Senior Associate – Freedom of Information Appeals

Senior Associate – Freedom of Information Appeals

Division – Communications   

Department – Internal Communications, External Affairs & Public Information

Team – Information Disclosure

Salary: National (Edinburgh and Leeds) ranging from £43,300 to £60,000 and London from £46,400 to £64,000 (salary offered will be based on skills and experience)

• This role is graded as: Senior Associate – Corporate
• Your external recruitment contact is Raimonda via [email protected]
• Your internal recruitment contact is Fizah via [email protected]
• Applications must be submitted through our online portal. Applications sent via social media or email will not be accepted.

 About the FCA and team 

We regulate financial services firms in the UK, to keep financial markets fair, thriving and effective. By joining us, you’ll play a key part in protecting consumers, driving economic growth and shaping the future of UK finance services. 

In the Communications division at the FCA we change opinions and behaviours to enable a fair and thriving financial services market for the good of consumers and the economy. It’s an exciting time as we’re expanding our team and changing how we do things to deliver more engaging, insight-led, audience focused communications. If you want to be part of a supportive and fun team, work across a wide range of issues and are ready to be challenged, curious and creative then come and join us.

The Information Disclosure and Appeals teams are responsible for managing Freedom of Information (FOI) requests, personal data access requests and related appeals. The team plays a key role in helping the FCA meet its statutory obligations, supporting our transparency agenda and ensuring compliance with information rights legislation. This role is critical in managing legal, regulatory and reputational risk, as failure to meet statutory deadlines could result in action from the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) and impact confidence in the FCA as a regulator.

Role responsibilities

• Manage FOIA appeals, including Internal Reviews, Information Commissioner investigations and First-tier Tribunal (Information Rights) appeals. Support the wider Information Disclosure team with the Publication Scheme, data protection witness statements and Re-use of Public Sector Information requests
• Produce high quality oral and written communications to key stakeholders and to members of the public (Requesters)
• Provide expert advice, training and guidance to stakeholders across the FCA, promoting awareness of FOIA requirements and ensuring the organisation remains informed of legislative and regulatory developments
• Oversee the triage and allocation of work, ensuring service levels and agreed SLAs are met
• Line manage and develop junior colleagues through coaching, mentoring and knowledge sharing, while acting as a key escalation point for complex and high-profile cases

Skills required

Minimum:

• Exceptional writing and verbal communication skills, with proven ability to explain complex disclosure-related issues to diverse audiences
• FOIA legislation experience and good knowledge of the ICO code of practice
• Experience researching regulatory developments and analysing information from multiple sources to identify risks, trends and emerging issues

Essential:

• Excellent organisational skills with the ability to meet deadlines while maintaining high service standards
• Meticulous attention to detail in drafting responses, coupled with sound decision-making abilities
• Proven ability to build strong relationships and networks across an organisation to ensure a cohesive approach and timely delivery
• Ability to influence senior stakeholders through clear and persuasive guidance
• Proficiency in document redaction using various applications and software
• Demonstrated ability to lead, manage, coach, develop and motivate teams effectively

Benefits

• 25 days annual leave plus bank holidays
• Non-contributory pension (8–12% depending on age) and life assurance at eight times your salary
• Private healthcare with Bupa, income protection and 24/7 Employee Assistance
• 35 hours of paid volunteering annually
• Hybrid model where colleagues spend a minimum of 50% of their working time in the office each month (60% for Directors and Executive Directors) across our London, Leeds and Edinburgh offices
• A flexible benefits scheme designed around your lifestyle

For a full list of our benefits and our recruitment process as a whole visit our benefits page.

Our values and culture

Our colleagues are the key to our success as a regulator. We are committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive culture: one that’s free from discrimination and bias, celebrates difference and supports colleagues to deliver at their best. 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.

If you require any adjustments due to a disability or condition, your recruiter is here to help - reach out for tailored support.

We welcome diverse working styles and aim to find flexible solutions that suit both the role and individual needs, including options like part-time and job sharing where applicable.

Disability confident: our hiring approach
We’re proud to be a Disability Confident Employer and therefore, people or individuals with disabilities and long-term conditions who best meet the minimum criteria for a role will go through to the next stage of the recruitment process. In cases of high application volumes we may progress applicants whose experience most closely matches the role’s key requirements.

Useful information and timelines

Timeline:

• Job advert closes: Midnight, 13 September 2026
• CV Review/Shortlist: 15 September 2026
• Interview: 24 September and onwards 2026
• 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. 

SC Clearance is required for this role (SC Guidance) - you will hold or will be required to obtain Security Check (SC) level vetting