Head of Licensing - Howden : Job Details

Role

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 headhunters 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?

We are seeking a dynamic and experienced Head of Licensing to establish and lead the oversight of all insurance licensing activities across the organization. This is a critical leadership role, ensuring that the firm and its employees operate in full compliance with all legal, regulatory, and ethical requirements. We are looking for a seasoned leader who is passionate about regulatory compliance, committed to maintaining the highest licensing standards, skilled in building strong internal and external stakeholder relationships, and motivated to contribute to Howden's broader strategic objectives.

What will you be doing?

Strategic Oversight

• Develop and execute long-term licensing strategies and operational plans that align with overall business objectives and strategic ambition.
• Contribute to organizational oversight and strategy as a senior leadership team member.
• Serve as a subject matter expert on licensing regulations, advising senior leadership on impacts to operations and market expansion

Operational Management

• Oversee end-to-end licensing and appointment processes for individuals and entities across all U.S. jurisdictions.
• Maintain accurate and timely execution of licensing and renewal processes.
• Evaluate and optimize licensing workflows, automation tools, and tracking systems.
• Drive process improvements that reduce turnaround times and enhance accuracy

Compliance and Risk Mitigation

• Ensure compliance with NAIC, NIPR, individual state DOI requirements and surplus lines regulations.
• Maintain accurate and up-to-date licensing records using systems such as NIPR, Sircon, and internal databases.
• Collaborate with compliance, legal, HR, and operations teams to ensure licensing alignment with business needs.
• Monitor changes to laws and regulations and implement internal changes as required.

Team Leadership

• Build, lead and develop a high-performing licensing team, ensuring continuous training on regulatory updates.
• Foster a collaborative, innovative, and engaged team culture to maximize productivity and staff engagement.
• Provide coaching, mentoring, and performance management to the licensing team

What are we looking for?

• 8–10+ years of experience in insurance licensing, compliance, or regulatory operations.
• Deep knowledge of U.S. insurance licensing laws and regulatory frameworks (e.g., NAIC, state DOIs, surplus lines).
• Experience with licensing platforms such as NIPR, Sircon, and Vertafore
• Highly collaborative, culturally fluent, and emotionally intelligent leader with the ability to influence at C-suite level.
• Strong organizational and project management skills.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder engagement abilities.
• Experience managing licensing for multi-state operations and/or multiple lines of business
• Bachelor's degree required; legal, compliance, or insurance certifications (e.g., CPCU, AINS, IRES) preferred.
• Familiarity with broker-dealer or reinsurance licensing requirements.
• Experience supporting M&A integration from a licensing perspective.
• Strategic systems thinker with operational discipline and commercial insight.

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.