewards
We believe that great work and dedication should be rewarded, that’s why we offer:
25 days holiday (plus bank holidays), pro-rated for part year service
A set of core benefits, designed with your health and financial protection in mind:
Life Assurance up to 4x salary, protecting your loved ones in case the worst should happen
Income protection, guaranteeing an income for up to 5 years in the event of an illness or injury
Contributory pension scheme – 4% employer contribution and 5% employee contribution, rising to 5% & 5% in April 2025
Access to a Healthcare Cashplan, which gives you access to a variety of health related benefits
Access to a host of lifestyle and financial benefits that you can choose from:
Discounts on gym membership across the UK
Salary sacrifice schemes – Travel Insurance, Cycle to Work, Car leasing, Technology purchase
Access to discounted personal health policies – Critical illness, private medical, dental plans
A range of insurance products available commission free, including home, motor, travel and specialist vehicles
Access to hundreds of high-street retailer discounts
Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) to support employees outside of work
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
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.
PermanentSkills Required
- Practical experience or familiarity with Microsoft Azure
- Working understanding of core cloud services (compute, storage, networking, identity)
- Experience or strong interest in Infrastructure as Code, ideally using Bicep
- Familiarity with Azure DevOps or similar source control and pipeline tools
- Understanding of environment, subscription and access control structuring and governance
- Awareness of cloud security fundamentals (identity, RBAC, secure configuration)
- Experience following engineering standards and change processes in shared environments
- Comfort making controlled changes to production or pre-production systems
- Interest in monitoring, logging and observing real-world system behaviour
- Ability to troubleshoot methodically and escalate appropriately
- Willingness to document work clearly and keep platform documentation accurate
- Good communication skills and ability to work effectively within a team
- Comfort participating in agile ceremonies and collaborative planning
- Motivation to develop deeper expertise in cloud and platform engineering over time
- GCSE (or equivalent) Maths and English at Grade C / 4 or above (or achieve via functional skills programme)
- One of the following additional qualifications: 96 UCAS points from three A levels; 112 UCAS points with at least 64 from two A levels or equivalent BTEC; Access to HE Diploma with required credits; or a completed level three apprenticeship
What We Do
The global reinsurance broker and risk, capital, and strategic advisor focused on relentless innovation and superior analytics for top client service. Part of Howden
