Senior Policy Associate – Cross-Cutting Consumer Policy

Division - Cross-Cutting Policy and Strategy 

Department - Cross-cutting Response, Partnerships and Research

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 Cross-Cutting Response team helps identify key consumer-focused issues that require a cross-market response from the FCA. It assesses these issues and works with colleagues across the organisation to plan and deliver an appropriate response. The team is currently focused on co-ordinating the FCA’s response to the cost of living crisis, providing co-ordination and strategic focus across the FCA’s strategic commitment to putting consumer needs first, and contributing to developing the consumer-focused elements of the FCA’s next multi-year strategy. 

The team sits within the Cross-cutting Response, Research and Contracts Department which also includes the Consumer Contracts team and the Market Research team. These teams bring together research expertise and insights into the consumer experience to inform the FCA’s approach, provide expertise on cross-cutting consumer policy and work with others inside and outside the FCA to improve consumer outcomes.   

What will you be doing?

• Supporting identification and assessment of issues impacting consumers that require a cross-cutting regulatory response, and feeding into the development of the directorate’s longer-term response to the FCA’s next strategic focuses

• Helping scope and develop appropriate responses for addressing cross-cutting issues that meet our regulatory objectives, including evidence gathering, assessment of risk of consumer harm and identifying the right regulatory tools. There is likely to be a particular focus on Retail Banking, Insurance, Pensions and Consumer Finance sectors

• Developing and maintaining processes to track and report on cross-cutting issues, and support co-ordination across the FCA’s wider policy functions

• Building and managing relationships with colleagues across the FCA to support design, delivery and coordination of cross-cutting responses, including monitoring and reporting processes

• Supporting senior leadership decision-making and oversight of cross-cutting issues, including drafting  briefings  and  governance  papers  and  management  and  delivery  of  governance meetings

What will you get from the role?

• The opportunity to work on issues of strategic importance to the FCA and which have a real impact on consumers

• Develop a comprehensive understanding of the FCA’s regulatory framework and market directorates

• The opportunity to influence the FCA’s and the team’s long-term strategy

• Potential opportunities to contribute more broadly to wider work within CCPS 

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

• Experience of developing and managing relationships with internal and external stakeholders to enable delivery of work

• Previous experience of overseeing and delivering multiple projects at the same time

• Prior experience of evaluating complex information and making sound judgements supported by evidence

Essential

• Strong organisational skills, especially in environments of high uncertainty, ability to work efficiently and prioritise under pressure to deliver to agreed deadlines

• Experience of drafting briefings for senior leaders

• Ability to clearly convey and present complex issues through written and oral communication

• Experience of using data and evidence to identify and understand risks and problems and prioritise action

• Has an inclusive approach which respects the diversity of cultural, social and academic backgrounds found in the organisation and is able to adapt personal style to effectively engage individuals from a wide-range of backgrounds

• Motivation to deliver in the public interest

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 senior associate 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 as: Senior Associate - Regulatory

• Advert Closing Date:  18th February

• Case study & competency interviews: W/C 3rd March

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

• For internal applicants, please contact Lucy Matthews at [email protected]

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