Graduate Analyst – Credit & Financial Risk Reinsurance in Zürich

Junior Quantitative Analyst (Credit & Financial Risk)

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 26,000 employees spanning over 100 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 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.

Working at Howden Re

At Howden Re, we’re on a mission to do things differently.

Our no silo approach, elite team, and clear focus on innovation and relentless execution means our clients are at the heart of all we do.

As a big 4 global reinsurance broker, we deliberately avoid the one-size-fits-all approach, committing to creating bespoke solutions that address the unique challenges of a modern and dynamic marketplace.

Our team is empowered to drive progress, creating opportunities for career and personal development, unlocking new value for clients, fostering long-term partnerships, and using the collective power of Howden to change how the world sees risk and insurance.

When you join Howden Re, you become part of a vibrant and entrepreneurial workplace culture that prioritises collaboration, ownership, and shared success.

Here, your contributions will directly impact our mission to be the global partner of choice in reinsurance and strategic advisory.

Be a part of Howden Re’s exciting journey. Together, we are shaping the future of reinsurance.

The Role

Working as part of a market-leading specialist Credit & Financial Risk reinsurance broking team with a world-wide mandate, you will play a key analytical role across the full lifecycle of client transactions, including:

• Structuring optimal reinsurance solutions for clients.
• Determining market-adequate pricing for reinsurance programmes.
• Developing and visualising reporting data for client portfolios.
• Market-benchmarking of programmes and pricing.
• Supporting RFP pitches through analytical work such as structuring and pricing.
• Providing analytical and pricing support for portfolio credit and significant risk transfer (SRT) transactions.
• Representing Howden and the team at credit, actuarial, and other market conferences and events.

Reporting to the Managing Director, Credit & Financial Risk reinsurance broking, you will develop your knowledge of credit reinsurance structures, portfolio analytics, and broking processes through hands‑on learning and direct involvement in live client transactions.

This is a graduate-level role, ideal for someone with an analytical background who is eager to build a career combining data-driven credit analysis with client-facing broking.

While the role is initially focused on analytical and structuring work, there is a clear long-term development path towards a broker/actuary role with growing client relationship and account management responsibilities.

What will you be doing?

• Build, maintain, and enhance quantitative models to support the structuring and pricing of credit reinsurance transactions.
• Conduct in-depth analysis and review of portfolio credit and significant risk transfer (SRT) transactions, including data validation, cash flow modelling, and scenario/stress testing.
• Support the preparation of client-facing analytical outputs, presentations, and transaction submissions, ensuring accuracy and completeness.
• Collaborate with brokers and account handlers to translate analytical findings into client solutions and structuring recommendations.
• Assist with the collection, cleaning, and interpretation of underlying portfolio data (loan-level, obligor-level, or aggregated) provided by clients and cedents.
• Maintain accurate and up-to-date records of transaction analytics, pricing assumptions, and models on company systems.
• Follow compliance procedures, including securing necessary approvals and maintaining client files (on shared drive and DMS).
• Build effective working relationships with reinsurers, clients, and internal stakeholders across our world-wide mandate.
• Stay informed of credit market trends, capital relief and significant risk transfer (SRT) developments, and analytical techniques relevant to the credit reinsurance segment.
• Actively participate in personal development, progressively taking on greater client and account management responsibilities over time, and adhere to regulatory requirements / training.

Who are we looking for

• A university degree in finance, actuarial science, economics, mathematics, physics, or a related field
• Strong programming and analytical skills, ideally including Python and/or R.
• A genuine interest in credit risk, structured reinsurance, and portfolio analytics, with the ambition to grow into a client-facing broker/actuary role over time.
• Expert knowledge in stochastic calculus, Monte-Carlo simulations and practical application of such
• Fluent in English; German language skills strongly preferred.
• Willingness to travel as required
• Swiss work permit or EU passport required
• Good communication skills (written and verbal), with the ability to present analytical findings clearly to technical and non-technical audiences alike.
• Good time management, able to manage multiple work-streams and meet deadlines under pressure.
• Adaptable and resilient, able to respond positively to change and to work both independently and as part of a small, high-performing team.
• Some prior exposure to insurance, reinsurance, or financial services (e. g. through internships) is preferable.

What do we offer in return?

A career that you define.

Our business succeeds by allowing our people to make a mark in the areas they care about most: personal development, volunteering, and fundraising for charity, or creating new insurance products that address society’s greatest challenges.

And we know that separate home and work lives don’t really exist.

If you’re happy and healthy at home, you’re more likely to be happy and fulfilled at work – and vice versa.

That’s why we do our best to support our people in every aspect of their lives.

Diversity and Inclusion

At Howden we value diversity - there is no one Howden ‘personality 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 smalleveryday moments and the bigger challenges
• We are determined to make a positive difference, at work and beyond

We consider our people our chief competitive advantage and as such we treat colleagues, candidates, clients, and business partners with equality, fairness, and respect – regardless of age, disability, race, religion or belief, gender, sexual orientation, marital status, or family circumstances.

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*.

Our sustainability promise

We’re on a life-long journey to become an ever-more sustainable group.

It’s a commitment to taking care of our people and the world we live in, to doing good business, and to making a positive impact wherever we can.

Our governance processes, company policies, and review systems are all geared towards our goal of making a positive impact in the world.

You can read more about our sustainability work here.

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