Operations Business Analyst

Howden Group; Northern (KY); Hybrid; USD 85,000 - 99,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, and vision insurance

401(k) retirement plan

Flexible Paid Time Off

Parental leave

Life and Disability insurance

Job summary

Howden Group seeks an Operations Business Analyst for a 6-month contract with a remote work schedule. You will translate business needs into structured requirements, support program delivery, and partner with Program Managers to drive execution with rigor and clarity.

You will develop functional specs, use cases, and acceptance criteria, conduct current-state analyses, and assist in business cases per PMO standards.

Qualifications

• Elicit, document, and validate business requirements with Program Managers and stakeholders.
• Develop clear functional specifications, use cases, user stories, and acceptance criteria to support technology and process delivery teams.
• Conduct current-state analysis and gap assessments to support future-state design.
• Support business cases and initiative intake documentation per PMO standards.
• 3-6 years of experience in a Business Analyst or project delivery role in insurance/financial services.
• Familiarity with Agile, Waterfall, or hybrid delivery methodologies.
• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Operations, Information Systems, or related field; CBAP/PMI-PBA certification is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Partner with Program Managers to track progress, dependencies, risks, and issues.
• Develop and maintain program documentation (plans, status reports, RAID logs, decision logs).
• Coordinate with cross-functional stakeholders to gather updates and support action items.
• Support UAT planning and execution with business teams and technology partners.
• Assist change management activities including stakeholder impact assessments and adoption tracking.

Skills

Analytical thinking

Written communication

Verbal communication

Stakeholder management

Project management

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Business/Operations/IS

CBAP/PMI-PBA certification is a plus

Tools

Monday.com

PMO tools

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 24000 employees spanning over 56 countries. People join Howden for many different reasons, but they stay for the same one: our culture. It is 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 – youll find like-minded people driving change at Howden.

Role Summary

We are seeking an Operations Business Analyst to join our team for a 6-month contract assignment with a remote work schedule. This role sits within the PMO, reporting to the Head of PMO, and works in close partnership with Program Managers to ensure initiatives are delivered with rigor, clarity, and strong business insight. The Business Analyst will be responsible for translating business needs into structured requirements, supporting program delivery through analysis and documentation, and providing the analytical foundation that enables Program Managers to drive execution effectively. This is an excellent opportunity for an analytically strong professional who wants to operate at the intersection of business operations, technology, and transformation in a fast-scaling insurance brokerage.

What will you be doing?

Requirements and Business Analysis

• Elicit, document, and validate business requirements for assigned programs and projects in partnership with Program Managers and business stakeholders.
• Develop clear functional specifications, use cases, user stories, and acceptance criteria to support technology and process delivery teams.
• Conduct current-state analysis and gap assessments to support the design of future-state solutions.
• Support the development of business cases and initiative intake documentation in alignment with PMO standards.

Program and Delivery Support

• Partner with Program Managers to support the execution of assigned programs, including tracking workstream progress, dependencies, risks, and issues.
• Develop and maintain program documentation, including project plans, status reports, RAID logs, and decision logs.
• Coordinate with cross-functional stakeholders to gather updates, resolve action items, and support meeting preparation and follow-through.
• Support UAT planning and execution, working with business teams and technology partners to validate that solutions meet requirements.
• Support change management activities for assigned programs, including stakeholder impact assessments, communication planning, and adoption tracking.

Reporting and Governance

• Maintain accurate and timely project documentation in PMO tools (e.g., Monday.com) in accordance with governance standards.
• Support portfolio-level reporting by consolidating status, risks, and milestones across assigned programs.
• Contribute to benefits tracking and lessons learned documentation at program completion.
• Assist in the development and maintenance of PMO templates, tools, and standard operating procedures.

Key Skills & Competencies

• Strong analytical and structured thinking skills with the ability to translate complex business needs into clear, actionable requirements.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with experience producing clear documentation for diverse audiences.
• Proven ability to manage multiple tasks in a fast-paced environment with strong attention to detail.
• Collaborative and proactive, with the ability to build effective working relationships across business and technology teams.
• Comfortable operating with ambiguity and contributing to solution design in evolving environments.

Qualifications

• 3-6 years of experience in a Business Analyst or project delivery role—preferably within insurance brokerage or a related financial services environment.
• Experience supporting technology implementations or business transformation programs.
• Familiarity with Agile, waterfall, or hybrid project delivery methodologies.
• Proficiency with project management and portfolio tools (e.g., Monday.com, or similar).
• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Operations, Information Systems, or a related field.
• CBAP, PMI-PBA, or equivalent business analysis certification is a plus.

Compensation and Benefits

The expected hourly rate for this role is $62-$72/hr; 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.

Fixed Term Contract (Fixed Term)

Howden began in 1994, as just three people and a dog. Now there are 23000 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.