Lead Policy Advisor

Lead Policy Advisor

Division – Payment & Digital Assets

Department – Open Banking/Open Finance

Salary - National (Edinburgh and Leeds) ranging from £59,100 to £73,700 and London £64,900 to £81,000 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.

Over 11 million people use Open Banking, making over 14 million payments a month. But it promises more. Open banking and open finance have the potential to be key drivers of growth and competition in the UK financial services sector presenting a huge opportunity for the UK.

We are in the process of setting up a new department to increase our focus in this area in line with the FCA’s strategy.. Our work is focussed on developing policy that will establish a sustainable and competitive footing so that the open banking ecosystem can grow beyond the current functionalities, extend across different financial services sectors for open finance and bring greater competition and choice while boosting innovation and growth.

We are hiring for one permanent Lead Associate within Open Finance, and will also be advertising separately for a 12-month internal secondment within Open Banking.

What will you be doing?

• Responsible for line management and work allocation of associates in the team

• Leading and supporting engagement with teams across the FCA, and external stakeholders including Government, other regulators, industry, international regulators, and other opinion formers shaping the market including consumer groups and academics Government, other regulators, industry and other opinion formers shaping the market

• Taking ownership of project and stakeholder management

• Building and owning strong working relationships with external stakeholders including HM Treasury and other Government departments, other UK and international regulators as well as stakeholders across the financial services sector

• Influencing stakeholders and market developments to ensure FCA priorities are reflected in changes taken forward by others.

• Leading work to analyse information to develop policy proposals + public consultation on changes to FCA rules and guidance 

• Working with and supporting industry participants to deliver voluntary initiatives in line with the outcomes set in the FCA’s strategy

What will you get from the role?

• This role is an exciting opportunity to work on policy central to delivering the new FCA Strategy. The role is best suited to those who are interested in working in a fast-paced, flexible environment

• You will join at an exciting time, the National Payments Vision named FCA as the UK’s regulator for Open Banking and you will have the opportunity to help develop the long-term regulatory framework for Open Banking and Open Finance

• This role is a unique opportunity contribute to development of Open Banking and Open Finance. Embracing opportunities for greater data sharing will make consumers’ and businesses’ lives easier, increasing choice and allowing for easy-to-access, personalised support 

• You will play a key role in building a new department

• You will get exposure to new ideas and the opportunity to increase your knowledge and understanding of new technologies that could shape the future of financial services

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

• Prior experience in leading work to deliver on high profile and complex strategic initiatives – this should include the ability to plan and work to deadline, understand risks and opportunities and being able to adapt to quickly evolving circumstances

• Prior policy making experience or proven experience of analysing and using information from a range of sources to form a judgement in a regulated field

• Prior experience presenting key issues clearly and succinctly both orally and in writing

Essential

• Experience of analysing information and contributing to the development of policy

• Prior problem solving and organisational skills with the ability to manage a variety of competing priorities and issues

• Good stakeholder management with the ability to build a network across and beyond the organisation and a proven ability to work collaboratively on strategic initiatives and deliver high priority work

• Experience of leading and supporting the design of strategy and turning it into roadmap/programme of work

• An ability to take into account potentially very different views which may be conflicting, without losing sight of the overall strategic aims and objectives

• Ability to operate effectively in a fast-evolving, sometimes uncertain environment, using judgement to adapt quickly as needed

• strong interpersonal skills and the ability to provide advice and opinions with confidence;

• A team player, with a positive approach and outlook to their work with experience of motivating others, mentoring and coaching less experienced team members, sharing knowledge and giving high-quality feedback

• Previous experience delivering through others or strong evidence of your ability to work well with others to achieve goals

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 were the first in their family to attend university.

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

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% 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 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 as Lead Associate – Regulatory

• We are hiring for 1 permanent Lead Associate for this campaign

• Advert Closing Date:  Sunday 18th May (midnight)

• CV Review/Shortlist: 20th May

• First Round Case Study Assessment: w/c 2nd June

• Competency Based Interview: w/c 9th June

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/external candidates: please speak to: Shafika Shaikh [email protected]

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