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: Enterprise Architect

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 20,000 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.

What is the role?

Howden Group are embarking on several strategic transformation initiatives across the Group. We are seeking a highly skilled and experienced Enterprise (Applications) Architect with Insurance domain expertise. Preferably with Insurance Broking systems experience and Insurance markets knowledge (including London Market).

The Enterprise (Applications) Architect will play a critical role in the EA function, providing insurance broking business domain, systems and technology expertise to support enterprise architecture advisory and delivery engagements. The role will be integral to the Group IT architecture and engineering teams, working alongside other architects to deliver enterprise solutions.

Please note that this is a full-time, permanent position based in our London office.

What will you be doing?

Gather, analyse, and document the broking business processes, systems, requirements for strategic initiatives (e.g. broking platform replacement and consolidation projects). Work collaboratively with business stakeholders, the project team and various internal and external vendor resources. Assess and recommend technology-agnostic solution and delivery options for delivery of project objectives and business benefits.
Develop and maintain Enterprise architecture assets e.g. vision, principles, standards, roadmaps etc. with a focus on Applications and Integration architecture domains and own the communication and adoption of these across the Group, collaborating with business, IT stakeholder and EA colleagues.
Contribute to the running and maturing of the Group's architecture governance forums and technical design authorities for strategic change initiatives as required.
Lead and champion the adoption and usage of strategic Group IT assets, technologies and tools.
Define, communicate and maintain application roadmaps, transition and target architectures for different business entities in the Group.
Promote and drive adoption of the Group's strategic application integration capability i.e. Digital Backbone.
Provide architecture and technical Due-Diligence (DD) services for M&A initiatives and vendor, application/tool selection initiatives.
Provide overall direction, guidance, and definition of enterprise architecture and effectively support delivery of Group IT goals and objectives.
Deliver high-level and detailed solution architecture for strategic change initiatives, ensuring appropriate consideration of solution options where required, consistent review of solution options for strategic alignment and rigorous management of key design decisions, working with wider business and IT stakeholders.
Provide timely reporting and escalation of architecture activities, architecture risks and issues to the Director of EAA and IT Leadership Team (ITLT).
Creating and maintaining target, transition-state architecture and associated architecture roadmaps for key change initiatives.
Identify potential risks and issues for solution options and specifically any recommended solution. Identify and assess corrective and mitigation actions and work collaboratively with business and architecture and Engineering delivery managers.
As a senior member of the EA team, the EA Business Solutions Architect may be required to perform wider duties and tasks within the capabilities and responsibilities of the role.

What are we looking for?

The ideal candidate will lead the development and maintenance of architecture across key regions Howden operates. This role requires a collaborative mindset, ability to nurture and build strong relationships with key stakeholders, strong problem-solving skills, and a commitment to continuous improvement.

Possess a strong understanding of the insurance (ideally broking) industry, including broking operations, front-office and back-office processes, and the systems that support them (e.g., broking platforms, document management, finance/IBA systems, client and market connectivity).
Familiarity with the broader insurance ecosystem, including interactions with carriers and reinsurers, is important. Exposure to the London Market is beneficial but not essential.
Good knowledge, understanding of insurance systems (insurance broking and trading platforms, and/or IBA systems).
Good to have technical skills – Architecting solutions with Microsoft Azure technologies, Salesforce (including Force.com) technologies and modern data platforms (e.g. Data Lake house architecture) and Business Intelligence (e.g. Microsoft Power BI) technologies.

Desirable Qualifications

Proven experience delivering enterprise architecture or strategy within a consulting or advisory context is highly beneficial.
Experience initiating and providing architecture leadership for large scale business-critical transformation projects, preferably experience of legacy modernisation and enterprise application consolidation/rationalisation projects.
Knowledge of Enterprise Architecture tools (experience in BizzDesign would be ideal).
Good knowledge and awareness of enterprise-grade CRM, HR and Finance systems.
Knowledge of working in a regulated environment e.g. FCA, PRA and wider regulatory, compliance environment for global insurance businesses (e.g. GDPR).
Knowledge of application integration patterns and techniques.
Knowledge of Business Intelligence / Data Warehousing technologies and modern Data & Analytics platforms and AI capabilities.
Good knowledge of technology governance standards.
Good knowledge of technology best practice including SDLC.
Working knowledge of Enterprise and Solution Architecture frameworks (e.g. TOGAF).

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 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

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.

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