Head of PMO

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 23,000 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.

Head of PMO – Project Delivery Team (PDT)

Who are we?

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 mind-set, and our strength lies in our ability to collaborate as a powerful international team comprised of 22,000 employees spanning over 100 countries.

Our people are our biggest asset as well as our largest shareholder group and are everything that makes us unique; our inclusive culture, the quality service we offer our clients, and our continued growth, all come from our people-first approach. There’s no such thing as individual success. We all need to play our part, contributing our skills and experience to make a true difference.

That’s Howden.

Why work at Howden?

We have always been employee-owned and driven by entrepreneurial spirit. Right from the beginning, we ve focused on employing talented individuals and empowering them to make a real difference to the company, whilst building successful and fulfilling careers at the same time. Simply put, we hire talented specialists and give them what they need to make a difference for clients. Always have, always will.

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 disappointed head-hunters 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?

The Head of PMO leads the central PMO function within Howden’s Project Delivery Team (PDT), ensuring robust governance, effective portfolio oversight, and consistently high delivery standards across a complex and rapidly expanding project landscape.

Operating within Group IMO, the PDT plays a critical role in driving organisational change. Our team of Project Managers and Business Analysts supports both Group Functions and Business Areas, delivering strategic initiatives such as regulatory programmes, M&A integrations, and target operating model transformations. The PMO function includes a pool of PMO Analysts who are assigned to major programmes or embedded within Group to support the Transformation Wheel.

As multiple project delivery teams operate across Howden, we have now been mandated to standardise PMO practices across the Group.

What will you be doing?

Key Responsibilities

• PMO Leadership & Strategy
• Review and continuously enhance the PMO vision, operating model, and service catalogue to support Howden’s ambition to build a high performing Centre of Excellence for project delivery.
• Set standards for project management, reporting, governance, benefits management, and milestone tracking across the portfolio.
• Promote a culture of transparency, no surprises delivery, and proactive risk management.

2. Portfolio Governance & Assurance

• Work with other PMO functions to set the Project Delivery Framework ensuring all projects follow consistent processes, templates, and governance controls.
• Oversee project approvals (Hopper), change requests, PIDs, health checks, and closure reviews.
• Lead monthly and quarterly governance cycles including Monthly Reporting, PSR QA cycles, and quality assurance of all project artefacts
• Partner with Group PMO, TMO and divisional PMOs to ensure alignment on standards, minimum controls, and reporting expectations.

3. Portfolio Management &…