Lead Speechwriter

Division: Communications

Department: Strategic Communications and News

Salary: National (Edinburgh and Leeds) ranging from £49,000 to £65,000 and London from £54,000 to £70,000 (salary offered will be based on skills and experience)

This role is graded as: Lead Associate, Corporate

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.

We all rely on financial services, from bank accounts and pensions to insurance and loans. Businesses also depend on them for the lending and investment needed to grow. As a key driver of the UK economy, the sector employs over a million people and contributes billions each year.

To ensure consumers are well served and businesses can thrive, we set standards for financial services firms and hold them accountable when those standards are not met. Our work supports the UK's position as an important global financial centre, where consumers have confidence and firms can operate and innovate with clarity and certainty. Effective communication is central to this mission. Speeches help explain our approach, inform debate and engage diverse audiences on a wide range of issues.

The Lead Speechwriter role is key for the organisation. The role sits within the strategic communications and news department and the role holder will be part of the work to ensure that our communications are clear, concise and compelling.

Role responsibilities

• Oversee a speechwriting strategy that supports our strategic priorities, crafting clear and effective speeches for the Chief Executive and Executive Team. You will ensure our messages land with maximum impact and reach the right audiences.
• Be a trusted adviser to our most senior leaders, shaping what they say, when they say it and how they say it.
• Ensure speeches are compelling, authentic and delivered with confidence, building close relationships with senior stakeholders to capture and reflect their individual voice.
• As the organisation's speechwriting specialist, you will provide technical leadership and advice to colleagues drafting speeches across the business, promoting best practice in speechwriting, storytelling, tone of voice and speech delivery.
• Line manage a speechwriter, providing coaching, direction and quality assurance to ensure the delivery of high-quality speeches and written content.

Skills required

Minimum

• Significant experience drafting high-quality, impactful speeches in a high-profile organisation.
• Effective written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to give and receive constructive feedback and translate complex issues into clear, compelling messages.
• Demonstrated senior stakeholder management skills, with an ability to build and maintain effective relationships across a large and complex organisation.

Essential

• Highly organised, with the ability to manage multiple speech projects and competing deadlines while consistently delivering high-quality work.
• Versatile and resilient, able to reprioritise quickly in response to changing circumstances and business needs.
• Previous line management or people leadership experience.
• An interest in and understanding of, the FCA's role, its objectives and the wider financial services sector.

Benefits

• 25 days annual leave plus bank holidays.
• 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.
• 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).
• A flexible benefits scheme designed around your lifestyle.

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.