Associate Director - Professional Indemnity Financial Institutions Legal, Technical and Claims

Who are we? 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 mind-set, and our strength lies in our ability to collaborate as a powerful international team comprised of over 20,000 employees spanning over 100 countries. Our people are our biggest asset as well as our largest shareholder group and are everything that makes us unique; our inclusive culture, the quality service we offer our clients, and our continued growth, all come from our people-first approach. There's no such thing as individual success. We all need to play our part, contributing our skills and experience to make a true difference. That's Howden. Why work at Howden? We have always been employee-owned and driven by entrepreneurial spirit. Right from the beginning, we've focused on employing talented individuals and empowering them to make a real difference to the company, whilst building successful and fulfilling careers at the same time. Simply put, we hire talented specialists and give them what they need to make a difference for clients. Always have, always will. 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 disappointed head-hunters for years. Whatever your priorities – work/life balance, career progression, sustainability, volunteering – you'll find like-minded people driving change at Howden. The role Focusing on Professional Indemnity and Financial Institutions clients, you'll be a senior technical expert on financial lines coverage and claims. A core member of client teams, you will support clients and colleagues across complex claims, policy wordings, and technical queries. You'll own claims advocacy for nominated major clients, act as an escalation point for complex PI and FI matters, and use your expertise to strengthen client propositions and support tenders. What you'll be doing

• Lead claims advocacy for nominated clients, from advising on notification and drafting submissions through to managing information, market engagement and successful resolution.
• Act as a senior escalation point for complex PI and FI claims, providing expert technical guidance to colleagues and supporting effective responses to key client queries.
• Advise clients and brokers on policy wordings and coverage issues, supporting negotiations with insurers where required.
• Draft base and bespoke policy wordings, using market developments and client needs to inform effective solutions.
• Negotiate with insurers and build effective relationships across claims and underwriting teams to secure strong outcomes for clients.
• Monitor legal, regulatory, claims and market developments, translating relevant changes into practical, commercially focused advice.
• Support and attend new business tenders.
• Develop thought leadership, seminars, training and claims data propositions that strengthen technical capability and add value for clients.
• Contribute to departmental operational plans, management information, projects, new business pitches and client value propositions.
• Maintain high standards of governance, documentation and compliance, including peer reviews and audits where appropriate.
• Coach less experienced colleagues on complex claims and accounts, sharing technical expertise and supporting consistently high standards.
• Build trusted relationships with clients and internal stakeholders, bringing current claims and market insight into renewals, reviews and new business opportunities. Who we're looking for
• Extensive experience in financial lines insurance claims, policy wordings development or an insurance-focused legal role.
• Proven experience as a claims or technical wordings specialist within the Lloyd's and international insurance markets.
• In-depth knowledge of financial lines claims handling, relevant product areas and associated policy wordings, with experience handling complex matters.
• Strong knowledge of the insurance market and the legal and regulatory environment affecting insurance intermediaries and clients.
• Demonstrable experience advising clients and stakeholders on complex technical or coverage matters and negotiating effectively with insurance markets.
• Experience drafting and interpreting policy wordings, claims documentation or comparable technical insurance material.
• Evidence of delivering effectively across competing priorities and deadlines in a high-pressure environment.
• Experience sharing technical knowledge, coaching colleagues and reviewing the work of less experienced team members. Qualifications
• A law degree, Graduate Diploma in Law, CILEx Diploma in Law and Practice, or a similar legal qualification.
• Strong written and verbal English, including the ability to communicate complex technical and legal information clearly.
• Strong numeracy, with the ability to interpret claims information and support sound commercial decision-making. 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. And we know that separate home and work lives don't really exist. If you're happy and healthy at home, you're more likely to be happy and fulfilled at work – and vice versa. That's why we do our best to support our people in every aspect of their lives.

At Howden we value diversity - there is no one Howden ‘personality 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 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. Reasonable adjustments 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. 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.