Surety Graduate Programme

Howden Group Services Limited; City Of London; Hybrid; GBP 34,000 - 46,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

25 days annual leave

Pension scheme

Health policies and wellbeing support

Volunteer days

Job summary

Howden Group Services Limited is launching a Surety graduate programme in London starting September 2027. You’ll join a permanent role and undertake a structured 18‑month development programme with exposure to finance, legal agreements, risk assessment and relationship management.

You’ll learn through a structured induction, work with clients and underwriters on placing surety bonds, and build strong internal and external relationships while developing commercial and technical capabilities.

Qualifications

• No prior insurance experience required; training provided.
• Recent Law or Finance graduate or final year with interest in commercial, legal and financial matters.
• Strong analytical ability and meticulous attention to detail.
• Confident in influencing and negotiating professionally.
• Clear communication skills, both written and spoken.
• Comfortable speaking on the phone with senior stakeholders.
• Resilient, hardworking and eager to learn and develop.
• Eligible to work in the UK without restriction.

Responsibilities

• Support complex client transactions alongside experienced specialists.
• Learn about surety products and placing end-to-end surety bonds.
• Collaborate with clients and underwriters to structure and place bonds.
• Review contracts and financial records to identify risks.
• Assist with preparing materials for meetings and documentation accuracy.
• Take meeting notes and maintain accurate client files.
• Gain exposure to client and insurer meetings and learn deal negotiation.

Skills

Analytical

Attention to detail

Communication

Commercial awareness

Negotiation

Relationship building

Written and verbal clarity

Resilience

Education

Law or Finance degree (recent graduate or final year)

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.

Please read before submitting: You may only apply to one graduate programme for our 2027 intake. Submitting duplicate applications will result in them not being considered.

Location: London. Start date: September 2027. Salary: £40,000. Working Pattern: Hybrid (3-4 days in the office).

Surety Graduate Programme

Be Part of the Deals Behind Major Global Projects.

Are you interested in how major businesses win contracts, manage risk and deliver large-scale projects? Join Howden’s Surety team and discover how surety helps businesses secure the guarantees they need to win contracts, deliver projects and fulfil important commitments. We work with clients, insurers and financial institutions to arrange solutions that support projects, investments and commercial agreements around the world. As part of Howden’s Capital, Advisory and Placement team, you’ll gain exposure to finance, legal agreements, risk assessment and relationship management, all while working on real client projects from the start of your career. You’ll join Howden in a permanent role and complete our structured 18‑month development programme, designed to build your technical expertise, commercial awareness, professional confidence and long‑term career foundations.

What you’ll be doing?

• You’ll begin with a structured induction before joining the Surety team, where you’ll work alongside experienced specialists supporting complex client transactions.
• Learn about our surety products and the end‑to‑end process for placing surety bonds.
• Work directly with clients and underwriters to structure and place surety bonds.
• Review legal contracts and financial records to identify any risks that may make the surety bond too risky for an insurer.
• Support with reviewing client documentation and preparing materials for upcoming meetings.
• Assist with taking meeting notes to ensure that client files are accurate and up to date.
• Gain early exposure to client and insurer meetings, learning how our clients are advised and how deals are negotiated.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with internal stakeholders and external contacts.

Who are we looking for?

• No insurance experience is needed; we’ll teach you everything you need to know!
• You’ll be: A recent Law or Finance graduate, or in your final year of study and have a strong interest in commercial, legal, and financial matters.
• Analytical and have meticulous attention to detail.
• Confident to learn how to influence and negotiate in professional settings.
• A strong communicator who enjoys building relationships and working with clients, colleagues and external partners.
• Able to articulate your ideas well both in writing and verbally.
• Comfortable speaking on the phone with senior individuals.
• Resilient and hard‑working and curious to learn and develop.
• To be eligible for our programme, you must have the full and unrestricted right to work in the UK.

Why should you apply?

• £40,000 salary and a generous pension scheme.
• A permanent role from the day you join Howden.
• Structured learning and development through our 18‑month graduate development programme.
• 25 days’ annual leave, plus bank holidays and an additional day off at Christmas.
• Access to discounted personal health policies, wellbeing support and a range of employee benefits and insurance products.
• 2 days allocated to take part in volunteering schemes.

Explore our Connectr page to discover more about Howden, our culture, and the insurance industry. You'll find resources to help you prepare for our recruitment process and understand which career path could be the best fit for you. Please read before submitting: You may only apply to one graduate programme for our 2027 intake. Submitting duplicate applications will result in additional applications not being considered.

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*.

*Not all positions can accommodate changes to working hours or locations. Reach out to your Recruitment Partner if you want to know more.

Permanent.

Howden began in 1994, as just three people and a dog. Now there are 23,000 of us, and we’re a leading global insurance group, managing $37bn of premiums for our clients. Our largest shareholder group is us – the people who work in the business – supported by three long‑term, minority growth‑equity partners who share our vision to build a business to last, one that will never be sold. The owner's mindset is something that's embedded in our culture; our people readily take ownership of their decisions, their actions, and their outputs. They’re invested in every sense. And we all know that by working together to drive the business forward, everyone will benefit from the extraordinary results we can achieve.