Process Design and Governance Specialist

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.

Function: Operations Excellence / Business Process Management

Reports To: Head of Business Services

Location: Remote

Position Summary

The Process Design and Governance Specialist is responsible for designing, documenting, and governing end-to-end business processes across the brokerage's global operations. This role ensures that processes supporting placement, claims, underwriting support, compliance, and client servicing are standardized, efficient, well-controlled, and compliant with regulatory requirements across the jurisdictions in which the firm operates. The role acts as a bridge between operations, technology, risk/compliance, and regional leadership to embed consistent, scalable, and auditable ways of working.

Key Responsibilities

Process Design

• Lead the design and redesign of core operational processes (new business placement, renewals, mid-term adjustments, claims handling, endorsements, certificate issuance, accounting/settlement) to improve efficiency, consistency, and client experience.
• Develop process maps, standard operating procedures (SOPs), workflow documentation, and RACI models for global and regional teams.
• Partner with technology and digital teams to translate process requirements into system workflows, automation opportunities (RPA, workflow tools), and platform configurations.
• Facilitate process design workshops with stakeholders across broking, claims, compliance, finance, and regional offices.
• Identify opportunities for process simplification, standardization, and harmonization across regions and business lines while accommodating local regulatory nuances.

Governance

• Establish and maintain a process governance framework, including process ownership, version control, review cadence, and change management protocols.
• Define and monitor key process controls, ensuring alignment with internal audit, regulatory, and E&O (errors & omissions) risk requirements.
• Maintain a central repository/inventory of approved processes and SOPs, ensuring documentation is current, accessible, and consistently formatted.
• Support internal and external audits by providing process documentation, evidence of controls, and gap remediation plans.
• Chair or support process governance committees/forums; track and report on process exceptions, control breaches, and remediation actions.
• Ensure new products, regulatory changes, or M&A integrations are assessed for process impact and appropriately governed before go-live.

Continuous Improvement & Change Management

• Monitor process performance using KPIs/metrics (cycle time, error rates, rework, compliance exceptions) and drive corrective action plans.
• Apply Lean, Six Sigma, or equivalent methodologies to identify root causes of inefficiency and control failures.
• Manage change control for process updates, including impact assessment, stakeholder sign-off, training material updates, and communication plans.
• Support integration of acquired entities or new business lines into standardized global process frameworks.

Stakeholder Engagement & Reporting

• Act as a subject matter expert and advisor to regional operations leaders on process design and control matters.
• Prepare governance reporting for senior leadership, risk committees, and regulators as required.
• Build strong working relationships with Compliance, Risk, Internal Audit, IT, and regional Operations teams to ensure alignment on process and control expectations.

Qualifications

Required

• Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Operations Management, Insurance, Risk Management, or related field.
• 5+ years of experience in process design, business process management, or operational governance, ideally within insurance, reinsurance, brokerage, or financial services.
• Strong understanding of insurance brokerage operations (placement, claims, accounting/settlement, compliance) is highly preferred.
• Demonstrated experience developing SOPs, process maps (e.g., BPMN, Visio, Lucidchart), and governance frameworks.
• Familiarity with regulatory and control requirements relevant to global insurance operations (e.g., E&O risk, data privacy, anti-bribery/corruption, sanctions screening).

Preferred

• Experience with workflow/automation platforms (e.g., Appian, Pega, UiPath, Power Automate) and insurance placement/policy management systems.
• Experience working in a global or matrixed organization spanning multiple regulatory jurisdictions.
• Project management certification (PMP, PRINCE2, or Agile/Scrum) a plus.

Skills & Competencies

• Strong analytical and process-mapping skills; comfort working with ambiguity in complex, multi-region environments.
• Excellent written communication for documentation and policy drafting.
• Strong facilitation and stakeholder management skills across seniority levels and cultures.
• High attention to detail balanced with pragmatic, business-outcome orientation.
• Ability to influence without direct authority and drive adoption of governance standards.

Working Relationships

• Internal: Regional Operations Leaders, Compliance & Risk, Internal Audit, IT/Digital, Claims, Broking, Finance.
• External: External auditors, technology vendors.

Success Measures

• Reduction in process cycle times and error/rework rates across key operational processes.
• Percentage of processes with current, governance-approved documentation.
• Timely closure of audit findings and control remediation actions.
• Successful, well-governed rollout of new/changed processes with minimal disruption.
• Stakeholder satisfaction with process clarity and support provided.

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.