Head of Department, Supervision Hub in London

About the FCA

At the FCA, we're creating a fair and more resilient financial system. We're establishing more transparent relationships between financial services and customers, building trust in financial markets and protecting vulnerable consumers. We're currently on an exciting journey as we drive forward significant organisational, people, process, and technology transformation to become a more forward-thinking, proactive regulator. We will use data more effectively to drive better regulatory decisions and build greater cohesion across our broad financial services remit. Significant improvements in digital enablement, business intelligence, market data and information management maturity are all being pursued to maintain our position as a world leader in financial services regulation. In March 2025, the FCA launched a new 5-year strategy to deepen trust, rebalance risk, support growth and improve lives.

The FCA will focus on four priorities:

• Be a smarter regulator; predictable, purposeful and proportionate. The FCA will improve its processes and embrace technology to become more efficient and effective.
• Support sustained economic growth, by enabling investment, innovation and ensuring the continued competitiveness of the UK's world-leading financial services.
• Help consumers navigate their financial lives by working with industry to boost trust, product innovation and ensuring the right information and support is available for people to take financial decisions.
• Fight financial crime, focusing on those who seek to use the fact they are regulated to do harm. It will go further to disrupt criminals and support firms to be an effective line of defence.

The Role

We are seeking an experienced leader to head the FCA's Supervision Hub within Authorisations. This is an exciting opportunity to lead a department which is an integral part of the FCA's system of supervision and engagement with consumers. The Head of Department for the Supervision Hub leads and motivates a team of approximately 160 FTE split across Leeds and London. They are responsible for ensuring seamless interactions with internal and external stakeholders, maintaining service quality, excellence and resilience, and driving continuous improvement including using AI in the Hub's work.

The Supervision Hub plays a central role in delivering the FCA's strategy covering the entire waterfront of firms and consumers:

• Preventing consumer harm through direct communications to identify and avoid fraud, scams, and other detriment.
• Supervising flexible portfolio firms by assessing and mitigating risk, and guiding firms to understand their regulatory responsibilities.
• Delivering actionable intelligence gathered directly from consumers and firms to influence policy and priorities across the FCA.

The Hub handles over 100,000 consumer cases annually, covering more than 30,000 firms, and is responsible for saving approximately £6.6 million per year in consumer money through fraud prevention. Reviewing and investigating over 30,000 risks and where necessary referring them to wider FCA Supervision.

The role requires close collaboration and work with internal stakeholders from all areas of the FCA including Data Technology and Innovation, Strategy Policy and Competition, and Enforcement and Market Oversight, as well as responsibility for budgeting, training, and development of colleagues in the Hub. This means the Head of Department is exposed to a significant breadth of regulatory and operational issues and will need to interact with senior figures across the FCA as well as regulatory partners like the FOS and FSCS.

What will the candidate get from the role?

• Joining the Senior Leadership Team at the FCA during an exciting and challenging time of great change in financial services and its regulation.
• Leading a department of skilled and committed people through significant projects while delivering on business-as-usual objectives which touch on all areas of the FCA's work in relation to consumers and firms.
• Exposure to strategic issues and key figures in the world of finance and technology, both nationally and internationally.

Key responsibilities:

• Developing and delivering a long-term strategy for the Supervision Hub, aligning to broader divisional and organisational strategies.
• Leading on performance, capability and culture within the department, with a strong focus on operational excellence and using creative and innovative ways of working.
• Delivering through others by relying on coaching, influencing and negotiating skills with a range of internal and external stakeholders.
• Building a strong and inclusive department that attracts and develops diverse talent.
• Anticipating and responding to challenges for the Hub and wider FCA, leading your team through challenging times and work.

Skills/Experience Required

We're proud to be a Disability Confident Employer, and therefore, people or individuals with disabilities and long-term conditions who best meet the requirements are encouraged to apply.