Assistant Operations Manager

Job description

Who are we? Howden is a global insurance group with employee ownership at its heart. 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 24,000 employees spanning over 56 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 Assistant Operations Manager will play a key role in driving technology-led transformation and continuous improvement across the Transformation and Strategic Programme Team's day-to-day operations. Reporting to the Operations Manager, this role extends beyond a traditional Business Analyst remit, drawing on experience across systems, data and technology change to deliver operational transformation projects and working with other team members, ensure platforms, processes and data are well managed, continuously improved and maintained in support of project outcomes. The role requires someone comfortable overseeing operational delivery day to day while also identifying and leading the technology and process improvements that make that delivery better, faster and more reliable. A strong understanding of the health and benefits or wider insurance landscape is preferable but not essential; what matters most is a proven ability to translate deep platform and data knowledge into operational impact, and the judgement to prioritise and drive improvement work independently. A core focus of this role is coordinating data remediation and maintenance across platforms and projects - proactively identifying data quality issues, owning their resolution, and working with other team members to agree and put in place the checks and processes that prevent them recurring as new systems, acquisitions and projects are onboarded. There are no direct reports in the current team structure, but the role is designed with progression in mind: as the team grows, the Assistant Operations Manager would be well placed to take on line management responsibility, building on the technical credibility and stakeholder trust developed in this role. Key Responsibilities: Operational & Technology Transformation Projects Oversee day-to-day operational delivery for specific projects, using technology and process expertise to identify and lead improvements that make delivery more efficient, reliable and scalable. Act as the go-to person for translating operational needs into practical, technology-led solutions. Data Governance, Remediation & Maintenance Working with the relevant colleagues, coordinate data remediation and maintenance activity across platforms and projects, identifying data quality, integrity and consistency issues and leading their resolution end to end. Establish and maintain data governance standards, ensuring security, compliance and consistency across all systems and data flows, including during acquisitions, migrations and new system onboarding. Continuous Improvement & Process Enhancement Proactively identify opportunities to streamline workflows, reduce manual effort and improve service delivery, leveraging systems knowledge across core platforms. Lead improvement initiatives from idea through to implementation, owning team tools, boards and workflows. Change & Project Delivery Lead systems and data workstreams within wider change and transformation projects, including acquisitions, system migrations and platform upgrades, ensuring requirements are delivered on time, to quality, and with a smooth transition for end users. Resource Planning & Operational Reporting Support resource planning and prioritisation across the team's workload. Produce operational performance reporting, using data and dashboards (e.g. Power BI) to give clear, timely visibility of delivery, risks and improvement progress. Stakeholder Management Influence effectively across business and technology audiences, translating technical detail for non-technical stakeholders. Build strong working relationships with internal teams and external partners to ensure operational delivery and systems improvements serve the needs of the wider business. Team Development (Future-Facing) Whilst the role currently has no direct reports, build the leadership foundations, decision-making under pressure, handling difficult conversations, motivating others, that would support taking on line management responsibility as the team grows. In the meantime, support and share knowledge with other team members as appropriate/relevant. Role Profile: Essential Skills and Experience: Proven experience (5+ years) in a business analysis, business systems, or operations role, ideally within insurance, financial services or a similar regulated sector, with a track record of moving beyond requirements-gathering into owning and improving how things run operationally Strong systems knowledge across policy administration systems, with the ability to translate that platform expertise into operational and process improvement Experience owning data remediation and data quality initiatives, with a rigorous, detail-focused approach to data governance, security and compliance Experience leading system, data or process workstreams through change and transformation activity, acquisitions, migrations or platform upgrades, coordinating timelines, costings and cross-functional input Track record of identifying and delivering continuous improvement, using technology and automation to streamline workflows and reduce manual effort Proficiency across SQL, Power BI, and Microsoft Office; working knowledge of XML, VBA, PowerShell or HTML/CSS advantageous Strong stakeholder management skills, with the ability to influence across both business and technology audiences and translate technical detail for non-technical colleagues Highly organised, with strong resource planning and prioritisation skills across multiple concurrent workstreams Desirable Skills and Experience: Experience in the health and benefits, employee benefits, or wider insurance sector Exposure to Power Platform (Power Automate, Power Apps) or other workflow automation tooling Some experience or demonstrable aspiration towards people leadership, e.g. mentoring, supporting or informally guiding junior colleagues, as this role is expected to grow into a line management capacity over time Relevant professional qualifications (e.g. Change Management, APM PMQ, BCS Business Analysis, or equivalent) are desirable Personal Attributes: A proactive, hands-on approach to identifying and resolving operational, systems and data issues before they become problems Genuine interest in developing into a people-leadership role, with the confidence to make decisions under pressure and handle difficult conversations as this evolves Strong analytical mindset with excellent attention to detail Ability to operate independently while keeping senior stakeholders informed and engaged Adaptable and comfortable managing multiple concurrent priorities across operations, systems and projects High level of professional credibility, able to build trust quickly with both technical and non-technical colleagues 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