Senior Policy Advisor

Senior Policy Advisor 

Division – Corporate Governance   

Department – Consumer Panel Secretariat 

Salary – National (Edinburgh and Leeds) ranging from £51,200 to £64,000 and London £56,400 to £70,400 per annum (Salary offered will be based on skills and experience) 

About the FCA 

The FCA regulates the conduct of 45,000 firms in the UK to ensure our financial markets are honest, fair and competitive. Follow this link to find out more About the FCA 

The Corporate Governance division comprises the following functions:  

• Central Secretariat (incorporating the Conflict of Interests (COI) Policy Team and Senior Managers Regime (SMR) Support Function)   

• Consumer Panel Secretariat  

• Decision-Making Committees Secretariat (DMCS)  

• Practitioner Panels Secretariat 

The Consumer Panel Secretariat  

We’re recruiting for a Senior Policy Adviser to support the Financial Services Consumer Panel (FSCP). This role would suit a talented and ambitious individual who wants to develop and broaden their policy knowledge and skills and who is comfortable engaging with stakeholders across the FCA and externally. 

The FCA consults the Panels on a confidential basis, and at an early stage, to help them understand the impact of their proposals on consumers and more widely. The FSCP provides external input on our policies and practices from the consumer perspective and conducts independent research. Follow this link for more information on the Panel and its current members. 

What will you be doing? 

The post-holder will work alongside other members of the team to provide policy advice and professional support to the FSCP, to enable them to contribute high-quality and timely input to the FCA’s policy development and implementation. They will proactively manage relationships with key panel members and stakeholders across the FCA and externally.   

• Analysing and evaluating policy issues and drafting feedback from the FSCP to the FCA, including the FCA Board and responses to consultations, and other reports by the FSCP 

• Liaising with key FCA stakeholders, to ensure that the FSCP’s work reflects its strategic priorities and the FCA’s policy work programme 

• Identifying and researching policy issues relevant to the FCA’s objectives and drawing them to the attention of the FSCP in the most appropriate way 

• Assisting with formal and informal panel meetings, including providing briefings, meeting notes and minutes as necessary 

• Liaising with key external contacts (such as consumer groups, Government Departments, other regulators, financial services firms, etc.) as necessary to assist the Panel’s work  

• Liaising with other team members and the secretariats of other Panels to coordinate with their work, and providing ad hoc assistance for other Panel work as required 

What will you get from the role? 

• The chance to work at the centre of the FCA and gain a unique overview of all the major policy priorities 

• An opportunity to advise and work with a senior group of consumer representatives/experts, seeking to ensure that the consumer interest is well represented and understood within the FCA 

• The opportunity to focus on particular FCA policy development that affect UK consumers 

• The opportunity to be part of a high-performing team, and to develop and enhance your skillset 

• The chance to enhance the Consumer Panel's reputation within the FCA, with its external stakeholders, and within financial services generally 

• An opportunity to work with colleagues from across the FCA, and with external contacts to raise the consumer perspective 

• Experience of a challenging, interesting and extremely wide-ranging workload 

Which skills are required? 

We are a Disability Confident Employer; therefore, disabled people or individuals with long-term conditions who best meet the minimum criteria for a role will go through to the next stage of the recruitment process. (To learn more about the Disability Confident Scheme Click Here) 

Minimum 

• Proven experience in a regulatory and/or policy role, delivering insightful policy advice to drive the development and successful implementation of policies 

• Strong stakeholder management skills with proven ability in managing and building relationships internally and externally  

Essential 

• In-depth understanding of regulatory impact and its effect on consumer outcomes

• Collaborative team player with a proven ability to work effectively with others to achieve shared goals 

• Professional credibility and presence to engage confidently with a wide range of stakeholders, including senior leadership

• Skilled at constructively challenging ideas and decisions when necessary

• Detail-oriented and methodical, consistently committed to achieving high standards of performance. 

• Strong organisational and project management skills 

Our Values & Diversity 

We are proud to be an inclusive employer and our ambition is to cultivate a culture 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. 

Within the workplace you will have access to various employee resource groups which aim to promote and achieve a healthy work / life balance and support our diversity ambitions. 

Did you know? 50% of our Executive Committee are women. 

The FCA is committed to achieving greater diversity across all levels of the organisation. Given this, we particularly welcome applications from men, minority ethnic, disabled, and neurodivergent candidates for our role.  

Benefits of working at the FCA 

• 25 days holiday per year plus bank holidays  

• Hybrid working (work from home up to 60% of your time) 

• Private healthcare with Bupa  

• A non-contributory Pension of at least 8%  

• Life assurance 

• Income protection 

We also have a competitive flexible benefits scheme which gives you the opportunity to create a personalised benefits package, tailored to suit your lifestyle. 

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 can explore what might work best for both sides. 

Follow this link to see what life is like at the FCA - Life at the FCA 

Application Support 

We are dedicated to removing barriers and ensuring our application process is accessible to everyone. We offer a range of adjustments to make your application experience as comfortable and straightforward as possible.  

If you have an accessibility need, disability, or condition requiring changes to the recruitment process, please contact your recruiter using the details below and they will be happy to discuss this further with you. 

Useful Information and Timeline 

This role is graded Senior Associate – Regulatory  

Whilst we are open to this role being based in London, Edinburgh or Leeds, occasional travel will be required for in person panel meetings in London.  

• Advert Closing Date: 8th December  

• CV Review/Shortlist: W/C 9th December  

• Competency Based Interview: W/C 16th December   

Your Recruiter will discuss the process in detail with you during screening for the role, therefore, please make them aware if you are going to be unavailable for any date during this time.  

Got a question? 

If you are interested in learning more about the role, please contact:  

• For internal applicants, please contact Melanie Dubock at [email protected]  

• For external applicants, please contact Chhavi Bartaria at [email protected] 

Applications must be submitted through our online portal. Applications sent via email will not be accepted.