Careers

When we ask our colleagues what makes Aspen special the answer is always the same – it’s the people. You’ll find approachable leaders and a strong team ethos right across our organization because we believe that having a friendly, collaborative culture doesn’t just make Aspen a great place to work, it helps make us a stronger business.

Aspen is a specialist insurer. Our clients include Fortune 500 companies in technology, hospitality, financial services and construction and we work with them to create often bespoke solutions to complex challenges such as protecting their enterprises from pollution incidents, cyber attacks, terrorism, lost cargo, project delays, and property damage. It could be a sporting or other entertainment event on the world stage, like the World Cup or Super Bowl, or helping prevent and bring resolution to a kidnap and ransom incident of company employees when they’re traveling abroad.

To do this, we employ people who have deep expertise in their field and who also recognize that sharing knowledge helps drive our business forward. This means that we offer unrivaled opportunities to work alongside industry thought-leaders at every stage of your career, whether you’re just starting out or are already established.

“People are very approachable here – we get access to senior leaders who not only share their thinking but give us the opportunity to bring our ideas and lead projects.  I feel that my opinion is respected and I have seen first-hand the opportunities to contribute and make a difference. Aspen has been and continues to be a great environment to grow my career.”
– Actuary

At Aspen our leaders know that culture is set from the top, and they consistently demonstrate the connection between a strong, healthy culture and a successful business.

It won’t surprise you to know that we have organizational values. But we’ve also taken the time to create – with our people – behaviors that bring our values to life. These govern not just how we behave towards each other but how we do business, working hard to create trusting relationships and openly debating issues with respect and curiosity because that helps us arrive at the best solutions. We embrace the power of teamwork but we never lose sight of individual achievements, accountabilities and identities.

We encourage our people to be actively involved in building and maintaining our culture, from sharing their views in surveys right through to leading projects that have wide-ranging impacts on our business. Which means whether you’re a senior leader or a new graduate we’re all “In it Together”.

“In almost every conversation I’ve had with Mark, our Chairman and Group CEO,  he’s talked about how important culture is. It’s very clear to me that his view on the success of Aspen is measured as much through people and our culture as it is through our financial position.”
Graduate

If you’re looking for a job in which every day’s the same, Aspen won’t be for you.  The world moves fast and we don’t just want to keep pace, we need to be ahead of the game. We’re always looking for new opportunities, whether it’s an innovative solution to a client’s problem or improving our internal processes and whatever part of the business you’re in we actively encourage an entrepreneurial mindset and an opportunity to make your mark.

“I’d get bored if I was doing the same thing every day and Aspen has provided me with a multitude of opportunities to learn about the business, explore new projects, diversify my experience, and constantly be stimulated. Aspen provides a fast paced, progressive work environment that is not intimidating but welcoming. I feel that everyone is generally working to meet the same aspirations.”
Investment AVP

We have a clear view about this: being a diverse and inclusive organization isn’t just the right thing to do, it makes us a stronger and more successful business. We have a clear plan in place to turn words into outcomes including a program for female employees to be sponsored by ExCo members and a reverse mentoring scheme to help managers stand in the shoes of employees from a wide variety of backgrounds. Through our highly successful internships and graduate programs we’re encouraging a new generation of people who might not previously have thought about a career in insurance to join us.

We have employee resource groups in all of our locations. Led by colleagues, they provide an inclusive space for people to come together to share experiences, ideas and learning. They have a track record in creating powerful events to mark important dates such as International Women’s Day, Pride month and Black History Month, and are instrumental in building a culture in which people feel able to bring their whole selves to work.

“Coming to Aspen really expanded my view of insurance because of all the different people with different experiences.  I’ve seen how Aspen aims to hire people coming from diverse backgrounds so we have many voices bringing fresh ideas – this gives us cumulative expertise not group think.”
– Underwriter

“Do the right thing” is one of our values and we take that approach into how we operate in the wider world. We have very active charity committees who partner with local charities as well as corporate giving and matching schemes in which Aspen matches the donations made by employees. We encourage everyone to get directly involved by offering two days off each year for volunteering, whether that’s for charities Aspen supports or a cause that to which someone you’re personally committed.

We also recognize the responsibilities we have as a business; we want to make a positive impact on our environment, our communities and all our stakeholders. For information on subjects such as how we’re offsetting our carbon footprint and how we assess the environmental criteria of risks we may insure, read our annual ESG report.

“There’s a lot of talk about Environmental, Governance and Sustainability (ESG) and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in businesses these days but I like how we’re approaching it at Aspen.  I sit on one of our charity committees so I see all the activities our people get involved in and our business supports.  I also know how much thought and effort is being put into ESG; it would be easy to indulge in greenwashing and I’m pleased that to say that I’ve never seen that happen here – there’s a real commitment from our leaders to make change and to do it properly.”
– Business support

Rewarding our people properly is core to our ethos at Aspen and we aim to provide a broad range of competitive core & flexible benefits that give you the ability to select what you value most depending on your professional and personal circumstances, from support with professional qualifications to healthcare.

We believe when our business does well our people should benefit and we offer discretionary bonuses that are based on individual contribution and company performance.

Benefits packages may differ depending on the country you work in but here are some examples of what may be offered:

• Reimbursement of sports/gym membership costs
  Support with your healthcare costs
  Confidential advice on a wide range of issues including financial concerns, work problems, family or health issues
  Commuter benefits (including season ticket loans)
  Income protection if you’re prevented from working by illness or injury
  Retirement/pension plan
  Life insurance

“I really appreciate being able to choose what health and wellbeing benefits I want rather than just getting a standard package.  We’re not all the same, and getting something that fits with changes in my life has been really helpful.

Business support

We recognize that a healthy work-life balance means different things to different people at various stages of their lives, and we aim to provide an approach that helps everyone maintain an even keel.

We have a hybrid approach to working location which is likely to mean balancing your working week between the office and home, and have attuned our strategy to local practice because we know that one size doesn’t fit all.

I’ve had two periods of maternity leave in my time at Aspen and have come back to a very supportive environment.  I can’t work 9-5 each day because I have young kids so I flex my hours – the attitude is that we’re all adults and we’re not punching a clock, we’re focused on outcomes.
– Underwriter

Career paths differ, so whether you’re just beginning your career or are a seasoned professional with a strong track record we have diverse and practical ways to support you.
All our employees can access a world-class set of learning resources including e-learning courses, podcasts, TED talks and articles, and we offer excellent support to people to work towards a professional qualification. Our outstanding training courses will help you navigate through your career, from Insurance Fundamentals for people new to the industry to development programs to build our business leaders of the future.

But just as important is the opportunity to work with industry thought leaders, get global exposure and have the chance to pursue a new idea through to delivery.
In addition, activities away from the day job – such as involvement in our charitable and D&I projects – provide great opportunities to develop skills and networks as well as following a personal passion.

We do some interesting things to develop people here.  I took part in an event where people from all over Aspen got together to design and implement solutions to real business issues.  We presented our ideas to members of the Executive Committee and have been supported to put them into action.  I’ve also participated in a leadership development program that really helped me think differently about my key attributes and areas of improvement so I could become a more effective leader.
– IT