Agent in Yorkshire and Humber in Leeds

Location: Leeds

The Agencies are the ‘eyes, ears and voice’ of the Bank in their respective parts of the United Kingdom. Agents gather economic intelligence through their conversations with their network of UK businesses, and they analyse and summarise it to contribute to the Monetary Policy Committee’s (MPC) and the Financial Policy Committee’s (FPC) assessment of the economic and financial environment.

Agents talk to senior contacts from a wide range of organisations – from small businesses to large global companies – across all sectors of the economy, to gain an insight into how businesses are operating and their future plans. This provides a unique perspective into how the real economy is evolving and the factors driving those developments.

The Agents also communicate policymakers’ key messages supporting their decisions to business contacts and other local audiences across the UK. This includes regular presentations on the Monetary Policy Report and related interest rate decision and Financial Stability Report to support a widespread understanding and trust of the monetary and financial policy framework and process.

Agents also coordinate interactions and host meetings between policymakers and their local contacts, so that they can hear the views of businesses and communities first-hand.

Agents at the Bank of England lead on these activities in their regions. They also fulfil either a Technical or Managing Agent lead role:

• Technical Agents lead on an ‘area of expertise’ alongside a team of Agency experts. They are subject-matter experts, for example, driving the Agency Network's economic narrative in specific areas, how it squares with other data and staff views, and influencing and being fully integrated within the Monetary Analysis Directorate, other parts of the Bank, and ultimately our policy committees.
• Managing Agents manage one of our four 3-Agency teams - in this case our North Team comprising of the Yorkshire and Humber, Northwest and North East Agencies. The Managing Agent for the North Team directly line manages 3 Scale E Agents and the Team's Senior Administrator, and is responsible for the successful running of the Team.

We are looking for an enthusiastic individual to become the Scale D Agent for Yorkshire and Humber. The successful candidate will lead the Bank’s external engagement with businesses within Yorkshire and Humber, gathering intelligence in contact visits and round tables and carrying out representational functions. This Agency covers all of Yorkshire and the Humber region: on the coast from Whitby in the north to Cleethorpes in the south and inland as far north as Richmond, south to Sheffield and west to Skipton.

The successful candidate will either be the Managing Agent of the North Team or a Technical Agent, with the responsibilities set out above. In either case, the jobholder will play a key role in the senior management/governance of the Agency Network, by being part of the Agency Services Management Team, which focuses on intelligence collection, data strategy, policy impact and external engagement and communications or the Agency Operational Management team, which focuses on staffing matters and people strategy.

Role requirements

Location: Lives in Yorkshire and Humber or very close to it (within 10 miles of the border) as local presence, visibility, representation and local knowledge are core elements of the role. The Agency office is in Leeds. For internal candidates interested in moving to the region for this role, we would be happy to discuss how the Bank would support that through our relocation policy. Travel is an essential part of the role. This role requires a combination of in-person meetings and virtual meetings with Agency contacts across the region. It also requires regular in-person meetings with colleagues in the Yorkshire and Humber Agency and the broader Agencies’ North Team in the Leeds office and the broader Network in Leeds or London, and potentially other locations in the UK.

Minimum criteria:

• Strong communication skills, comfortable interacting with senior stakeholders internally and externally.
• Economics to degree level or equivalent work experience.
• Able to work collaboratively with colleagues within and/or outside the Bank.
• A good understanding of the Bank’s approach to monetary policy and its policy frameworks, more generally.

Essential criteria:

• Experience of delivering presentations to technical and non-technical audiences and explaining complex messages clearly and concisely.
• Experience conducting analysis to answer economic and policy questions.

Desirable criteria:

• Experience of conducting interviews to gather qualitative information and summarising a large range of qualitative information effectively.
• Experience managing diverse teams and of matrix management.
• A full driving licence.

This is a people management role. You will be responsible for day to day management of the team and for defining roles and responsibilities. You will develop your team through sharing information effectively, coaching and communicating a clear vision to ensure that your staff are productive, engaged and motivated to deliver the area's aims. This will include setting clear goals and smart stretching objectives that are aligned to those of the team, division and directorate. You will also be responsible for managing all staff-related matters that may arise including performance, absence and sickness.

The successful candidate becomes the Managing Agent for the North Team or a Technical Agent will depend on the candidate’s preferences, expertise, skills and experience. Those will be assessed during the application process.

The Bank values diversity and inclusion – we want to reflect the society we serve better; we want the best people to work for us and we want our workplace to be inclusive. We value all forms of diversity, including but not limited to age, disability, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, race, religion and sexual orientation. One way we support diversity and inclusion is through our staff run networks. We are fully committed to having a diverse and inclusive working environment and are open to considering how the role might be carried out with flexible working. This role is therefore open to job shares, flexible and part time working patterns. We expect colleagues in the Agency Network to spend a minimum of 20% of their working time in the office per month. Subject to that minimum requirement, individuals and managers should work together to find what works best for them and their team. We are also committed to making adjustments for candidates and employees where possible and have partnered with external expert organisations to support us in this. We are a member of the Disability Confident Scheme.

Salary and Benefits Information

This role offers a salary of £83,440 - £93,870. In addition, we also offer a comprehensive benefits package:

• Currently a non-contributory, career average pension giving you a guaranteed retirement benefit of 1/80th of your annual salary for every year worked. There is the option to increase your pension (to 1/65th) or decrease (to 1/105th) in exchange for salary through our flexible benefits programme each year.
• The Bank has the discretion to vary standard accrual rates and dial up and dial down rates at any time and to withdraw dial up and dial down options at any time.
• A discretionary performance award based on a current award pool.
• An 8% benefits allowance with the option to take as salary or purchase a wide range of flexible benefits.
• 26 days’ annual leave with option to buy up to 12 additional days through flexible benefits.
• Private medical insurance and income protection.

National Security Vetting Process

Employment in this role will be subject to the National Security Vetting clearance process (and typically can take between 6 to 12 weeks post offer) and the passing of additional Bank security checks in accordance with the Bank policy. Further information regarding the vetting and security clearance requirements for the role will be provided to the successful applicant, and information about how the Bank processes personal data for these purposes, is set out in the Bank's Privacy Notice.

The Bank of England welcomes applications from all candidates, but as a UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) approved sponsor, we have a responsibility to comply with the Immigration Rules and guidance. As such, our ability to employ individuals who require sponsorship for immigration purposes is limited. The Bank cannot guarantee that you and / or the role you are applying for will be eligible for sponsorship and that any application made to UKVI will be successful. Eligibility will therefore be considered on a case by case basis.

The Application Process

Important: Please ensure that you complete the ‘work history’ section and answer ALL the application questions fully. All candidate applications are anonymised to ensure that our hiring managers will not be able to see your personal information, including your CV, when reviewing your application details at the screening stage. It’s therefore really important that you fill out the work history and application form questions, as your answers will form a critical part of the initial selection process. The assessment process will comprise of two interview stages. This role closes on 14 July 2026. Please apply online, ensuring that you complete your work history and answer ALL the application questions fully and in detail as your application will not be considered if all mandatory questions are not fully completed.