Banking Authorisations Lead

Overview

This role is graded as: Lead Associate - Regulatory

About the FCA and team

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.

The Authorisations Division serves as the initial point of contact for firms and individuals seeking to provide regulated financial services in the UK, making authorisation decisions to ensure applicants meet the FCA’s standards. The Banking Authorisations Team sits in our Authorisations Division and works closely with the Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) in assessing whether potential new banks, both domestic and international, meet the standards to operate in the UK market.

Role responsibilities

• Guide associates with warm and thoughtful technical and strategic leadership, shaping clear and responsible case assessment approaches and ensuring they are delivered with care, timeliness and strong assurance.
• Use supportive and organised project management practices to help each transaction progress smoothly, bringing people together, adjusting priorities with confidence and raising challenges early so they can be resolved through collaborative problem solving.
• Nurture growth and capability across your sub team and the wider department, creating an environment where colleagues feel encouraged, empowered and able to develop their strengths.
• Play an important part in delivering the department workplan, contributing to the Government growth strategy and helping to create more efficient and inclusive regulatory decision making.

Skills required

Minimum:

• Prior expertise in banking and/or payments business models, or substantial experience in making regulatory decisions regarding their appropriateness.
• Proven experience of successfully managing the delivery of a number of long-term projects (assessments) concurrently.
• Demonstrable experience of directing the engagement with senior stakeholders internally and externally.

Essential:

• Experience of managing people and operations.
• Ability to assimilate and evaluate information to form judgments and mitigate potential risk.
• Evidence of leading, supporting and assisting colleagues with both technical issues and career development conversations.
• Proactive approach to work including the ability to use your own initiative to identify potential issues.
• A strong team player with the ability to be flexible and pragmatic. Able to adapt to changing circumstances, positively embracing new approaches.
• Ability to balance multiple priorities across a broad portfolio, work collaboratively under pressure and achieve results within tight deadlines.
• Evidence of building and maintaining professional relationships with stakeholders.

Benefits

• 25 days annual leave plus bank holidays.
• Hybrid model with up to 60% remote work.
• 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.
• 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.

We welcome diverse working styles and aim to find flexible solutions that suit both the role and individual needs, including options like part-time and job sharing where applicable.

Disability confident: our hiring approach

We’re proud to be a Disability Confident Employer, and therefore, people or individuals with disabilities and long-term conditions who best meet the minimum criteria for a role will go through to the next stage of the recruitment process. In cases of high application volumes we may progress applicants whose experience most closely matches the role’s key requirements.

Useful information and timelines

Timeline:

• Job Advert Close: 10th February
• CV Review/Shortlist: 12th February
• First Interview: w/c 16th February
• Technical Interview: w/c 23rd February

Your Recruiter will discuss the process in detail with you during screening for the role, therefore, please make them aware if you are going to be unavailable for any date during this time.