Description
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.
The AI Technical Lead is the technical authority inside the Group AI Function. The role owns architecture governance, leads the assessment of AI tools and vendors, and provides technical oversight across AI initiatives running inside Howden and with external delivery partners.
Key Responsibilities:
- Own the technical governance process for AI tools and platforms across the Group.
- Lead Architecture Review Board submissions, produce architecture and security design documentation, and work alongside Enterprise Architecture as the AI function’s technical representative.
- Lead the technical evaluation of inbound AI vendors and tools.
- Build a repeatable assessment framework that gives the Head of AI a clear, evidence-based view of what to adopt, what to decline, and where to build instead.
- Provide technical oversight of AI initiatives running across multiple divisions, and external partners.
- Set and maintain technical standards for how AI is built across the business.
- Provide the technical grounding that allows the Head of AI to make well-informed decisions quickly.
Requirements:
- Hands-on experience with large language models, retrieval systems, and agent frameworks.
- Cloud-native AI architecture experience.
- Track record writing architecture or security design documentation.
- Ability to assess AI vendors and tooling rigorously and independently.
- Strong communication , equally comfortable with engineers and senior leaders.
- Intellectually curious, low-ego, and comfortable moving fast in ambiguous conditions.
What good looks like:
- Architecture governance runs smoothly , new tools are assessed, documented, and reviewed without creating bottlenecks or risk.
- A repeatable vendor assessment process is in place and being used consistently.
- Technical oversight of external delivery partners is formalised and effective.
- AI standards and best practices are being adopted across the business, not just documented.
- Howden is demonstrably building internal AI capability rather than outsourcing it.
- The Head of AI has a technical partner who makes decision-making faster and better.
What do we offer in return?
- A career that you define.
- We value diversity – there is no one Howden type.
- 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.