Receptionist

Howden Group Holdings; City of Rochester (NY); On-site; USD 70,000 - 85,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

401(k) retirement plan

Flexible Paid Time Off

Life and Disability insurance

Job summary

Howden Group Holdings in New York City is seeking a detail-oriented Receptionist to be the welcoming first point of contact for clients, visitors, and staff. You will manage front desk tasks with professionalism and discretion in a fast-paced office environment.

Responsibilities include greeting guests, answering calls, directing inquiries, coordinating meeting rooms, handling mail and packages, and supporting light administrative duties while learning the insurance business for future growth.

Qualifications

• Strong communication skills, both written and verbal, across teams and vendors.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite (Excel, Word, Outlook).
• Exceptional attention to detail and ability to handle multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment.
• Flexibility and adaptability to evolving business needs.
• Interest in learning the business and growing into future opportunities.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the first point of contact for clients, visitors, carriers, and vendors.
• Greet and direct visitors, manage sign-in procedures.
• Answer, screen, and route incoming phone calls to appropriate departments.
• Respond to general inquiries and direct clients to internal resources.
• Maintain reception area, conference rooms, and front office in a professional manner.
• Handle mail, packages, and courier deliveries.
• Coordinate meeting room scheduling and assist with spaces.

Skills

Communication skills

MS Office

Attention to detail

Multitasking

Organization

Adaptability

Career growth interest

Tools

Microsoft Office

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 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 - you'll find like-minded people driving change at Howden.

Role:

Location: New York City - Onsight

What is the role?

We are seeking a detail-oriented Receptionist for our New York office. The Receptionist serves as the first point of contact for the office, playing a key role in creating a welcoming, professional experience for clients, visitors, and internal teams. We are seeking an individual with prior experience in a receptionist or front-office role, ideally within an insurance brokerage or similar professional services environment. Beyond daily front-office responsibilities, this role offers an excellent opportunity for growth and exposure to the insurance industry, serving as a potential steppingstone to other administrative, operations, or client service positions within the organization.

What will you be doing?

• Serve as the first point of contact for clients, visitors, carriers, and vendors, providing a welcoming and professional front office experience
• Greet and direct visitors, notify internal staff of arrivals, and ensure proper sign-in procedures are followed
• Answer, screen, and route incoming phone calls to the appropriate departments or team members
• Respond to general inquiries and direct clients to the appropriate internal resources or teams
• Maintain the reception area, conference rooms, and front office to ensure a clean, organized, and professional appearance
• Manage incoming and outgoing mail, packages, and courier deliveries
• Coordinate meeting room scheduling and assist with preparing meeting spaces as needed
• Support administrative tasks including document handling, filing, scanning, and data entry
• Assist with onboarding logistics for new hires and visitors, as requested
• Handle confidential client and policy-related information with discretion and professionalism
• Monitor office supplies and place replenishment requests when necessary
• Follow company policies and procedures, including compliance and privacy requirements

What are we looking for?

• Proven experience in a receptionist, front office, or similar support role, preferably in a corporate environment.
• Strong communication skills, both written and verbal, with the ability to interact professionally across teams and with vendors.
• Exceptional attention to detail.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and handle ad-hoc requests in a fast-paced environment.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite (Excel, Word, Outlook) and other productivity tools.
• Organizational and problem-solving skills to ensure efficient workflow and timely completion of tasks.
• Flexibility and adaptability to support evolving business needs.
• Interest in learning the business and growing into future career opportunities within the organization.

Compensation and Benefits

The expected base salary range for this role is $70,000 - $85,000; 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.

• 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.