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.

About The Role

The Data Quality Capabilities SME role is central to building the foundations for enterprise-wide federated Data Quality. Reporting directly to the Data Quality Capabilities Lead, you will work closely with the Global Head of Data Quality and other senior leaders within the Chief Data Office (CDO) team to design and embed the frameworks, tools, and processes that make data quality actionable and scalable. You will act as a strategic delegate for the Group Data Quality vision, providing third-line support and expert guidance to the BAU team.

In the initial phase, you will support organisational change by shaping capabilities that enable federated ownership of data quality across business domains. This includes developing rulebooks, metadata models, profiling mechanisms, and other reusable components that align with strategic objectives and technical realities. The role requires strong collaboration with engineering and business teams to ensure frameworks are both robust and practically adopted.

Once this transformation is complete, the role will evolve into a second-line assurance function, providing oversight and governance to ensure federated teams apply data quality standards consistently. You will maintain and enhance the core frameworks, act as an escalation point for complex issues, and safeguard the integrity of the organisation’s data quality ecosystem.

This is a highly collaborative role, requiring engagement with engineering, governance, and business teams to ensure alignment and adoption. It is ideal for someone who thrives on bringing clarity to ambiguity, enjoys creating structured solutions, and wants to leave a lasting impact on how data quality is operationalised at scale.

The SME team is distinct from the BAU team, which owns day-to-day management and resolution of DQ issues. The SME team’s focus is on strategic enablement, framework design, and third-line escalation, not on building a parallel BAU or engineering function.

Role Responsibilities

Capability Building & Change Enablement

• Translate Strategy into Action: In conjunction with our change teams, convert high-level data quality concepts into structured delivery plans, frameworks, and reusable components.
• Design & Implement Capabilities: Develop rulebooks, metadata models, profiling mechanisms, and other tools that make data quality measurable and actionable. Leverage technical awareness to ensure frameworks and standards are compatible with modern data platforms and can be effectively implemented by engineering teams.
• Enable Federated Adoption: Shape foundational capabilities that allow decentralised ownership of data quality across business domains, providing subject matter expertise to bridge business requirements and technical implementation.
• Collaborate Across Functions: Work closely with the Data Quality Capabilities Lead, Global Head of Data Quality, and other CDO leaders, as well as engineering, governance, and business teams.
• Document & Communicate: Maintain clear records of designs, decisions, and progress; communicate effectively with stakeholders at all levels.

Steady-State Assurance

• Third-Line Support & Assurance: Provide governance and assurance that federated teams apply data quality standards consistently, acting as a point of escalation and guidance for complex or cross-functional issues, and supporting the BAU team as third-line experts.
• Maintain & Evolve Frameworks: Keep rulebooks, metadata models, and tooling up to date with business and technology changes.
• Escalation Point: Act as a subject matter expert for complex data quality issues, drawing on both business context and technical understanding of data quality tools, rule engines, and platform integration.
• Continuous Improvement: Identify opportunities to enhance processes and capabilities based on feedback and performance metrics.

The ideal candidate will possess a blend of business acumen and technical awareness, enabling them to translate strategic objectives into frameworks that are both robust and implementable within modern data environments.

Core Responsibilities for all Staff

Achieve Results through Relationships with All Parties

• Deliver a personal performance that contributes towards Group and/or Company achieving their objectives.
• Achieve lasting relationships with all parties (internal clients, suppliers, third parties and other staff).

Delivery of Service

• Consistently deliver an excellent and comprehensive service, on-time, within budget and to, or exceeding quality expectations.

Conduct and Integrity

• Ensure all dealings are carried out with integrity and professionalism.
• Act in utmost good faith, in accordance with Group and/or Company policies and never risk the Company’s or the Group’s reputation.

Reporting

• Monitor and report on Business Units’ issues.
• Provide relevant management information to senior management.
• Any other reasonable duties, as required.

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.