Head of Certificate Operations

Howden • Charlotte, NC

2d • $170,000 - $200,000 • Hybrid

About The Position

The Head of Certificate Operations is responsible for leading Howden US Certificate and Auto-ID functions, ensuring that client insurance certificates are issued, transferred, and delivered with accuracy, timeliness, and regulatory compliance. This role sets the strategic direction and governance standards for the issuance of Certificates of Insurance (COIs) and Auto ID cards, as well as steering the future state process to be enabled through automation. The Head of Certificate Operations partners closely with operational leaders, technology teams, transfer agents, DTC, clearing firms, and client service executives to drive process efficiency, automation, and exceptional client experience at scale. You will oversee a team of managers and analysts, providing leadership, coaching, and guidance to ensure consistency, quality, and continuous improvement across all business units.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Operations, or Insurance; MBA or relevant advanced degree preferred.
• 8–12 years of experience in insurance operations, shared services, or enterprise process management.
• At least 3–5 years in a senior leadership role overseeing certificate process ownership.
• Proven success implementing governance, automation, and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Experience with insurance systems (e.g., Epic, CSR24, AMS360, or equivalent platforms).
• Experience with technology build to support business needs.
• Proven people-management experience leading operations teams of 10+ employees.
• Strong analytical, organizational, and vendor-management skills.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with experience presenting to senior management.

Nice To Haves

• MBA or relevant advanced degree preferred.

Responsibilities

• Define and execute the strategy for proof of insurance issuance across all business units.
• Establish governance frameworks, SLAs, and performance metrics to ensure efficiency, consistency, and compliance.
• Partner with operational and functional leaders to align proof of insurance delivery with enterprise objectives and service standards.
• Develop policies, controls, and audit-ready procedures that ensure compliance with regulatory, carrier, and client requirements.
• Provide management reporting on volumes, aging, exceptions, and regulatory metrics.
• Present findings and risk exposure updates to senior management and risk committees.
• Support internal and external audits, including SOC reports and regulatory examinations.
• Oversee adherence to state, carrier, and regulatory requirements related to proof of insurance documentation.
• Maintain enterprise-level visibility into audit trails, exception management, and remediation activities.
• Partner with compliance and risk management functions to proactively identify and mitigate operational risks.
• Ensure readiness for internal and external audits through standardized documentation and governance.
• Oversee end-to-end delivery of Certificates of Insurance and Auto ID issuance through Client Experience Center.
• Manage capacity planning, resource allocation, and service scalability across high-volume workflows.
• Monitor performance through dashboards and KPIs (e.g., turnaround times, accuracy rates, SLA adherence, client satisfaction).
• Serve as an escalation point for critical issues, coordinating with carriers and account teams to ensure resolution.
• Ensure quality assurance through proactive review, trend analysis, and root cause resolution.
• Oversee talent strategy: hire, train, and develop certificate operations staff across issuance, transfer, and related functions.
• Set performance standards and service-level agreements (SLAs) for processing turnaround times.
• Manage workflow distribution and staffing across issuance, transfer, and reorganization-adjacent teams.
• Foster cross-training between certificate operations and related back-office functions (reorg, dividends, proxy).
• Drive automation of manual certificate workflows, including digitization and straight-through processing initiatives.
• Active ownership and participation in technology builds and enhancements to support Certificate Operations including testing, capability feedback and future state operating model transformation.
• Participate as relates to certificates of insurance in the the development of a client portal.
• Act as point of escalation for institutional and retail client issues involving certificates.
• Interact with clients and prospects on capabilities, strategy and operations related to certificates of insurance as requested.
• Coordinate with Legal and Compliance with regard to strategy or issues arising out of certificate issuance.

Benefits

• Medical, dental, and vision insurance, including healthcare savings and reimbursement accounts
• 401(k) retirement plan
• Flexible Paid Time Off and paid parental leave
• Life and Disability insurance
• Discretionary bonus

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior