Personal Assistant

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 mindset, and our strength lies in our ability to collaborate as a powerful international team comprised of 18,000 employees spanning over 100 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.

About the Role

We are seeking a proactive and highly organised PA/EA to support our Chief People Officer (CPO) in delivering the global people strategy. As our organisation continues to grow and transform, you will play a pivotal role in ensuring the CPO is fully supported in their day-to-day responsibilities, allowing them to focus on driving strategic priorities.

This role involves managing the CPO's diary, coordinating meetings, arranging international travel, and assisting with various administrative tasks. You will ensure the smooth execution of key projects, provide vital support for meetings, and help maintain efficient communication across the function.

You will excel in this role if you are extremely organised, with strong communication skills, a keen eye for detail, and the ability to manage changing priorities. Excellent IT skills, particularly in Microsoft Office, are essential, as is the ability to work independently and anticipate needs in a fast-paced, dynamic environment.

What are the key elements of the role?

Planning/Reporting:

• Handles assigned projects and contributes to other projects as the need arises
• Provides relevant management information to senior management
• Ensures records of meetings are kept through the production of accurate and timely minutes and any related documentation, and distributed accordingly

Technical:

a) Schedule Management

• Maintains personal and work diary of the Group Chief People Officer
• Organises meetings, presentations/speaking engagements, venue/room bookings, catering, events and the preparation of relevant material in advance of meetings and events
• Organises local and international travel arrangements, including visa requirements, insurance arrangements and the preparation of travel itineraries
• Ensures that time is effectively planned, there are no scheduling conflicts and that the Chief People Officer is effectively prepared and issued with any relevant documentation and a daily timetable in advance of each working week.
• Provides administration support for personal matters, as appropriate.
• Prepares paperwork for meetings

b) Information Preparation

• Prepares and formats information for internal and external distribution. This may include writing letters and memos, compiling data for reports, creating computerized presentations, writing reports, transcribing dictation, editing, proofreading and internet research.

c) Data Analysis

• Analyses data utilising electronic and critical thinking methods
• Summaries information to provide financial analyses.
• Condenses reports in appropriate formats e.g. Executive summaries, graphs, etc
• Identifies where there are gaps in data provided and will follow through to address any areas of concern
• Highlights any areas of concern/areas of priority

d) Records Management

• Handles paper and electronic filing systems
• Ensures that any administration processes which they are asked to complete are compliant with Company, legal or regulatory requirements

e) General Administration Support

• Screens calls, ensuring that the Chief People Officer is able to focus on their key priorities, dealing with issues as appropriate. 
• Handles expenses records and claims and invoice processing team where needed.
• Open and respond to postal queries, face to face enquiries
• Organises e mail systems, responds to e mail using agreed processes
• Posts messages/communications on the intranet/social media on behalf of their Executive Manager
• Approving job requisitions and time off by direct reports of the Chief People Officer on their behalf.
• Liaises with other secretarial and administration resource as the need arises, in order to ensure support is available during lunch breaks, holidays or periods of absence.
• Responsible for onboarding all new joiners to the team liaising with HR and IT as appropriate.

f) Other

• Keeps informed of all regulatory and legal changes which impacts on the job role
• Ensures up to date records are maintained at all times on the Company systems
• Responds appropriately to urgent issues as they arise

Environment, Customer Focus and Relationships:

a)General:

• Develops strong relationships with the Operating and Group Executive teams. Develops strong relationships with their line manager’s direct reports
• Networks with other Executive Assistants
• Behaves with all clients (both internal and external) fairly and ethically
• Shares information that could be beneficial to the Operating Entity/Group
   

b) Suppliers:

• Maintains an appropriate group of preferred suppliers e.g. hotel and conferencing services, taxi services, restaurants
• Develops strong relationships with suppliers
• Negotiates with suppliers to provide best balance of quality, service and price

What do we need from you?

• Experience working in a PA/EA or Office Manager capacity
• It is not essential that you have worked in Financial Services but an understanding of insurance/consultancy would be beneficial
• Understands the role of an EA and has experience of being proactive
• Highly motivated and organised
• Ability to work effectively within a dynamic team
• Proactive, able to anticipate issues and rectify these on behalf of their manager/team
• Attention to detail with ability to produce accurate documentation: professional documents which are visually appealing and correct with regards to grammar, layout and spelling
• Prioritisation and organisational skills – able to demonstrate flexibility with regards to working hours when required and able to produce a high quality of work within short deadlines
• Internal Networking skills
• Proficient IT skills including, but not limited to, Microsoft Office Suite
• Numerate – able to create spreadsheets and run expenses processes
• Ability to communicate effectively, both verbally and in writing, with internal and external stakeholders at varying levels of seniority. Portrays a professional and polished image of the Division to all external contacts.
• Able to deal with confidential matters appropriately
• Proactive – is able to anticipate issues and rectify these on behalf of their manager/team
• Self-motivated
• GCSE’s (or equivalent) including English and Maths essential
• Technically relevant qualifications e.g. Word processing etc. desirable

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.

Permanent