Global Benefits Management (GBM) Team Leader

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.

Role Purpose

The GBM Team Leader is a senior Employee Benefits specialist responsible for overseeing the delivery of high‑quality service to complex multinational clients. The role leads the GBM client team, driving operational discipline, consistent team routines, and a culture of continuous improvement.

The position ensures a market‑leading client experience by managing all aspects of service delivery, supporting a team of global and regional employee benefits consultants and supports alignment with wider business units throughout Howden globally.

Strong cross‑functional collaboration is central to the role. The Team Leader acts as a key connector across the GBM team, Marketing, Product, Operations and other internal stakeholders, ensuring seamless service and proactive issue resolution. A further focus is aligning GBM expertise with the evolution of Howden Be, contributing to product improvements, testing, and client‑experience enhancements through technology.

The role also oversees GBM-led client communications—newsletters, webinars and events—working closely with experts to ensure professional, timely and impactful delivery. Overall, the Team Leader plays a pivotal role in strengthening client retention, elevating the GBM profile globally, and ensuring consistently excellent client outcomes.

Key Responsibilities

1. Team Leadership & People Management

• Lead and manage and grow the GBM client team to deliver high‑quality service for complex multinational clients.
• Supports continuous development of core value proposition, services and capabilities.
• Embed consistent team routines, including daily stand‑ups, regular 1:1s, coaching and performance reviews.
• Drive a culture of continuous improvement, professional development and operational excellence.

2. Client Experience & Service Delivery

• Ensure the GBM team provides a market‑leading client experience across all aspects of service delivery.
• Oversee the smooth transition and retention of clients from legacy multinational enities, ensuring operational continuity and excellence.
• Develop client‑level strategies where required to strengthen retention, mitigate service risks and enhance long‑term satisfaction.
• Create and embed opportunities for client feedback, ensuring insights are reviewed regularly and acted upon across the team.

3. New Business Coordination & Opportunity Qualification

• Track new business referrals into the GBM team, ensuring inbound opportunities are managed promptly and effectively.
• Conduct initial qualification of outbound leads before passing them to the appropriate business stakeholder.
• Support the alignment between GBM and other parts of the business involved in new business processes.

4. Stakeholder Collaboration & Cross‑Functional Working

• Champion consistent, effective collaboration across multiple internal stakeholders to maintain the highest service standards.
• Partner with subject matter experts across employee benefits countries, Marketing, Product and Operations to support seamless client delivery.
• Oversea enablement and improvement of Howden Client and Howden Be across various stakeholders.

5. Product Alignment & Howden Be Integration

• Ensure GBM subject‑matter expertise is closely aligned to the deployment, enhancement and lifecycle management of Howden Be.
• Contribute to the design, testing and delivery of new or upgraded Howden Be functionality based on requirements from the Global Product Leader.
• Support the integration of technology into the client experience with a view to improving efficiency and value.

6. Client Communications & Events

• Coordinate GBM-led client communications, including newsletters, webinar content and in‑person client engagement activities.
• Work in partnership with relevant experts (e.g., Marketing, Technical SMEs) to ensure all communication and event activity is high‑quality, timely and professionally executed.
• Play a central role in building the global profile of the GBM offering through thoughtful, client‑centric communication.

Capabilities & Experience

• Hands on employee benefits experience in various countries is a plus
• Proven experience as an Employee Benefits practitioner with strong subject‑matter expertise in managing complex international clients.
• Demonstrated ability to lead teams, drive performance and embed operational discipline.
• Strong client‑relationship management capabilities with a focus on service excellence and retention.
• Excellent collaboration skills and ability to coordinate effectively across multiple internal stakeholders.
• Comfortable influencing product development and supporting technology deployment (e.g., Howden Be).
• Strong communication skills, able to lead impactful client communication and events.

Location & Travel

• The role may involve periodic international travel to support client meetings, events and internal leadership collaboration.

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*.

If you're excited by this role but have some doubts about whether it’s the right fit for you, send us your application – if your profile fits the role’s criteria, we will be in touch to assist in helping to get you set up with any reasonable adjustments you may require.

*Not all positions can accommodate changes to working hours or locations. Reach out to your Recruitment Partner if you want to know more.

Permanent