Associate Lawyers

Division – Legal

Salary – National (Edinburgh and Leeds) ranging from £47,200 to 70,800 and London £49,700 to 74,500 per annum (Salary offered will be based on skills and experience)

About the FCA

The FCA regulates the conduct of 42,000 firms in the UK to ensure our financial markets are honest, fair and competitive. We are looking for talented lawyers who are willing to learn quickly, engage openly and rise to the challenge of working in an organisation that makes a difference to the lives of the millions of people who use financial services.

These roles are across the Regulatory and Corporate Legal Directorate departments within the Legal Division. The Legal Division provides constructive advice and legal services across the full spectrum of FCA activities, whether regulatory, policy, enforcement or operational.

The Legal Division departments cover the following areas of work:

• Market access, market conduct, trading and securitisation
• Investments, insurance, pensions and redress
• Payments, credit, competition and claims management
• Funds and wholesale markets
• Prudential, Governance and operations

What will you be doing?

• Advise on the application and effect of regulatory requirements and powers to ensure firms comply with all applicable rules, legislation and law
• Devise and implement creative and pragmatic solutions
• Be fully involved in the FCA’s policy development including drafting rules and guidance in the FCA Handbook
• Have a strong sense of accountability and contribution for your actions

What will you get from the role?

• Work at the forefront of financial regulation and consumer protection on a range of matters including those complex and often high-profile legal issues
• Acquire broader experience of financial services regulation, of how a regulator works and of how law and regulation is made
• Develop adaptability and organisational skills
• Join a diverse, empowering, and nurturing workplace
• Interact 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 on exciting and pioneering projects

Which skills are required?

• Minimum Applicants must be qualified lawyers (solicitor, barrister, Chartered Legal Executive, or overseas equivalent), including those who are newly qualified to 3 years PQE (in house, public sector or private practice)
• Strong 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 enthusiasm, with the necessary oversight and support of colleagues
• Ability to create solutions and deliver pragmatic outcome-focused advice
• Ability to advise in a confident and reasoned manner, and to challenge appropriately
• Ability to build and sustain positive relationships and good communication skills

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.

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% of basic salary each month (there are several contribution levels that increase depending on your age – up to 12% a month once you reach age 35)
• Life assurance of eight times your basic salary
• 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.

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.

Useful Information and Timeline

• This role is graded as Associate - Practising Legal
• One or more fixed term contract opportunities may also be available
• Advert Closing Date: 8th June
• CV Review/shortlist: from 9th June
• First Round Interview: w/c 23th June
• Second Round Interview: w/c 7th July

Please ensure that your CV clearly outlines your experience and ability to meet the criteria for the role as described above. Your CV must be a maximum of three A4 pages and should be submitted as a single document via the FCA Careers Portal.

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.