Principal Pension Consultant

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. Howden Employee Benefits is a leading benefits consultancy in the UK. Our expert team work with clients of all sizes to provide employee benefits & wellbeing services, including health, protection, wellbeing, pensions, flexible benefits and international benefits. We’ve won many industry awards in recognition of our work with clients and pride ourselves in putting our clients’ needs at the centre of our working practices and helping them solve their ever-changing people challenges. We’re part of the Howden Group, a leading international insurance group with employee ownership at its heart and a culture of putting our People First, ensuring we are one of the best homes for talent in the industry. Role summary As a Principal Consultant, you will play a pivotal role in leading and managing complex projects, providing expert guidance to clients, and driving strategic decisions. You will be responsible for fostering strong client relationships and ensuring the successful delivery of pension consulting services. At Howden, we want to hire, develop, engage and reward the best consultants in the industry. To that end, we believe that the principal’s role is to act as their clients’ trusted partner, building the relationship at all levels, understanding their business, people and providing them with guidance, insight and ideas to help them deliver against their benefits and wellbeing challenges and objectives. This role demands an individual who can cultivate and maintain client relationships at the highest levels, ensuring the seamless delivery of our services and demonstrating the value of our partnership. The successful candidate will also be responsible for expanding our role and revenue with clients. In addition to being a Pensions expert, the individual must be commercially astute, safeguarding and retaining existing business while actively seeking new opportunities both within and outside our organisation. Key responsibilities & accountabilities Your role is to consult with clients on their Pension needs and member engagement requirements. • Portfolio Management: Maintain a personal portfolio of clients for whom you deliver consulting and broking services with an agreed portfolio and growth target. • Client Engagement: Actively interact with clients to identify business needs, articulate challenges, and propose tailored solutions. • Relationship Management: Proven ability to build and maintain strong, long-term relationships with clients and key stakeholders, ensuring high levels of satisfaction and fostering ongoing collaboration and business growth. • Strategic Guidance: Provide expert advice and strategic direction to clients, aligning their operational processes with business objectives. • Project Leadership: Lead and manage project teams, ensuring effective coordination, resource allocation, and communication. • Business Development: Identify new business opportunities, prepare proposals, and contribute to the growth of the consultancy practice. Create and identify opportunities to grow our role with those clients and generate more revenue. This includes opportunities outside of pensions, including flex, healthcare, wellbeing, international and general insurance, working with other members of the HEB team. Work with the wider HEB team to ensure all other services are effectively delivered to those clients. • Stakeholder Management: Maintain and strengthen relationships with key stakeholders to ensure ongoing collaboration and business growth. • Quality Assurance: Ensure the highest standards of project delivery and client satisfaction and ensuring that all services agreed in the scope of services are delivered within agreed timeframes. Other responsibilities: • Maintain an expert knowledge of the Pensions market and products, to be able to provide the highest levels of guidance and insights; • Responsible for supporting the Head of DC in building and enhancing proposition development, owning key aspects of delivery, and ensuring that all team members are informed and up to date with the latest developments. • Collaborate with the Head of DC to develop strategic insights and innovative ideas. Research industry trends and emerging topics to position Howden as a thought leader. • Plan, organise and deliver webinars/ events that showcase our services and expertise in key industry topics. • Support the new business team from time-to-time with pitches and proposals, in your capacity as a Pensions expert, to support the winning of new clients into HEB. • Develop strong working relationships with the HEB protection, flex, healthcare, wellbeing and international teams, to ensure client opportunities are being uncovered, developed and closed. • Skilled in supporting the pension team by imparting knowledge and expertise, providing guidance and support in both technical and consultancy areas, and serving as a role model and go-to person for team members. Due to the changing nature of the business, the jobholder may from time to time be required to undertake other activities of a similar nature that fall within their capabilities. Skills, abilities & personal qualities • Interpersonal skills – the ability to create trust and confidence with clients and the wider HEB business • Communication skills – the ability to negotiate, influence and demonstrate empathy as required • Creativity – consult with clients and construct effective solutions reflecting their needs and to develop new ideas and propositions. • Commerciality – work in a way that creates financial opportunities for the business and protects revenue • Professionalism – able to consistently deliver to the highest standards and expectations of our clients • Self-development – continue to learn and grow, as required by the different responsibilities of the role • Organisation & Time management - highly effective at managing a busy schedule of work • Analytical Skills - highly effective at questioning clients and analysing data and info to determine actions • IT Skills – strong application skills, especially the Microsoft Office suite of products • Qualifications – Desirable but not essential Diploma in Financial Planning • Strong analytical and problem-solving skills. • Excellent communication and interpersonal skills. • Ability to lead and motivate teams. • Capacity to handle pressure and setbacks with a positive attitude • High ethical standards and integrity in all professional dealings. Hybrid / Home based Happy to travel for client visits 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