Surety - Account Executive

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.

Howden Ireland are seeking an experienced Senior Surety Executive to lead and grow our surety portfolio, act as a trusted adviser to key clients and brokers, and provide technical oversight across contract and commercial surety lines. This is a senior client-facing role with accountability for profitable growth, market engagement and best-in-class service delivery, including the proactive origination and conversion of new client opportunities.

About the role

You will own and develop a portfolio of surety clients, drive new business and retention, and provide senior technical guidance on bond placement, renewals and complex submissions. Working closely with clients, brokers, underwriters and internal stakeholders, you will shape our approach to market strategy, risk governance and service standards while proactively identifying, targeting and converting new client opportunities and supporting the development of the wider team.

Key Responsibilities:

• Own day-to-day management of a senior surety client portfolio, acting as primary relationship lead and escalation point for service, technical and commercial issues.

• Lead placement, renewal and negotiation of contract and commercial surety bonds (including performance, advance payment, retention, bid and specialist bonds), ensuring optimal terms, capacity and pricing.

• Provide senior technical oversight on submissions: review financials, work-in-progress and contractual documentation; challenge assumptions; and present coherent risk narratives to surety markets.

• Develop and execute a surety growth plan: identify target sectors/clients, build pipeline, and convert opportunities in line with agreed revenue, retention and profitability targets.

• Actively originate new client relationships through targeted prospecting, referrals and broker engagement; represent the surety offering at relevant industry events; and partner with colleagues to identify cross-sell opportunities that convert into measurable pipeline and revenue.

• Maintain and deepen relationships with key surety underwriters and decision makers; monitor market appetite and trends; and proactively secure capacity for priority clients.

• Ensure robust governance and compliance: adhere to internal procedures, regulatory requirements and delegated authorities; maintain high-quality file documentation; and support audits and risk reviews.

• Collaborate with internal teams (finance, claims, compliance and broking) to ensure accurate invoicing, efficient workflow, timely bond issuance and high client satisfaction.

• Coach and support colleagues through mentoring, technical guidance and knowledge sharing; contribute to process improvement, training and the development of new surety solutions.

About You:

• Significant experience in surety (contract and/or commercial) within a broker, insurer or specialist surety provider or relevant experience in bank lending/credit (e.g., credit underwriting, relationship management or structured finance), with a proven record of managing senior client relationships.

• Strong commercial judgement with the ability to negotiate effectively with underwriters, brokers and clients to secure terms and resolve issues.

• Demonstrated capability in financial analysis and underwriting (accounts, cashflow, covenants, work-in-progress and/or credit papers) and translating complex information into clear recommendations.

• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills, comfortable engaging with senior decision makers and presenting to internal and external audiences.

• Highly organised with strong attention to detail, able to prioritise competing deadlines and maintain high-quality documentation and controls.

• A proactive, results-driven approach with evidence of delivering growth, retention and service improvements; comfortable working autonomously and leading by example.

• CIP insurance qualification and evidence of continued professional development in surety and construction-related risk.

• Track record of developing and executing business plans, building pipelines and winning new surety business through brokers and direct client engagement.

• Experience with complex contract surety, infrastructure or construction sectors, and/or managing delegated authorities and market facilities would be a strong advantage.

About Howden Ireland:

Howden Ireland is part of Howden, the global insurance intermediary group, and has over 600 employees across 29 local offices advising clients on their commercial insurance, personal insurance, health insurance, life and pensions and mortgage requirements. Our success is primarily down to the incredible people we employ.

For more information, please visit About Us | Howden Ireland (howdengroup.com)

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.