Senior Policy Advisor – Consumer Investments Advice

Division – Consumer Investments

Department – Consumer Investments Advice Policy Team

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 Consumer Investments Advice Policy Team is part of the FCA’s Consumer Investments Directorate and helps shape the future financial regulatory framework. The teams are responsible for strategic policymaking for over 5k firms and 50k individuals, providing a range of crucial investment services to consumers.

We want to ensure that consumers can invest with confidence and get the support they need to do so. A strong Consumer Investments sector is critical to this. This is an exciting time to influence and set policy direction that will impact millions of consumers, as well as UK markets.

What you will be doing?

The key project you will be working on is the Advice Guidance Boundary Review (AGBR). The AGBR is a holistic review, alongside HM Treasury, of the existing financial advice / guidance framework, geared towards developing proposals for future change.

The role involves:

• Using evidence and analysis to input to practical policy solutions which support the FCA’s strategic commitments
• Delivering policy change and implementation, working closely with Project Manager / PMO to ensure good governance
• Owning the governance and sign off process for upcoming consultations
• Developing and managing relationships with key internal and external stakeholders including in Government, industry and consumer groups
• Taking responsibility for external engagement with a range of stakeholder groups including attending meetings, completing NFRs and managing follow-up actions across the team

What will you get from the role?

• You will be at the heart of regulatory decision-making and standard setting for a sector that millions of consumers throughout the country rely on
• A unique opportunity to get in at the start of high-profile, expansive, and exciting projects and to shape regulatory change for the consumer investment sector for the long-term
• You will use your analytical and policy skills to help to ensure the team delivers against the FCA’s strategy, business plan commitments, and our core objectives 
• An opportunity to learn, and develop your policy skills in a high profile piece of work which will have long term implications for consumers at all stages of their financial lives

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

• Policy-making experience in a regulator, Government department, firm or other relevant organisation
• Excellent written communication skills

Essential

• Experience of identifying key risks to consumers and/or markets, as well as the mitigations available to address these
• Excellent drafting and oral communication skills, including the ability to distil complex messages tailored to internal and external audiences
• Experience of working to deliver complex projects to tight deadlines, and ability to exercise a high degree of initiative in response to changing circumstances
• Experience building and managing relationships with internal colleagues and external stakeholders
• Respects the diversity of backgrounds across the FCA and are motivated to collaborate with others, contributing to an inclusive environment which enables problem-solving and reflective policymaking
• Some understanding and knowledge of UK legislative processes and/or regulation
• Knowledge and experience of financial services and the consumer investments market, gained in industry, a trade body or regulatory authority

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 ExCo are women (4 in 8)

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 - Regulatory 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 Senior Associate - Regulatory

Shortlisted candidates will be invited to complete a case study first. If you are successful at the case study stage, you will be invited for a 60-min competency-based interview.

• Advert Closing Date: 2nd December 2024
• CV Review/Shortlist: 4th December 2024
• First Round Case Study Assessment: 10th and 11th December 2024
• Competency Based Interview: 17th December 2024 onwards

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 applicants, please contact Cheryl Cheung at [email protected]
• For external applicants, please contact Aaron Ward at [email protected]

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