Director of Internal Audit in Midlothian

The FCA is creating a fair and more resilient financial system, establishing transparent relationships between financial services and customers, building trust in financial markets, and protecting vulnerable consumers. The FCA is on an exciting journey as it drives significant organisational, people, process, and technology transformation to become a more forward-thinking, proactive regulator. The FCA launched a new 5-year strategy in March 2025 to deepen trust, rebalance risk, support growth, and improve lives, focusing on four priorities:

• Be a smarter regulator; predictable, purposeful, and proportionate.
• 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.

The Chief Internal Auditor is a pivotal senior leadership role at the heart of the FCA, reporting directly to the Chief Executive and Chair of the Audit Committee. This role contributes to the FCA’s most senior decision-making forums while retaining the independence fundamental to the role. The Chief Internal Auditor will influence how the FCA manages its most significant risks, strengthens its control environment, and delivers its Strategy, providing senior leaders and the Board with independent assurance, insight, challenge, and foresight.

Key responsibilities include:

• Strategy: Develop and deliver a long-term strategy for Internal Audit, aligned to the FCA’s ambition to be a more data-led, innovative, agile, and assertive regulator.
• Operating Model, Quality and Standards: Develop and deliver a digitally enabled audit operating model, maintaining appropriate budgetary control, coverage, and quality.
• Partnership & Aligned Assurance: Build and maintain effective relationships with Risk, management, and relevant external stakeholders.
• Leadership & Influence: Participate proactively as an expert adviser to key management, board, and committees throughout the FCA.
• People & Accountability: Lead, direct, coach, motivate, and continuously improve the capability of the internal audit function.

Skills/Experience required:

• Minimum credible independent advisor with experience influencing Boards, Audit Committees, and executive-level stakeholders.
• Strong commercial and organisational awareness.
• Significant senior leadership experience within an internal audit/assurance function.
• Experience of developing and delivering a risk-based internal audit strategy.
• Evidence of leading, developing, and motivating multidisciplinary teams.
• Hold a relevant audit, risk, assurance, or accountancy qualification.

The FCA is committed to achieving greater diversity across all levels of the organisation and welcomes applications from women, disabled, and minority ethnic candidates. Flexible working arrangements, including job shares, are considered.

Benefits include:

• 30 days holiday per year plus bank holidays.
• Private healthcare with Bupa.
• A non-contributory Pension of at least 8% of basic salary each month.
• Life assurance of eight times your basic salary.
• Income protection.

All applicants must demonstrate that they do not have other interests likely to conflict with their responsibilities as an employee of the FCA. The closing date for this role is 23.55 on Sunday 29th November 2026. Selection will be via a two-stage interview and psychometric assessment.