Executive Assistant – Group Legal

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.

This is a new position created to provide dedicated executive assistant support to the General Counsel International and the Group Head of Legal Operations, two senior leaders within Howden's Group Legal team. Reporting into the General Counsel International, this role sits at the heart of the Group Chief Legal Officer's UK team, supporting two leaders central to how Legal operates internationally and how the team runs day to day.

This is not a light administrative role. Supporting two senior leaders with very different remits, one leading Legal across EMEA, Asia and the Pacific, the other driving global legal operations and transformation, means managing competing priorities across multiple time zones with confidence and sound judgement. You will thrive in this role if you enjoy variety, take ownership without being directed, and are comfortable operating close to sensitive and confidential legal matters.

The role also contributes to the broader coordination of the legal support team, working alongside other EAs and PAs in the team to ensure seamless coverage and a collaborative team environment. Absolute discretion when handling confidential legal matters is non-negotiable. This is a full-time, permanent role based in London, following a hybrid working pattern.

• Managing complex diaries for both the General Counsel International and the Group Head of Legal Operations, coordinating across internal and external schedules and Legal Leadership Team meetings.

• Screening and managing inboxes for both principals, prioritising items for response and redirecting correspondence as appropriate.

• Preparing, formatting and proofreading documents, briefings and presentations to a high standard, including version control and arranging signatures via e-signature tools such as DocuSign.

• Arranging international travel for both principals, including flights, accommodation, visas and ground transport, managing any last-minute changes as they arise.

• Keeping track of actions, deadlines and follow-ups across both principals' priorities and flagging anything that needs escalating.

• Managing the day-to-day administrative needs of both principals, including expenses, desk bookings and general operational requirements.

• Assisting with Legal Leadership Team and committee meetings, including collating papers, taking minutes and tracking action points.

• Supporting the General Counsel International with committee papers and meeting logistics, including collating materials, scheduling, and liaising with Company Secretariat on submission timelines.

• Supporting the Group Head of Legal Operations with coordination of external law firm panel relationships, including scheduling, correspondence and tracking of engagement terms.

• Processing invoices and supporting legal spend administration, entering them into the e-billing or matter management system and following up on payment.

• Supporting the Group Head of Legal Operations with logistics and materials for transformation initiatives and legal operations projects, including coordination of Legal Ops Hub content and internal communications.

• Supporting onboarding of new joiners across both principals' teams, including coordinating systems access and inductions with IT and HR.

• Supporting recruitment administration as needed, including interview scheduling and liaison with HR and Talent Acquisition.

• Using the team's core systems confidently, including document and matter management platforms and collaboration tools such as SharePoint and Teams.

• Using AI and productivity tools responsibly to support drafting, scheduling and document handling, in line with the team's acceptable-use policies.

• Handling all confidential, personal and legally privileged information with discretion and in line with data protection obligations.

• Working as part of the wider legal support team, covering colleagues during absences and contributing to the smooth running of the Group Legal team.

• 10+ years of experience in a senior EA role, ideally supporting C-suite or equivalent senior executives within a legal, professional services, or financial services environment.

• Experience supporting more than one senior stakeholder simultaneously, with sound judgement about competing priorities and confidence prioritising without being directed.

• Strong organisational skills and excellent attention to detail, with a consistently high standard of output even under pressure.

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the confidence to correspond professionally on behalf of senior leaders and interact effectively at all levels of a global organisation.

• Comfortable operating across multiple time zones and coordinating international travel and logistics.

• Absolute discretion when handling privileged and confidential legal information, non-negotiable.

• Strong working knowledge of Microsoft Office, including Outlook, Word, PowerPoint and Excel.

• A collaborative team player who works well within a broader EA and PA structure and communicates proactively with colleagues across the team.

In addition to the above, the following experience and knowledge would be desirable, although not essential, and would help the right candidate hit the ground running:

• A genuine understanding of how a legal team operates, including familiarity with governance processes, external counsel relationships, and legal operations concepts

• Familiarity with committee papers and governance processes, including an understanding of how materials are prepared and submitted ahead of committee meetings.

• An awareness of legal professional privilege, confidentiality, and conflicts-of-interest concepts.

• Familiarity with legal operations concepts, such as legal spend management, external counsel panel arrangements, or legal technology platforms.

• Experience supporting internal communications activity, such as content coordination for intranet or hub-style platforms.

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.