Internal Audit Manager

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 mindset, and our strength lies in our ability to collaborate as a powerful international team comprised of 18,000 employees spanning over 100 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.

Role Summary

Internal audit is an independent, objective assurance and consulting activity designed to help Howden Group and its entities accomplish its strategic objectives by bringing a detailed, focused approach to evaluate and improve the efficiency of risk management, control and governance processes. Internal Audit reports functionally to the Howden Group Audit Committee and administratively to the Group CRO.

The goal of our function is not to find fault, but to help management and the businesses succeed in delivering their objectives successfully. We accomplish this by utilising our diverse range of skillsets to challenge the status quo and bring insight and value alongside our core assurance work.

The key role deliverables are:

• Delivery of a range of diverse internal audits from within the Group Audit plan; assessing business processes and risks and evaluating internal controls to provide an independent appraisal of the internal control environment. Recommendations to improve processes and controls, and contribution towards greater business efficiency will be key outcomes. Dependent on the size and complexity of each audit assignment, audits will be delivered alongside one or more members of the team and in some instances solely.
• Creating and maintaining positive relationships with key partners within the business, including Senior Management.
• Taking part in various other audit activities such as monitoring the status of management corrective action plans, contributing to risk assessment, updating various management reports sent to executive management / Audit Committee, etc.
• Contributing to the continual improvement of the function through innovation and efficiency, including challenging current methods.

Training and development will be fully supported, but driven by the candidate, ensuring that skills and expertise remain current and can add value.

This role requires travel, predominantly in Europe and occasionally MEA.  Travel to other locations may be required if business needs arise. As a guide only, we would estimate 25% travel.

Skills and abilities

• Strong organisational skills with excellent time management.
• Fluent in Italian and English (both written and spoken to business level). Ability to speak another / other languages would also be beneficial although not required.
• Ability to demonstrate credibility and generate rapport in dealings with stakeholders of all levels.
• Good level of business understanding and the ability to empathise with auditees and identify pragmatic solutions which address identified risks; strong negotiating and influencing skills.
• Proficient in Microsoft applications, especially Excel; experience in data analytics viewed favourably.
• Highly motivated and proactive self-starter; co-operative and encouraging teammate.

Knowledge and Experience

• Professional qualification within either finance/business or the insurance industry would be highly advantageous.
• Consistent track record within (preferably) an internal audit role, or an external audit environment evidencing strong performance in conducting high-quality audit work, and delivering high-quality findings and reports.
• Experience in presenting and communicating information in a logical, professional and objective manner, and handling discussions to successfully build consensus and drive forward-looking actions.
• Solid understanding of technical auditing concepts, and internal control systems.
• Previous Insurance / Reinsurance industry experience would be viewed favourably.

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.