Salary: National ranging from £51,200 to £64,000 and London £56,400 to £70,000 per annum – Salary offered will be based on skills and experience
We are looking for a talented Policy Adviser to join our Pensions Policy team
The team/department
The Pensions Policy team sits within the Asset Management, Funds and Pensions Market Analysis and Policy Department, in the Supervision, Policy and Competition Division at the FCA.
The pensions and retirement income sector has a significant and wide-ranging impact on everyone’s lives. FCA regulated pensions contain hundreds of billions of pounds of assets which people will rely on to fund their retirement. Pensions are therefore a key priority for the FCA, working in partnership with government and The Pensions Regulator on high profile and far-reaching interventions in the interests of consumers.
This is a critical and exciting time for the pensions sector and wider system. The FCA’s Pensions Policy team is at the forefront of developing policy solutions to ensure that our regulatory framework is fit for the future, as well as supporting Government’s significant reform agenda.
You will join a dedicated team of policy professionals, who work collaboratively and are focused on developing creative and evidence-based policy solutions that benefit consumers, markets and competition. We are committed to sharing our knowledge and encouraging new ideas.
What will you be doing?
We are looking for an experienced policymaker to join our department. You will play an integral role in developing policy and providing expert advice on our rules.
You will:
Develop and deliver robust and practical policy solutions by using data and evidence
Proactively manage and lead complex policy projects by making good judgements, prioritising effectively and managing competing tasks and deadlines
Identify and manage a range of internal and external stakeholders, building rapport and constructive relationships and taking a collaborative and flexible approach
Distil complex issues into succinct messages and present clearly and concisely to a variety of stakeholders, orally and in writing
Work as part of a team and support and assist others. This includes supporting team members to achieve shared goals and adjusting your approach for different situations
What will the candidate get from the role?
This role is an exciting opportunity to lead on developing policy in these important sectors. You’ll be at the heart of regulatory decision-making and work on significant and high-profile issues, in an environment where creative thinking and problem solving are essential. You’ll work closely with internal and external stakeholders to develop policies that will have a real impact on consumer outcomes and UK markets.
As a team, we have several key projects to deliver. These include the pensions aspects of the Advice Guidance Boundary Review, developing our regulatory framework for the future and our Strategic Focus for the retirement income market. You will make a significant contribution to our delivery, by leading complex policy projects and working collaboratively with talented and committed colleagues to ensure relevant issues are identified, and optimal solutions are delivered at pace.
Our competitive flexible benefits scheme gives you the opportunity to create a personalised benefits package, tailored to suit your lifecycle. You can use this allowance to purchase additional benefits such as dental or cycle to work or you have the option top up your base salary by taking this as cash.
Core benefits that you will receive as standard are:
25 days holiday per year plus bank holidays
Private healthcare with Bupa
A non-contributory Pension of at least 8% of basic salary each month (there are several contribution levels that increase depending on your age – up to 12% a month once you reach age 35)
Life assurance of eight times your basic salary
Income protection
We support hybrid working which means you will be able to work from home up to 60% of the time over a month with the remainder of your time in one of our three office locations.
The skills and experience you’ll have
We are a signatory to the Government’s Disability Confident scheme. This means that we will offer an interview to disabled candidates entering under the scheme, who best meet the minimum criteria for a role.
Minimum
Proven policy making experience
Experience coordinating and delivering cross-cutting projects
Essential
Outstanding organisational skills, including the ability to proactively manage complex policy projects by planning, prioritising and managing competing tasks and deadlines
Making good judgements and being open minded in approach
Strong stakeholder management skills, building rapport and constructive relationships, taking a collaborative and flexible approach
Excellent written and oral communication skills, including an ability to distil complex issues into succinct messages and present clearly and concisely to a variety of stakeholders
Working effectively as part of a team and supporting and assisting others. This includes supporting team members to achieve shared goals and adjusting your approach for different situations
Flexibility and the ability to deliver effective outcomes in an environment of dynamic change and complexity, by prioritising work and resource to successfully deliver at pace
Strong commitment to collaborative working, including willingness to respond positively to challenge from others
About the FCA
The FCA regulates the conduct of 50,000 firms in the UK to ensure our financial markets are honest, fair and competitive. We do this to make sure markets work well for individuals, businesses and the economy as a whole. For more information on what we do, our three-year strategy can be found here.
The FCA's Values & Diversity
Our ambition is to cultivate a culture of inclusion for all employees that respects their individual strengths, views, and experiences. We believe that our differences and similarities enable us to be a better organisation – one that makes better decisions, drives innovation, and delivers better regulation.
The FCA is committed to achieving greater diversity across all levels of the organisations. Given this, we particularly welcome applications from women, disabled and minority ethnic candidates for our lead associate role.
Flexible working
We welcome applications from candidates who are looking for flexible arrangements. Many of our staff work flexibly including working part-time, staggered hours, and job shares. We can’t promise to give you exactly what you want but we won’t judge you for asking.
Multilocation
As part of the FCA’s on-going commitment to develop our national presence, most of our vacancies are now open to working in our Edinburgh, Leeds, or London offices. This means that as part of the application process you will be able to select your preference of which office location you would like to work from.
Useful information
Applications for this role close at midnight on 20th October
This role is graded as Senior Associate – Regulatory
What to expect from our interview process
The process will involve the below stages:
First round: A timed case study to complete and return followed by a competency interview
Second round: A competency-based interview
Your Recruiter will discuss the process in detail with you during screening for the role.
Recruitment Timetable
Advert closing date: 20th October
First round interviews: 30th October – 1st November
Second round interviews: 6th-8th November
Please make the recruiter aware if you are going to be unavailable for any date during this time.
Got a question?
If you are an external candidate and you are interested in learning more about the role, please contact Aaron Ward on [email protected]
If you are an internal candidate and you are interested in learning more about the role, please contact Lucy Matthews on [email protected]
Please note that all applications must be submitted through our online portal before the closing date, applications sent via email will not be accepted.
Application support
We want to remove any possible barriers and are committed to providing a wide range of reasonable adjustments so that you can keep the focus on your conversations and be at your best.
If you have an accessibility requirement, disability, or condition that means you might require changes to the recruitment process, please contact your recruiter to discuss this further. Our aim is to make your application as easy and comfortable as possible, and your recruiter will be happy to work with you to make any necessary arrangements where possible.
The FCA regulates the conduct of 50,000 firms in the UK to ensure our financial markets are honest, fair and competitive. We do this to make sure markets work well for individuals, businesses, and the economy as a whole. For more information on what we do, our three-year strategy can be found here.
Working inclusively
We work best when we work together. We encourage our people to contribute fully and feel valued, to be innovative and creative by collaborating in an inclusive culture.
We're also committed to reflecting the diverse lived experiences of the communities we work in and the consumers we protect. We have a strategy to achieve a more diverse and inclusive workplace that is free from discrimination. This includes increasing the representation of women in our senior team to 50% and minority ethnic colleagues to 25% by 2025 – representative of the UK population.
We were recently voted 'Employer of the year' at the Women in Finance awards and our commitment to LGBT+ inclusion means we're recognised as a Stonewall Top 100 employer.
Flexible Working
We believe that giving our people greater flexibility fosters an inclusive culture and a healthy work-life balance.
We currently operate a hybrid working model, working up to 40% in the office each month (50% for senior leaders). This way of working applies in our Stratford, Leeds and Edinburgh offices.
We also offer career and family leave provisions, generous annual leave so you can take time off when you need or want to, and a range of other benefits.
Programme for parents returning to work after Parental Leave? |
We don’t have a formal programme, but we have hired several Returners through the assisted hiring route (working with Women Returners) |
Leadership development programmes? |
Yes – we are launching a female progression programme |
Mentoring programmess? |
Yes |
Coaching programmes? |
No |
Employee-led diversity networks? |
Yes |
Internal women’s networking groups? |
No |
Open to discussing flexible work arrangements at interview stage? |
Yes |
No. of weeks paid maternity leave at full salary: |
52 |
Minimum weeks tenure required to be eligible for paid maternity leave: |
|
No. of weeks paid paternity leave at full salary: |
|
Minimum tenure required to be eligible for paid paternity leave: |
Gender pay gap reporting information (2023) (UK): |
|
Average pay gap: |
13.1% |
Median pay gap: |
14.3% |
Average bonus gap: |
15.2% |
Median bonus gap: |
19% |
Signatory of the UK Women in Finance Charter? |
Yes |
Targets to raise the number of women in leadership? |
Yes – 50% female target across all pipeline roles |
Targets to raise the number of BAME individuals in leadership? |
Yes |
Listed in the Bloomberg Diversity & Inclusion Index? |
No |