Head of Certificate Operations

3416US00 Howden US Services LLC; Charlotte (NC); Hybrid; USD 170,000 - 200,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, and vision insurance

401(k) retirement plan

Flexible PTO and parental leave

Life and Disability insurance

Job summary

Howden seeks a Head of Certificate Operations in Charlotte, NC with a hybrid work schedule. You will lead the Certificate and Auto ID issuance functions, ensuring accuracy, timeliness, and regulatory compliance while shaping the future state through automation.

You will oversee managers and analysts, drive governance, improve processes, and collaborate with carriers, client service executives, and risk/compliance teams to deliver exceptional client experiences at scale.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Operations, or Insurance; MBA preferred.
• 8–12 years of experience in insurance operations, shared services, or enterprise process management.
• At least 3–5 years in a senior leadership role overseeing certificate process ownership.
• Proven success implementing governance, automation, and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Experience with insurance systems (Epic, CSR24, AMS360).
• Proven people-management experience leading operations teams of 10+ employees.

Responsibilities

• Define and execute the strategy for proof of insurance issuance across all business units; establish governance frameworks, SLAs, and metrics.
• Oversee end-to-end delivery of Certificates of Insurance and Auto ID issuance; manage capacity and service scalability.
• Lead talent strategy, hiring, training, and development for certificate operations staff.
• Drive automation and digitization of certificate workflows; participate in technology builds and future-state operating model changes.
• Coordinate with carriers, account teams, and compliance to ensure quality and regulatory adherence.

Skills

Enterprise Leadership

Process Ownership

Risk & Compliance

Strategic Partnership

Analytical Skills

Change Leadership

Education

Bachelor’s degree

MBA preferred

Tools

Epic

CSR24

AMS360

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 Ownership & Operational Excellence: Ability to define, standardize, elevate, and govern scalable end-to-end processes, driving sustainable solutions across people, process, and technology while ensuring operational efficiency and continuous improvement.
• Risk & Compliance Awareness: Strong understanding of carrier, regulatory, and documentation requirements as they relate to Certificates.
• Strategic Partnership: Ability to collaborate effectively with business, compliance, and technology stakeholders.
• Analytical Acumen: Proficiency in using performance data to drive decision-making and process optimization.
• Change Leadership: Experience leading transformation within shared service or COE environments.

What are we looking for?

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Operations, or Insurance; MBA or relevant advanced degree preferred.
• 8–12 years of experience in insurance operations, shared services, or enterprise process management.
• At least 3–5 years in a senior leadership role overseeing certificate process ownership.
• Proven success implementing governance, automation, and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Experience with insurance systems (e.g., Epic, CSR24, AMS360, or equivalent platforms).
• Experience with technology build to support business needs.
• Proven people-management experience leading operations teams of 10+ employees.
• Strong analytical, organizational, and vendor-management skills.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with experience presenting to senior management.

Compensation and Benefits

The expected base salary range for this role is $170,000 - $200,000; actual base salary will be determined based on factors including candidate experience and work location.

This role is classified as non-exempt under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).

In addition to a competitive base salary, employees are eligible to receive a discretionary bonus. Howden also offers a variety of benefits and programs, subject to eligibility, including:

• Medical, dental, and vision insurance, including healthcare savings and reimbursement accounts
• 401(k) retirement plan
• Flexible Paid Time Off and paid parental leave
• Life and Disability insurance

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.

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.

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.