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.
Regional Service Director – North America
Location: North America (Manhattan, New York)
Reporting Line: Head of Global Operations, Infrastructure & Support (UK Based)
Role Overview
The North America Service Director is a strategically important role responsible for the delivery of the IT support service within a region, serving users across multiple entities (Dual, Broking and Howden RE). This senior leadership position ensures that the regional hub team are providing a high quality, compliant service to all customers. The Service Director must balance the competing priorities of multiple executive stakeholders (COOs, CIOs, CEOs and HGS).
The Service Director will represent the regional businesses requirements into Group IT services, and Group IT services strategy and ways of working within the business, ensuring the businesses needs are understood, Group IT deliver against SLAs, and the hub delivers Group standard IT support. The service director is responsible for championing Group IT service into the business and delivering a scalable service at the most efficient cost.
Key Responsibilities:
IT leadership:
Lead a team of IT professionals to deliver compliant IT infrastructure and support services to all users regionally. Balance the competing priorities of the regions’ business units and country specific requirements, deploying resources in the most efficient way. Supporting the Group CISO (New York), maintain and promote awareness of emerging cyber security threats and the risks they pose to IT infrastructure and support services. Additionally, the service director will need to support Group-led, strategic initiatives as they arise, for example the implementation of the new Target Operating Model for technical services and compliance readiness programmes including SOC2 and US SOX.
Relationship management:
Build relationships in each business and entity served by the regional hub, ensure a deep understanding of the nuances of each business and their requirements while striving for consistent service delivery. Be the go-to person for all businesses in the region, representing them into Group. Ensure all resources within the hub have a shared understanding of the strategy for IT support and deliver with this in mind. Be an active part of the technical services leadership team influencing strategy, governance and standards and driving adoption within the region. This person will be the escalation point in the region for urgent requirements and issues.
Demand planning:
This person will also work with the business on demand planning, project requirements for the coming year, growth expectations so the infrastructure team can plan for the growth. This person will play a key role in annual budgeting and forecasting, understanding the business needs and ensuring the Group IT teams are prepared.
Decision making:
Act as a trusted partner to the business making decisions to best support and balance the requirements of the region. This person will help facilitate the business region in the Architecture Review Board when a regional project is being presented and at Change Advisory boards to ensure the regional impact is considered or to support a change which is for their region.
Team leadership & development:
Build and inspire a high-performing IT technical services team where . Lead talent acquisition, coaching, and career development initiatives, ensuring diversity, innovation, and technical excellence.
Technical skills
Have and maintain relevant IT skills, be proficient in enterprise architecture methodologies and frameworks, as well as product development methodologies. Be knowledgeable on various cloud, network, storage and security technologies, as well as cloud computing models and services particularly Microsoft technologies.
Qualifications and Experience:
Degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, Engineering, or related field (MSC preferred).
ITIL v4 certification ; PMP, CISSP, or equivalent credentials strongly preferred.
Cloud certifications (AWS, Azure, or GCP) desirable.
10+ years in technology roles, with 5+ years in leadership
Track record of operating across complex international environment supporting a business across multiple Divisions / Regions / Countries
Proven track record in regulated industries, preferably insurance or financial services
Strong technical thought leadership with excellent communication skills to drive forward change agenda with non-technical senior stakeholders
Proven ability to establish relationships and partnerships with senior executives, divisional CEO/COO/CIOs
Building and inspiring a high-performing IT technical services team. Leading talent acquisition, coaching, and career development initiatives, ensuring diversity, innovation, and technical excellence.
Experience with Supplier Performance Management including Contract Management
Demonstrable record of execution and delivery in a complex multi business line / product environment
Strong stakeholder management and influence
Deep knowledge of IT support and infrastructure
Resilient, inclusive leader with high integrity and accountability
Innovative continuous improvement mindset
Financial planning and budget management for Opex and Capex expenditures
Commercially focused
Progressive thinker staying up to date with new technologies
Strategic thinker with a pragmatic approach to execution.
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
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