EMPOWERING PEOPLE TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE

At Howden, we employ talented individuals and empower them to make a real difference to the company, whilst building successful and fulfilling careers.

The entrepreneurial atmosphere is one of the biggest reasons people love to work for us. We are a leading independent global insurance broker with a noticeably flat hierarchy. It doesn't matter how junior or senior, anyone with a good idea will be heard. This means our employees can shape their own career paths and determine their own success.

This atmosphere attracts the brightest talent in the market. If that includes you, get in touch.

Job role: Legal Counsel, Japan

Reports to: CEO, Japan/ General Counsel, Asia

A LEADING GLOBAL INDEPENDENT BROKER

Howden is a specialist commercial insurance broker. Its regional footprint covers Singapore (regional headquarters), Malaysia, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Thailand, Philippines and Japan. It is part of the London-headquartered Howden Broking Group, a leading independent, global broker with offices in over 40 countries worldwide.

JOB OVERVIEW:

This is an exciting new role within Howden's legal team in Japan to support our growing presence in this market. As a bilingual Legal Counsel (English/Japanese), you'll provide practical, business-focused legal advice that enables our operations to run smoothly and strategically.

This role combines day-to-day legal responsibilities with involvement in high-impact projects, including M&A, new business initiatives, litigation, and employment matters. You'll work closely with the CEO of Japan and the General Counsel for Asia, collaborating with local and regional teams to support our strategic initiatives—ensuring compliance, efficiency, and sustainable growth.

YOUR ROLE AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

Contract Review & Negotiation

• Review, draft, negotiate, and amend a full range of contracts and agreements (service agreements, broking documents, TOBAs, NDAs, SLAs, distribution agreements, referral agreements, etc.).
• Draft and review transactional documents with clients, vendors, insurers, affiliates, and other third parties, including reviewing third-party changes to Howden templates.
• Liaise and coordinate with the business stakeholders during the contract review process.
• Finalize negotiated contracts and manage execution of legal documentation.

Advisory & Business Partnering

• Deliver pragmatic, timely, commercially sensitive legal advice across a wide range of matters, ensuring decisions balance legal risk with business objectives.
• Advise internal teams in Japan on corporate commercial matters, HR issues, regulatory requirements, and industry-specific contracts.
• Communicate material legal developments and their implications to business stakeholders promptly.
• Support strategic initiatives such as M&A transactions, post-deal integration, and new business ventures.
• Collaborate with the Japan leadership and Asia legal team to develop a proactive legal framework for Howden Japan.
• Conduct research then prepare analysis for the legal team and/or summaries for business stakeholders.
• Assist/work with the Asia legal team to liaise with external counsel and review legal opinions to ensure cost-effective and high-quality advice.
• Assist with regulatory reviews, public consultation papers, and compliance initiatives.
• Manage disputes and coordinate resolution strategies.
• Support project management for corporate transactions across multiple cities, including execution and completion.
• Build a sound understanding of Howden's policies, forms, and contract procedures to provide support to the business stakeholders and assure compliance with Howden's policies.

Operational Excellence & Governance

• Maintain accurate and organized records of all contractual documents through robust document retention and contract management systems.
• Develop and update contract templates, digitize and simplify legal processes, and ensure proper execution and governance.
• Oversee template revision, documentation, maintain legal department's template repository and roll out new and updated template agreements.
• Maintain document retention systems, contract management processes, and template repositories.
• Ensure compliance with Howden's policies and regulatory requirements.

Team Support & Training

• Prepare guides and updates on key legal topics and deliver training to business stakeholders.
• Contribute to building a culture of compliance and operational excellence within the legal team.
• Provide professional support to the legal team, including gap analysis, maintaining local records, and document formatting.
• Support ad-hoc projects and initiatives as required.

OUR IDEAL CANDIDATE WILL BE:

• Qualified lawyer with a law degree in Japanese law and minimum 5 years of post-qualification experience (PQE).
• Preferably called to the relevant Japan Bar and experienced in a reputable law firm or in-house legal team (insurance, reinsurance, broking, financial institutions preferred).
• Proven ability in: (1) Drafting and negotiating corporate and commercial documentation; (2) Managing disputes and providing practical solutions; (3) Delivering generalist legal advice across multiple areas
• Fluency in Japanese (native level) and English (business-level) in both written and spoken
• Commercial acumen with confidence to engage senior stakeholders and make independent decisions
• Able to make sound, commercially focused decisions—even outside your core area of expertise—while remaining flexible and willing to step in wherever needed to support business priorities.
• Strong organizational skills with attention to detail and analytical capability
• Proactive, pragmatic, and adaptable; able to work under pressure and manage multiple priorities
• Collaborative team player with the ability to interact across all levels in a global organization
• High integrity, professionalism, and discretion in handling sensitive information
• Technologically savvy and curious to learn about different business models within Howden
• Strong interpersonal and presentation skills, with critical thinking and problem-solving ability

YOUR BENEFITS AND SALARY:

• Commensurate with qualification and experience
• Working in a collaborative and upbeat environment with development opportunities and regional HR exposure

DATA PROTECTION NOTICE FOR JOB APPLICANTS

This Data Protection Notice ("Notice") sets out the basis upon which Howden Insurance Brokers (S.) Pte. Limited ("we", "us" or "our") may collect, use, disclose or otherwise process personal data of job applicants in accordance with the Personal Data Protection Act ("PDPA"). This Policy applies to personal data in our possession or under our control, including personal data in the possession of organizations which we have engaged to collect, use, disclose or process personal data for our purposes."

For more information, please refer to the link below.