Executive Recruitment Lead in Edinburgh

Salary: National (Edinburgh and Leeds) ranging from £49,600 to £74,400 and London from £54,500 to £81,600 (salary offered will be based on skills and experience).

This role is graded as: Lead Associate, Corporate.

Applications must be submitted through our online portal. Applications sent via social media or email will not be accepted.

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 FCA is on a purposeful transformation journey - evolving how we regulate by building our culture, modernising our ways of working and investing in smarter processes and technology. At the heart of this change is our people: attracting and enabling skilled leaders is critical to delivering our purpose and maintaining trust in the UK’s financial system.

This is where Executive Resourcing plays a pivotal role. Sitting within Human Resources, the Executive Resourcing team partners closely with the wider Resourcing & Talent function - Experienced Hires, Early Careers and Talent - to build diverse, well-rounded leadership capability across the FCA. We combine market insight with thorough assessment and close stakeholder partnership to identify, engage and appoint senior leaders, while continuously improving our approach through evidence‑led practice and evolving recruitment best practice.

Role Responsibilities:

• Oversee executive recruitment for the FCA’s Senior Leadership Team (SLT), reporting to the Talent Manager and operating as a highly visible partner across HR and the wider FCA.
• Build trusted relationships with the most senior stakeholders, including Directors, Executive Directors and the CEO’s Office, providing clear guidance throughout the hiring process.
• Partner closely with the Executive Leadership Team and Senior HR Business Partners to maintain a holistic view of leadership capability and translate this into clear role requirements.
• Manage and develop an effective team of three, setting direction, building capability and embedding consistent, high‑quality executive hiring standards.
• Advise senior stakeholders on recruitment strategies, selection decisions and executive talent assessments, constructively challenging and influencing where needed to secure the best outcomes.
• Own external supplier relationships, working with executive search firms and an executive assessment provider to set expectations, improve performance and ensure effective delivery end‑to‑end.

Skills Required:

• Minimum: Significant direct executive recruitment experience either in‑house or with an executive search firm.
• Experience managing teams in executive resourcing and developing future team capabilities.

• Essential:
• Effective personal motivation and ownership, with the ability to be accountable, run new initiatives and deliver outcomes that enhance the HR proposition.
• Solid relationship and stakeholder management skills (internal and external), with the confidence to constructively challenge at all levels, including SLT.
• Demonstrable experience delivering Director/Senior‑level searches end‑to‑end, including candidate management, longlist and shortlist presentations and offer negotiation.
• Highly effective written and verbal communication skills, able to adjust style and messaging to a changing Senior Leadership audience.
• Positive, forward‑thinking and curious approach, with the ability to consider multiple solutions, remain customer‑focused and balance wider organisational needs.
• Highly organised and structured, able to manage competing priorities and perform effectively when deadlines are tight.
• Collaborative and evidence‑led resourcing knowledge, including partnering across HR (Reward, Talent and HR Business Partners), managing external suppliers (e.g. executive search and assessment providers) and experience using Workday (or the ability to get up to speed quickly) to develop executive talent pools.

Benefits: 25 days annual leave plus.