KYC Officer

Howden; United Kingdom; On-site; GBP 50,000 - 70,000; Full time

Job summary

A global insurance firm in the UK is seeking a Security & Counterparty Business Partner responsible for managing client onboarding and ensuring regulatory compliance. The role involves line management duties and building strong relationships across the business. Candidates should possess excellent communication skills and a strong understanding of FCA principles. A university degree or recognized industry accreditation is required. This position offers opportunities for personal and team development.

Qualifications

• Experience in a compliance or Security & Counterparty function within a regulated UK environment.
• Experience managing or supervising others is desirable but not essential.
• Confident in building relationships and promoting best practices.

Responsibilities

• Managing onboarding processes for clients, insurers, and counterparties.
• Acting as a referral point for onboarding queries.
• Supporting completion of onboarding documentation.

Skills

Commercial awareness

Strong understanding of FCA principles

Excellent communication skills

Analytical and problem-solving abilities

Ability to manage multiple priorities

Education

University degree or recognised industry accreditation

Job description

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 over 20,000 employees spanning more than 100 countries.

We're moving from strength to strength, expanding our global reach and growing both organically and through strategic, high‑quality mergers and acquisitions. By bringing together diverse expertise and perspectives, we're enhancing our unique culture and values, whilst continuing to expand our capability to innovate, and deliver exceptional solutions for our clients.

The Role

As a Security & Counterparty Business Partner, you’ll be responsible for supporting business units with the compliant onboarding of clients, insurers, and other counterparties. You’ll act as a key advisor to the business, ensuring onboarding processes meet regulatory and internal standards, while maintaining the integrity of account records across broking systems.

This role also includes line management responsibilities, overseeing a team and third‑party support from the Howden Service Centre in India. You’ll contribute to planning, reporting, and policy development, while building strong relationships across the business to promote best practices and ensure operational excellence.

What You’ll Be Doing

• Managing onboarding processes for clients, insurers, and counterparties
• Acting as a referral point for onboarding queries and providing expert advice
• Reviewing and finalising Insurer Terms of Business Agreements
• Supporting completion of onboarding documentation and questionnaires
• Monitoring insurer security and rating movements, and notifying the business
• Maintaining accurate records in company systems
• Managing and developing a team, including recruitment and performance reviews
• Contributing to policy and procedure development for the Security & Counterparty team
• Building strong relationships across the business to support work activities
• Providing management information and contributing to wider team planning

Who We’re Looking For

• Commercial awareness and ability to apply regulation within insurance broking
• Experience in a compliance or Security & Counterparty function within a regulated UK environment
• Strong understanding of FCA principles, rules, and guidelines
• Knowledge of insurance principles, products, and services
• Experience managing or supervising others (desirable but not essential)
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills
• Strong analytical, problem‑solving, and influencing abilities
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and deliver under pressure
• Confident in building relationships and promoting best practices
• Committed to personal and team development, with a proactive approach to learning

Qualifications

• University degree or recognised industry accreditation

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

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.

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.

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.