Personal Assistant

From day one, our mission has been to create an independent business with a unique culture – one that is controlled by the people who work for it. Finding the most talented and entrepreneurial people has always been key to our success.

People come to Howden for lots of different reasons, but they stay for the same one: our culture. That’s what sets us apart, and why we nurture and retain the best talent in the market. Whatever your priorities – work/life balance, career progression, sustainability, volunteering – you’ll find like-minded people driving change at Howden.

Role Definition

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a Team PA supporting members of the legal team, to join our fast-growing and transformational business at a pivotal moment in its evolution

This is a great opportunity to gain exposure and profile to a fast-growing broking business and gain insights into the legal operations of our hugely successful business. A primary focus is managing the diaries scheduling meetings internally and externally, organising extensive international and national travel and event management This role will also provide essential support monitoring projects, submitting and tracking of legal fee invoices and supporting collaboration across the Howden legal leadership team. You will work closely with the Group General Counsel’s PA and provide cover for each other as necessary.

You will thrive in this role if you are extremely organised, with excellent verbal and written communication skills and great time management skills. The role requires key IT skills, including MS Office products such as PowerPoint and Excel. Additionally, you will be confident and able to take the initiative in ambiguous circumstances. The ability to adapt priorities to meet deadlines and constantly changing demands are essential, as are accuracy and attention to detail.

The role may be carried out with at least three days per week being spent in our offices in the City of London.

Key Responsibilities / Accountabilities

Diary management
Screening calls and e-mails, prioritising items for response and answering routine enquiries. Redirects items as appropriate
Planning, organising and supporting internal and external meetings and providing necessary documentation which includes proactively arranging agendas and notes ahead of meetings in a timely and efficient way
Acting, as required, as meeting secretary, recording and distributing notes, actions and following up as appropriate
Booking travel and accommodation for travel where required
Providing project administrative support including but not limited to, formatting documents, reports and presentations
Managing consolidation of monthly reporting requirements for various meetings
Managing invoicing process and approvals
Handling confidential information in a discreet, sensitive and diplomatic manner, ensuring security of access to such information is maintained at all times
Developing strong relationships with the Executive Team and other key stakeholders
Providing personal tasks on an adhoc basis

Skills and abilities needed to perform role

The successful applicant will have at least 20 years’ experience and a proven track record of delivery in a PA role
She or he will have:

Excellent time management and organisational skills – an ability to prioritise is key, as is the ability to manage a broad range of tasks
A proven ability to be proactive and work on their own initiative
Superb written and verbal communication
Experience working in a large, complex organisation and an ability to work in a fast-paced environment
The ability to demonstrate attention to detail and pride in their work product
A positive, can-do approach to work, and transparency in communication, sharing ideas, issues, needs and concerns
A natural ability to seek out and connect with “solution providers/fixers”, irrespective of whether they are based in the office or remotely
Strong interpersonal skills, enjoying working within a team, interacting with people and creating a positive and professional impression
Full operational knowledge of Microsoft Office (Outlook, PowerPoint, Word), as well as Microsoft Teams and SharePoint. Must also have basic Excel skills

Our Culture: People First

We’ve travelled far since opening our first office in 1994. Back then we were local experts – based in London, with direct access to the world’s biggest insurance market. We’re still locals, and we still deliver the right advice and the right insurance to our clients. But now, we’re local all over the world. With 15,000 global colleagues and a partner network spanning more than 100 territories, we are the largest independent insurance broker in the world. But our values haven’t changed since day one, when we set out to create a company grounded in:

An employee-ownership model
Aligned external investors
The trust and integrity born of friendship
Expertise
Independence

Our focus on being a people-first business has always been at the very heart of Howden. Our vision was to create an independent business with a unique culture; one that would survive and thrive as a business controlled by the people working for it. Our employee ownership model sets us apart in the market. It’s created a culture of collaboration and innovation, where we’re driven to think bigger and empowered to challenge convention.

Our flat structure and entrepreneurial spirit help us attract the best people and empower them to be the best version of themselves. And when we bring in and nurture great talent, more follows. That makes us better – and that’s better for everyone.

Diversity & Inclusion

At Howden 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 their age, disability, race, religion or belief, gender, sexual orientation, marital status or family circumstances.
Permanent