Senior Compliance Officer

Howden is a collective – a group of talented and passionate people all around the world. 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 18,000 employees spanning over 100 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.

The Role

This is a six-month fixed-term contract to provide cover for a team member's absence. This role can be based in Luxembourg or Paris.

The Senior Compliance Officer will report directly to the Senior Compliance Manager - Europe.

The jobholder will support the European Compliance Department in ensuring that the European offices of the Operating Entity maintain regulatory systems and controls that comply with applicable laws and regulations. This includes:

• Implementing and monitoring the Compliance Plan.

• Identifying and interpreting regulatory requirements across multiple jurisdictions.

• Developing, reviewing, and updating compliance policies and procedures.

• Preparing regulatory reports for the Operating Entity and governance committees.

• Supporting the implementation of risk-based compliance controls.

• Assessing business operations for regulatory impact.

The role requires collaboration with other Compliance Officers, business stakeholders, and regulatory bodies to ensure a consistent compliance approach across European operations.

What you'll do

• Work closely with the European and UK Compliance & Data Protection Teams to manage overlapping responsibilities.

• Support the Senior Compliance Manager – Europe in handling compliance-related queries from European offices.

• Oversee the execution of the European Offices' elements of the Annual Compliance Plan.

• Work with the Compliance Monitoring Team to ensure robust second-line monitoring of European Offices.

• Assist in the execution of the European Compliance Plan and regulatory framework implementation.

• Monitor regulatory developments affecting European offices and ensure timely updates.

• Identify and mitigate compliance risks, working with first and second-line defence teams.

• Provide expert regulatory advice to internal stakeholders and address compliance-related queries.

• Ensure accurate and timely regulatory filings and reporting obligations.

• Support compliance monitoring programs to identify and address emerging risks.

• Coordinate responses to regulatory audits, inspections, and investigations.

• Identify training needs and assist in developing and delivering compliance training (including induction programs).

• Promote a culture of compliance awareness among employees.

• Manage Fit & Proper assessments for relevant personnel.

• Oversee training records to ensure compliance with regulatory competency requirements.

• Supports the Senior Compliance Manager - Europe with ad-hoc projects

• Assist in the delivery and maintenance of second-line policies and procedures for European Offices.

• Draft, review, and adapt policies and procedures to ensure compliance with EU insurance regulations.

• Ensure policies and operational procedures are consistently applied across European entities.

• Regularly review Operating Entity's policies and procedures to ensure they remain fit for purpose.

• Implement actions based on regulatory instructions and policies.

Who we're looking for

• Must have experience of identifying and interpreting the application of European insurance regulatory requirements, and development or oversight of associated systems and controls to comply with such requirements.

• Must be knowledgeable on the expectations of the Insurance Distribution Directive and other applicable EU insurance directive and their application to insurance broking organisations.

• Experience of identifying and interpreting regulatory requirements across various EU states.

• Will ideally have some experience and knowledge of working within a financial services firm, ideally within the insurance industry.

• Will ideally have some knowledge and understanding of insurance, principles, products and services.

• Strong desire to learn and develop in order to build up an understanding of regulatory and insurance processes

• Self-starter

• Strong written and oral communication skills.

• Analytical and problem solving skills

Qualifications

• University degree in Law, Finance, Risk Management, or a related field

• Professional certification in compliance, risk, or insurance.

• Minimum 3 years of experience in compliance, legal, or risk functions within insurance or financial services.

• Fluent English required; French, German, or Italian is a plus.

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

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.