Business Development Executive - Small Enterprise Commercial

Howden Group; Dublin; On-site; EUR 38,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

Howden Ireland is seeking a Business Development Executive to support the sales function, convert leads, coordinate submissions and drive new business opportunities within our commercial book. You will engage with regional offices and insurers, ensuring compliant, timely documentation and a strong customer experience.

The role requires proven business development and sales experience in insurance or professional services, plus excellent communication and negotiation skills.

Qualifications

• Proven experience in business development, sales, or account acquisition (insurance or professional services preferred).
• Excellent communication, negotiation and presentation skills.
• Self-motivated with the ability to manage a pipeline independently.

Responsibilities

• Use digital channels, telemarketing and regional referrals to follow up and convert leads.
• Assist the sales team with submissions, proposals and new business opportunities.
• Support debiting of premiums and ensure documentation is accurate and timely.
• Collaborate with regional offices to bind new risks efficiently.
• Follow up with insurers for required documentation and timely receipt.
• Maintain positive relationships with colleagues, insurers and stakeholders.
• Ensure compliance with Howden Ireland and Group standards and regulatory requirements.
• Respond to inquiries and deliver an excellent customer experience.
• Keep the CRM system up to date with leads and opportunities.
• Assist with ad hoc sales tasks and wider team activity.

Skills

Business development

Sales

Account acquisition

Communication

Negotiation

Presentation

Time management

Education

CIP qualification

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.

Based in any of our Dublin offices, Howden Ireland are delighted to have a new vacancy as an Business Development Executive for our small enterprise Commercial book of business that will be an integral part of our wider Commercial team.

About the Role

Reporting to the Head of Sales the successful candidate will support the sales function by helping to convert leads, assisting regional offices, coordinating documentation and maintaining strong compliance standards. With the right attitude and commitment, this role offers structured training, practical experience and a clear pathway to progress into a Commercial Sales Executive role.

Key Responsibilities

• Use available online platforms to follow up and convert leads generated through digital channels, outbound telemarketing, regional office referrals, web enquiries and inbound phone calls.
• Assist the sales team with submissions, quotation proposals and new business opportunities.
• Support the debiting of premiums and ensure documentation is accurate, complete and issued on time.
• Work with regional offices to help bind new risks efficiently and professionally.
• Follow up with insurers for outstanding documentation and ensure timely receipt of all required paperwork.
• Build and maintain positive working relationships with colleagues, insurers and external stakeholders.
• Maintain strict adherence to Howden Ireland and wider Group compliance standards and ensure all files and processes meet regulatory requirements.
• Respond promptly to enquiries, provide clear information and help deliver an excellent customer experience.
• Keep the CRM system fully up to date with accurate records of leads, opportunities and customer interactions.
• Assist with ad hoc sales tasks and wider team activity as required.

About You

• Proven experience in business development, sales, or account acquisition (insurance or professional services preferred).
• Strong commercial acumen and ability to identify growth opportunities.
• Excellent communication, negotiation, and presentation skills.
• Self-motivated with the ability to manage a pipeline independently.
• Strong organisational and time management capability.
• Comfortable working to revenue targets and KPIs.
• Experience within commercial insurance brokerage.
• Knowledge of Irish insurance market and insurer appetite.
• CIP qualification.
• Existing professional network within target sectors.
• Resilient and adaptable in a competitive sales environment.

About Howden Ireland

Howden Ireland is part of Howden, the global insurance intermediary group, and has over 600 employees across 28 local offices advising clients on their commercial insurance, personal insurance, health insurance, life and pensions and mortgage requirements.

Our success is primarily down to the incredible people we employ.

For more information, please visit About Us | Howden Ireland (howdengroup.com)

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 are 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.

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.