Head of Certificate Operations

hyperiongrp; Charlotte (NC); Hybrid; USD 140,000 - 200,000; Full time

Job summary

Howden in Charlotte, NC is seeking a Head of Certificate Operations to lead the Certificate of Insurance and Auto ID issuance with a hybrid work schedule.

You will set strategic direction, establish governance and performance metrics, and drive automation to improve accuracy, timeliness, and client experience at scale. You will manage a team of managers and analysts, partnering with operations, technology, and compliance to deliver exceptional service.

Qualifications

• 10+ years leading large-scale operations teams.
• Proven ability to implement governance, SLAs, and metrics.
• Experience with certificates of insurance and regulatory audits.

Responsibilities

• Define strategy for certificate issuance across units.
• Establish governance, SLAs, metrics for efficiency and compliance.
• Lead automation, digitization, and straight-through processing.
• Oversee audit readiness and risk mitigation with internal teams.
• Coach managers and analysts to ensure quality and scale.

Skills

Strategic leadership

Process optimization

Governance & compliance

Automation & digitalization

Stakeholder management

Team leadership

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.

What is the role?

We are seeking a Head of Certificate Operations in Charlotte, NC with a hybrid work schedule.

ROLE SUMMARY

The Head of Certificate Operations is responsible for leading Howden US Certificate and Auto-ID functions, ensuring that client insurance certificates are issued, transferred, and delivered with accuracy, timeliness, and regulatory compliance. This role sets the strategic direction and governance standards for the issuance of Certificates of Insurance (COIs) and Auto ID cards, as well as steering the future state process to be enabled through automation. The Head of Certificate Operations partners closely with operational leaders, technology teams, transfer agents, DTC, clearing firms, and client service executives to drive process efficiency, automation, and exceptional client experience at scale.

You will oversee a team of managers and analysts, providing leadership, coaching, and guidance to ensure consistency, quality, and continuous improvement across all business units.

What will you be doing?

Strategy, Process & Governance

• Define and execute the strategy for proof of insurance issuance across all business units.
• Establish governance frameworks, SLAs, and performance metrics to ensure efficiency, consistency, and compliance.
• Partner with operational and functional leaders to align proof of insurance delivery with enterprise objectives and service standards.
• Develop policies, controls, and audit-ready procedures that ensure compliance with regulatory, carrier, and client requirements.
• Provide management reporting on volumes, aging, exceptions, and regulatory metrics.
• Present findings and risk exposure updates to senior management and risk committees.
• Support internal and external audits, including SOC reports and regulatory examinations.

Regulatory & Compliance Oversight

• Oversee adherence to state, carrier, and regulatory requirements related to proof of insurance documentation.
• Maintain enterprise-level visibility into audit trails, exception management, and remediation activities.
• Partner with compliance and risk management functions to proactively identify and mitigate operational risks.
• Ensure readiness for internal and external audits through standardized documentation and governance.

Service Delivery Leadership

• Oversee end-to-end delivery of Certificates of Insurance and Auto ID issuance through Client Experience Center.
• Manage capacity planning, resource allocation, and service scalability across high-volume workflows.
• Monitor performance through dashboards and KPIs (e.g., turnaround times, accuracy rates, SLA adherence, client satisfaction).
• Serve as an escalation point for critical issues, coordinating with carriers and account teams to ensure resolution.
• Ensure quality assurance through proactive review, trend analysis, and root cause resolution.

Team Leadership & People Management

• Oversee talent strategy: hire, train, and develop certificate operations staff across issuance, transfer, and related functions.
• Set performance standards and service-level agreements (SLAs) for processing turnaround times.
• Manage workflow distribution and staffing across issuance, transfer, and reorganization-adjacent teams.
• Foster cross-training between certificate operations and related back-office functions (reorg, dividends, proxy).

Technology & Process Improvement

• Drive automation of manual certificate workflows, including digitization and straight-through processing initiatives.
• Active ownership and participation in technology builds and enhancements to support Certificate Operations including testing, capability feedback and future state operating model transformation.
• Participate as relates to certificates of insurance in the the development of a client portal

Stakeholder & Client Interaction

• Act as point of escalation for institutional and retail client issues involving certificates.
• Interact with clients and prospects on capabilities, strategy and operations related to certificates of insurance as requested.
• Coordinate with Legal and Compliance with regard to strategy or issues arising out of certificate issuance.

Key Skills & Competencies

• Enterprise Leadership: Proven ability to lead large-scale operations teams, across multiple regions and verticals.
• Process Owner