Senior Associate

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.

Howden CAP (Capital, Advisory & Placement) is an exciting new business created by the fast-growing Howden Group to meet increasing client demand for capital and insurance solutions to support growth, optimise capital and achieve strategic objectives. Comprising top-level lawyers, bankers, Big 4 consultants and insurance professionals, Howden CAP’s experts take a multi-disciplinary approach – acting as advisors and structurers across all segments of financial services – private equity, banking and asset management - as well as corporate clients. Howden CAP pushes the boundaries between investment banking and insurance to provide clients with unique, innovative and high-value outcomes. We have a banking licence and can arrange portfolio transactions and synthetic securitisations using insurance, reinsurance and alternative capital.

Howden CAP combines Howden’s market-leading M&A and Global Credit Solutions practices, and includes specialists in Private Equity, Surety, ESG/Climate Risk, Insolvency, Tax, Credit, Litigation Funding, Structured Finance and Banking to create a unique powerhouse of joined-up expertise.

Our Vision

Howden CAP aims to become a £250 million business, the finance advisor of choice for clients and the clear market leader in insurance capital and innovation. It will operate as a separate brand and division within Howden, but it will collaborate seamlessly with colleagues around the globe and with colleagues in reinsurance and capital markets to achieve client outcomes. Our people will act at the “tip of the spear” to open up banking and private equity clients to the Group.

Howden CAP currently operates with five pillars:

M&A: Our market-leading W&I, title and insurance due diligence practice, growing 15% per year;

Credit: including credit risk (non-payment insurance) to banks for capital optimisation, trade credit, portfolio solutions, synthetic securitisation and other esoteric and structured risk solutions

Tax and Contingent: Tax, litigation funding and contingent risk solutions;

Real Assets and Green Transition: including PRI, solutions to banks and PE that focus on infrastructure, environmental risks including the transition to Net Zero, energy transition, ECAs and intergovernmental and regional organisations, and PE and retirement fund investment in long-dated assets;

Surety: including bank-related and bank fronted and supported surety, as well as regional and local surety;

The Role

The successful candidate will work within the balance sheet advisory & structuring team to help advise clients on balance sheet and capital optimisation. The role is based in Dublin with flexible working but will involve collaboration with CAP colleagues globally (particularly in London) and clients across Europe and beyond.

The role requires deep technical accounting expertise in the financial services area, preferably with a strong understanding of bank balance sheets. This role will involve engaging with Howden colleagues, bank and financial services clients, asset managers/ hedge funds and insurance underwriters to develop new and bespoke financial and risk solutions to real world problems which our clients are working to mitigate

Provide a technical accounting centre of expertise supporting colleagues across the Howden CAP business

Leverage a deep understanding of technical accounting standards to structure and implement insurance and or capital markets solutions for our clients

Monthly and bespoke technical updates for clients

Helping to structure complex deals, together with other senior advisors

Work with other strategic advisors (law firms, bankers and consultants) to help clients optimise their use of capital and insurance

Work with the Howden CAP and wider teams to devise and deliver unique approaches and innovative products and solutions

Support the development and structure of alternative capital vehicles 

Support senior members of Financial Institutions, Balance sheet advisory & structuring team

Experience & expertise

Technical accounting qualification and practical expertise in an accounting advisory role

Working knowledge of bank balance sheets and the regulatory environment

Strong attention to detail and ability to work proactively alone or as part of a team

Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to build strong relationships with clients and stakeholders

Excellent MS office skills

High energy and desire to create something unique in the market

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.