Business Development - Vice President

Howden•Los Angeles, CA

1d•$90,000 - $150,000•Hybrid

About The Position

The VP, Business Development — West Coast will support Howden Private Capital’s commercial development efforts across the Western U.S. transactional insurance market, with a primary focus on RWI and broader exposure to Tax, Contingent, and Credit products. This is a market-facing role responsible for opening doors, building the Howden Private Capital brand, and serving as a business development partner to senior brokers across the platform. You will help expand our relationships with private equity sponsors, strategic acquirers, investment banks, and leading M&A law firms throughout California and the broader Western U.S. market. You will drive disciplined outreach and pipeline development while partnering closely with senior brokers and deal teams to convert relationships into placed business.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree required
4-7 years experience in business development, sales, brokerage, investment banking, M&A legal practice, private equity, or a closely related transactional role.
Strong network within the West Coast private equity, venture capital, corporate M&A, investment banking, or legal community—or a demonstrated ability and clear plan to build one.
Proven track record of developing and converting commercial relationships into revenue generating opportunities.
Working knowledge of M&A transaction dynamics; willingness to learn RWI and the broader transactional insurance product suite is more important than direct product experience.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills with the ability to engage senior executives and external clients.
Self-starter mentality with strong organizational and relationship-management skills.
Willingness to travel throughout the Western U.S. and nationally as needed (estimated 30 40%).
Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite and CRM systems (e.g., Salesforce)
Strong written and verbal communication skills

Nice To Haves

JD, Bar Admission, CFA, or other relevant transactional/M&A credentials strongly preferred
Exposure to RWI, Tax, Contingent Risk, M&A advisory, private equity, or transactional legal work.
Familiarity with the West Coast sponsor ecosystem, including firms such as Thoma Bravo, Francisco Partners, TPG, Golden Gate Capital, GI Partners, Marlin Equity, H.I.G. Capital, Clearlake Capital, Vista Equity Partners, Genstar Capital, Summit Partners, and leading technology-focused investors and acquirers.
Established relationships with leading investment banks, M&A boutiques, and law firms serving the California and Western U.S. middle-market and large-cap deal communities.
Comfort building a market presence, creating new opportunities, and helping scale a growing platform.

Responsibilities

Support all Howden Private Capital business development efforts across the West Coast, with a primary focus on San Francisco, Silicon Valley, Los Angeles, Orange County, San Diego, Seattle, and other key Western U.S. markets.
Build and maintain senior relationships with private equity sponsors, venture and growth equity investors, family offices, corporate development teams, investment bankers, and the M&A legal community.
Set high-value meetings for senior Howden Private Capital brokers and serve as an on-the ground business development presence with clear weekly and monthly activity targets.
Develop, maintain, and report on a disciplined regional outreach strategy, including a tiered account plan and named-target list.
Organize and host roadshows across key West Coast financial centers, including pre-meeting preparation, coordination with internal deal teams, and post-meeting follow-up to drive sustained pipeline development.
Partner with the senior RWI broking team on pitches, meeting preparation forms (MPFs), and tailored client materials for priority accounts.
Coordinate with Howden’s broader U.S. Property & Casualty and Specialty teams to identify cross-sell opportunities and deliver an integrated client experience across transactional, management liability, cyber, and other specialty insurance lines.
Represent Howden Private Capital at industry conferences, private equity events, law firm programs, and M&A networking forums.
Track activity, pipeline, and conversion metrics through Power BI and Novidea and report regularly to the Head of BD, Coverage.
Serve as a thought partner to leadership on West Coast market dynamics, competitive positioning, and product strategy.