Job Title: Agentic Payments Policy Advisor (12 Months Fixed Term Contract)
Division: Supervision, Policy & Competition (SPC)
Department: Market Analysis and Policy – Payments and Digital Assets
Salary: National (Edinburgh and Leeds) ranging from £53,800 to £62,000 and London £59,200 to £69,000 (salary offered will be based on skills and experience)
This role is graded as: Senior Associate – Regulatory
Your external recruitment contact is Steve Christopher via [email protected].
Your internal recruitment contact is Louis Vandenburg 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 financial services in the UK.
SPC oversees firms and individuals (supervision), creates and reviews the rules by which they operate (policy) and identifies and remedies ineffective competition in markets (competition).
The Payments Policy Team is a large and growing team focused on working closely with HMT Treasury, and colleagues across FCA and PSR, to modernise the payments regulatory framework. This includes work realise the benefits of agentic payments, whilst maintaining a safe and trusted payments system
Role responsibilities
Lead policy work on agentic payments by shaping proposals, reviewing information and collaborating with teams across the FCA
Help shape change by contributing to drafting public consultations on FCA rules and guidance, ensuring our priorities align with industry and regulatory developments
Engage with stakeholders by building close relationships with government, other domestic and international regulators and industry participants to help shape the future of payments policy
Provide specialist insight by delivering advice and briefings on payments policy issues to colleagues and senior management, shaping FCA strategy
Grow your skills by developing deep knowledge of payments services and regulations and the risks and opportunities of agentic AI and agentic payments
Be part of transformation by playing a key role in a major regulatory change project, working as a team to develop innovative solutions in an evolving policy landscape
Skills required
Minimum:
Prior experience of analysing information and contributing to the development of policy relating to financial services and/or innovative technology
Prior experience of presenting key issues clearly and succinctly, both verbally and in writing
Prior experience of building and managing effective relationships with a range of stakeholders
Essential:
Experience developing policy that supports consumer protection, drives innovation and competition, and/or promotes growth and UK competitiveness
Effective problem-solving and organizational skills, with the ability to manage multiple priorities and deliver high-quality outcomes in a fast-paced environment
A flexible and proactive approach, demonstrating a willingness to learn, take on new responsibilities, and adapt to changing priorities
Benefits
25 days annual leave plus bank holidays
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.
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
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 close: 4th October 2026 at Midnight
CV Review/Shortlist: 6th October 2026
Interviews: 12th – 20th October 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
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.
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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)
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Leadership development programmes? |
Yes – we are launching a female progression programme |
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Mentoring programmess? |
Yes |
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Coaching programmes? |
No |
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Employee-led diversity networks? |
Yes |
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Internal women’s networking groups? |
No |
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Open to discussing flexible work arrangements at interview stage? |
Yes |
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No. of weeks paid maternity leave at full salary: |
52
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Minimum weeks tenure required to be eligible for paid maternity leave: |
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No. of weeks paid paternity leave at full salary: |
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Minimum tenure required to be eligible for paid paternity leave: |
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Gender pay gap reporting information (2024) |
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Average pay gap: |
12.2 % |
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Median pay gap: |
11.5 % |
| For more information visit - FCA pay gap data 2024 | FCA | |
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Signatory of the UK Women in Finance Charter? |
Yes |
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Targets to raise the number of women in leadership? |
Yes – 50% female target across all pipeline roles |
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Targets to raise the number of BAME individuals in leadership? |
Yes |
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Listed in the Bloomberg Diversity & Inclusion Index? |
No |