HR Project Manager

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 15,000 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.

We now have an exciting opportunity to join us as a HR Project Manager within our UK&I Retail business. The position can be based from any of our offices within the UK with hybrid working and travel throughout the UK as the need arises. The position is offered on an initial 12 month fixed term contract.

We're seeking an established Project Manager who will work closely with the HR team and operate as a catalyst to the Howden UK&I Retail people plan. Ideally you will have prior HR Project Management experience with a Prince2 (or similar) qualification.

Key Accountabilities

Ensure that project specifications and deliverables are consistent with the needs of the business and meet the strategic priorities.

Direct and empower the project team.

Ensure timescales and costs are handled throughout the lifecycle of the project.

Coordinate internal resources and vendors for the execution of projects.

Liaise with Programme Management and other Project Managers as the need arises.

Produce and maintain Project Initiation Documents.

Lead business and project issues and risks, including the development of contingency plans.

Take ownership for the overall project delivery, tracking progress and use of resources and initiating corrective action where required.

Responsible for change control throughout projects.

Report to the PMO/IMO throughout.

Fully adopt the PMO Framework and work to process and procedures across all functions.

Ensure all project artefacts and delivery outputs are delivered to a high quality.

Skills, Knowledge & Experience

Experience working as a Project Manager with Prince2 or similar.

Customer interfacing experience – project oversight, customer presentation – within the Insurance or Financial Services sectors ideally.

Business and systems integration project expertise.

Regulatory Change awareness and understanding.

Project lifecycle and key project components e.g. plan, PID, BRD, RAID log.

Demonstrate an understanding of Howden Group and the Insurance industry.

Excellent project planning skills.

Ability to persuade and influence others.

Ability to troubleshoot and problem solve including resolution of complex project issues.

Ability to capture and analyse information from the business.

Excellent skills in MS Office Product including MS Project.

Who we're looking for

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

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.

Diversity and Inclusion

At Howden, 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.

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.