Client Service Specialist

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 18,000 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.

This opening is a full-time role which is currently home based but will require London office-based attendance at least once a month.

The purpose of the role is to maintain a portfolio of UK clients from an account management standpoint to ensure excellent client service and the building of a strong relationships.

You will be expected to build on the knowledge that you have in order to handle a variety of group plans/ employee benefits.

There is good variety in the role which comes from looking after multinational clients, typically who rely on us to organise their UK and global benefits, including but not limited to benefits such as; Group Risk, Group Health Insurance, and Retirement plans.

Duties

Managing a portfolio of UK SME clients, working alongside a consultant and providing day to day support of client accounts across a range of pensions, group risk and group healthcare.

Direct contact with clients to resolve queries, support relationship development and ensure timely delivery of services.

Obtaining and managing information relating to the client’s existing benefits and sourcing the appropriate information to carry out any necessary analysis. This includes liaising with insurance providers to organise the completion of renewal exercises in a timely manner and obtaining quotes from the market.

Obtaining new business quotations and supporting of the market review process and end to end onboarding of new business clients.

• Manage and prepare client data for reports and to issue to providers.
• Working with clients on their benefits strategy to ensure it aligns with their business strategy.
• Merger & Acquisition data gathering, analysis and report writing.
• Client liaison regarding communication of benefits, paperwork completion e.g., Application forms.
• Producing draft renewal recommendation reports.
• Managing client membership changes in a timely manner.
• Contributing towards internal provider panel maintenance, including provider feedback.
• Ensuring the back-office system is maintained with relevant client/ plan information and appropriate management of the scheme tasks including proactive follow up with clients and keeping you consultant updated at all times.
• Supporting the maintaining of compliance documents and processes within the firm.
• From time-to-time employees in this role may be required to travel.
• Any other duty as required by the line manager commensurate with the post.

What’s needed for me to do this role?

• Minimum of 3 years Employee Benefits experience from either a large insurer or similar consultancy practice.
• Strong technical understanding of employee benefits design and products across group healthcare, group risk and pensions.
• Proven experience of providing quality support and building credible client relationships.
• Evidence of using an internal client relationship management database.
• Ability to prioritise, organise and carry out tasks within deadlines.
• Strong IT skills – Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook.
• Strong decision-making ability
• Time management skills
• Excellent attention to detail and being process driven
• Ability to communicate clearly and concisely via email, video call, phone or face to face.
• Proactive and team player.
• Hold professional qualifications GR1 and/or IF7 preferred but not essential.

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.

For our full suit of benefits, visit our Howden Life & Health careers page: https://www.howdenlifeandhealth.co.uk/careers/

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.

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.

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.

Pay: Up to £40,000.00 per year

Benefits:

• Additional leave
• Company events
• Company pension
• Employee discount
• Enhanced maternity leave
• Enhanced paternity leave
• Health & wellbeing programme
• Life insurance
• Paid volunteer time
• Referral programme
• Sabbatical
• Sick pay
• Store discount
• Work from home

Work Location: Hybrid remote in London EC3A 5AF