Legal Counsel - Europe

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.

The role

We are seeking an experienced legal counsel to join the European legal team. This is a newly created role which reports to the European General Counsel and forms part of a small but growing regional legal team which works closely with management and in-country legal teams across over 20 countries.

The successful candidate will focus primarily on the Howden Group’s underwriting division, DUAL, but will also be expected to support the Group’s insurance and reinsurance broking divisions across a broad range of legal and regulatory matters.

Additionally, we anticipate the role holder will be involved in advising on and assisting with the creation and implementation of legal policies and procedures, and of operational processes designed to improve the effectiveness of the legal function.

What you will be doing

You will be:

• advising on, negotiating and drafting a broad range of contracts including terms of business agreements, binding authority agreements, intra-group and supplier agreements.
• supporting our businesses in the establishment of new entities and branches and advising on applicable regulatory and licensing requirements.
• managing, reporting and advising on contentious matters including employment disputes, errors and omissions and supplier disputes.
• a point of contact for businesses on a range of regulatory matters applicable to insurance intermediaries.
• working with the Group’s compliance teams to implement programmes resulting from new laws and regulations.
• working with legal teams across the region to harmonise legal standards, policies and procedures.
• helping to operationalise legal spend management, horizon scanning and external counsel engagement projects.
• managing external counsel to deliver cost-effective and actionable legal advice.

Who will you be working with?

Reporting to the European General Counsel, you will have responsibility for engaging and building relationships with key stakeholders within the Howden Group, including:

• legal teams operating at Group, regional and country-level;
• regional and country-level management teams; and
• functional leads in all areas including Finance, Operations, Risk and Compliance, HR and Underwriting.

What do we need from you?

We are looking for a commercially-minded lawyer (solicitor or equivalent European qualification) who:

• has at least 5 years post-qualification experience in private practice with a focus on the insurance sector, or in-house at either an underwriting agent/MGA or insurer;
• has a good understanding of the European regulatory framework applicable to insurance intermediaries;
• has excellent drafting, negotiation and communication skills;
• is pragmatic, proactive and reliable;
• is comfortable taking on responsibility for and running matters independently, and has the confidence to make decisions and provide commercial advice outside of their area of specialism;
• is able to prioritise effectively;
• is a team player and able to work closely with a range of business and functional stakeholders and external advisers;
• is fluent in English, and who ideally speaks another European language.

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.

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.