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.

Role Information

Our Early Careers programmes are our vehicle for unlocking the potential and unleashing the capability of the next wave of Howden colleagues.  And it is the Essential, transferrable skills of all our people that powers our continued success.

As Howden continues our exciting growth journey, we aspire to be THE destination of choice in the insurance industry for Early Careers Talent of all backgrounds, from school leavers, to graduates to early career changers.  And to have the workforce that is best skilled to win for our customers and clients in a rapidly changing insurance market.

The L&D Manager – Early Careers and Essential Skills, a newly created role, will be at the heart of achieving these aims; we need a highly motivated and effective individual to take on this opportunity.

The role holder will bring their own specialist skills and track record of implementing high-impact L&D solutions and will work in partnership with our Group Early Careers (EC) team and key stakeholders from across HR and the wider business.  They will analyse and diagnose what the business needs in terms of skills and behaviours for their target audiences, translate those needs into a clear framework which articulates success and then design develop and deploy a set of leading-edge learning and non-learning solutions and measure their effectiveness over time.

Online and offline, live and self-paced, learning experiences and learning resources, the role holder will be an expert at identifying solutions which enable individuals, teams and managers to take control of their own development and power business success.

Key Responsibilities

Include:

Early Careers and Essential skills learning strategy definitionWork alongside the Group L&D and Group Early Careers leads to define and implement an overarching strategy and narrative for our approach to developing our Early Career Talent and general populations in the critical skills and behaviours for their roles and careersSkills and Behaviours definition – Both Early Careers and the wider populationWorking with the Group L&D lead and key stakeholders, define the critical skills and behaviours which are essential to success in the insurance sector for the key target audiences. Solution Design, Delivery, Implementation and Evaluation – Early CareersTake ownership for defining, designing, implementing and evaluating a comprehensive, holistic learning programme for our Early Careers Professionals, which extends from their initial offer acceptance, through their first days and into their first two years.Partner with internal subject matter experts, external partners and professional bodies to design bespoke content as part of the overall programme.Deliver a blend of learning experiences and resources that underpin the development of skills and behaviours in the target populationWork in partnership with the key business stakeholders to create a deployment schedule and project manage the live delivery as well as the utilisation of on-demand resourcesOwn the measurement, evaluation and continuous improvement of the learning programme and feed into the wider ECP strategySolution Design, Delivery, Implementation and Evaluation – Core skillsTake the lead for translating the strategy and skills definition work into tangible, scalable solutions for the whole organisation.Prioritise and carry out, in partnership with internal and external partners, the design and development of these solutionsWork with other L&D, HR and Business teams to effectively communicate, market, schedule and deploy solutions to generate uptake and impact.Own the measurement, evaluation and continuous improvement of these solutions feeding into the wider Organisational skills and Functional Academy strategyDelivery and FacilitationAlthough not a key element of this role, it is important that the individual is a skilled facilitator, confident of, designing and delivering, when needed, in the in-person an online live learning environmentsApprenticeship Levy ApproachWork with other members of the L&D team to optimise the use of the levy as part of the approach to both early careers and core skills development where appropriateIdentify and manage key suppliers to solutions using the levy and support business units with connecting and utilising

Person specification / experience

A track record in designing and implementing strategic, scalable L&D solutions, ideally with Early Careers programme experienceA strong L&D background, combining modern, blended, learning methods with the achievement of business outcomesA record of delivering successful projects and solutions in a matrixed, international organisationA high level of competence in all parts of the L&D cycle, from Needs Analysis to design, develop, facilitate and evaluate.Experience in developing and using measurement and evaluation strategies that extend beyond Kirkpatrick and Phillips.  Using information and data to deliver actionable insightVery strong stakeholder management skillsThe ability to operate with a global mindset but with the flexibility to adapt approaches to meet the needs of all our entitiesExcellent project management skills, with an ability to manage competing priorities to achieve overall project and programme successA strong communicator, both written and spoken.  Able to communicate effectively as part of the marketing and engagement of solutions and to present and influence ideas at all levels of the business, building strong and trusting relationshipsFinancial Services experience very beneficialCan-do attitude, solution focused and with a growth mindsetWhat 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