Who are we?

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.

Based in any of our Dublin offices, Howden Ireland are looking for a Head of Howden Markets to lead with the successful delivery of Howden Ireland’s Market Management and Portfolio Solutions strategy.

The successful candidate will be responsible for developing and executing the company’s strategy to co-ordinate, manage and develop strategic insurer relationships, while delivering enhanced client outcomes and placement efficiency for our broking teams.

About the Role:

This senior leadership position requires a dynamic individual with a deep understanding of the Irish P&C insurance market, a strong network, and the ability to drive business growth through strategic market engagement.

The ideal candidate will have a proven track record in distribution and or portfolio management along with P&L ownership & management. This is an opportunity to deliver alongside the business to drive growth in a complex and challenging industry.

Key Accountabilities

• Assume full P&L responsibility for Howden Markets Ireland, ensuring financial performance and sustainable growth.

• Oversee and manage strategic insurer relationships, ensuring alignment with business objectives.

• Lead the development of facilities and bespoke products supporting growth & operational efficiency.

• Develop and implement strategic initiatives and operational plans to expand market presence and enhance competitive positioning.

• Help shape the development of the wider Howden Ireland business strategy.

• Confidently articulate & communicate Howden Ireland and Group strategy both internally and externally.

• Exhibit strong leadership qualities by guiding, mentoring, and developing a high-performing team.

• Acts as a role model by living and promoting the Howden values.

• Display and instil a positive, highly collaborative and customer-centric culture.

• Remain aware of external, industry and regulatory developments to ensure practice and outputs are of a sufficiently high standard.

• Keeps informed of all relevant regulatory & legal developments.

• Follows the company processes and procedures.

• Ensures up to date records are maintained at all times on relevant Howden Ireland systems.

• Develops strong relationships with business units within Howden Ireland, the Group and external stakeholders.

• Promotes and instils confidence in Howden Ireland across all stakeholders.

• Facilitates smooth communication between various parties within the business.

• Ensures the Howden Markets team understands its client’s (internal & external) requirements and demands.

• Collaborates across the wider Howden Group to take learnings & best practice to the Irish business.

• Attends external seminars, forums and events where necessary, to positively represent the Group and increase own knowledge and understanding of changing needs and market trends.

• Ensures compliance with all relative legal, fiscal, and regulatory obligations.

• Ensures correct authorisation is obtained and processes followed as required by Howden Ireland and or Group.

• Operates in an honest, professional, and ethical manner.

• Strictly adheres to the Howden Ireland Employee Code of Conduct.

About You:

• Minimum 10 years’ experience in the Insurance Industry.

• Minimum of a CIP qualification with relevant experience.

• Strong leadership and management skill and ability to motivate and develop a high performing team.

• Experience of the development and execution of people strategy to support the business strategy.

• Exceptional organisational leadership, with a proven ability to plan strategically, prioritise effectively, and deliver against competing deadlines in a fast-paced, multi-stakeholder environment.

• Outstanding attention to detail, combined with the ability to maintain accuracy while operating at both strategic and operational levels.

• Commercially astute and entrepreneurial mindset, with a demonstrated ability to identify market opportunities, drive innovation, and deliver sustainable growth.

• Strategic thinker with broad market perspective, capable of connecting industry trends, insurer dynamics, and client needs to inform business strategy.

• Client-centric approach, with a strong focus on delivering value, enhancing client outcomes, and strengthening long-term partnerships.

• A track record in building and managing strong and credible relationships at all levels in the organisation.

• Strong commercial acumen and the ability to translate business requirements into people focused priorities.

• Pragmatic, collaborative style.

• A high level of influencing skills, stakeholder management, diplomacy and adaptability in a changing environment.

About Howden Ireland:

Howden Ireland is part of Howden, the global insurance intermediary group, and has over 600 employees across 28 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)

What do we offer in return?

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

Reasonable adjustments

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.