Lead Regulatory Lawyer

Job title: Lead Regulatory Lawyer 

Division: Legal  

• Salary: National (Edinburgh and Leeds) ranging from £69,700 to £92,000 per annum and London ranging from £76,600 to £102,000 per annum (salary offered will be based on skills and experience) 

• This role is graded as: Two Lead Associate roles are available; both are within the Practising Legal family 

• Your recruitment contact is Raimonda 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.   

Our Legal Division provides advice and legal services across the full breadth of FCA activity, including regulatory, policy, enforcement and operational work. We are currently recruiting to a number of vacancies in the Regulatory and Corporate Legal Directorate (R&CL) of the Legal Division.   

There are two Lead Associate roles available, one Lead Associate role is in the Markets Department in R&CL. The Department comprises two teams and you will be assigned to one following the recruitment process. However, you may work across the full scope of the Department’s remit.  

The Trading & Securitisation Team advises on trading venues (recognised investment exchanges, MTFs and OTFs), securitisation, MiFID/MiFIR wholesale issues, commodity derivatives, emissions trading, OTC derivatives (EMIR), cryptoasset trading platforms, securities financing transactions and regulated covered bonds. The team also covers international matters, including free trade agreements, equivalence and deference, informationsharing with international partners.  

The Market Access and Conduct Team advises on the prospectus and public offer regime, listings, disclosure rules, market abuse, CSDR and settlement, short selling, issuer and sponsor conduct in the primary market, sanctions matters and the cryptoasset admissions, disclosure and market abuse regimes.   

We also have a Lead Associate role in the Insurance and Pensions team within the Investment, Insurance and Redress Department in R&CL.   

The Insurance and Pensions team provides advice and other support in relation to all aspects of the conduct regulation of insurers, pension providers and insurance and pensions intermediaries.  

Role responsibilities 

• Advising on the application and effect of regulatory requirements and powers to ensure firms comply with all applicable rules, legislation and law  

• Devising and implementing creative and pragmatic solutions   

• Being fully involved in the FCA’s policy development, including drafting rules and guidance in the FCA Handbook   

• Interacting with colleagues across the FCA and with government departments and other organisations engaged in financial services such as the Bank of England and HM Treasury  

• Managing highly complex projects and legal work with limited day-to-day supervision 

• Having a high level of ownership and responsibility for your work 

• Supporting team planning and prioritisation of resource, contributing to the technical leadership of the team and providing ongoing input into the development of colleagues 

Skills required 

Minimum: 

• Applicants should be a qualified lawyer (solicitor, barrister or Chartered Legal Executive, or overseas equivalents) with, generally, at least 7 years’ PQE in house, public sector or private practice 

Essential:  

• Solid analytical skills and the ability to deliver good and clear analysis of issues  

• Ability to learn about new or novel legal issues quickly and with motivation 

• Ability to create solutions and deliver pragmatic outcome-focused advice 

• Ability to manage highly complex projects and legal work which may require long-term planning and delivery 

• Good judgment in the assessment and presentation of legal risk and the ability to advise in a professional, reasoned manner and to raise concerns appropriately  

• Good communication skills and the ability to build and sustain positive relationships with stakeholders at all levels within the organisation and outside of it  

• Working in a legal function in a financial services or public law context 

Benefits 

• 25 days annual leave plus bank holidays 

• Hybrid model where employees work a minimum of 40% in the office each month (expectation of 50% for senior leaders). Changing from September to a minimum of 50% in the office each month (expectation of 60% for Directors and Executive Directors) 

• 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 case 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 on Sunday, 26 April 2026   

• CV Review/Shortlist: w/c 27 April 2026 

• Interviews: Wednesday, 6 May – Friday 15 May 2026 

• Candidates from this recruitment round may also be considered for future vacancies in the Legal Division 

• 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.