Lead Economist – 12 Month Fixed Term Contract

Division: Operations

Department: Economics

Salary: National (Edinburgh and Leeds) ranging from £59,100 to £73,700 and London from £64,900 to £81,000 (salary offered will be based on skills and experience)

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 financial services. The Economics Division is formed by a vibrant mix of backgrounds and works closely with colleagues across the FCA to ensure high-quality analysis and effective choices across all aspects of FCA regulation.

We are seeking Lead Economists for the following roles:

• Consumers and Growth (Consumers, Econometrics and Behavioural Unit)
• Growth Strategic Analysis (Strategic Economic Analysis – Growth and Markets Team)
• Horizon scanning and futures (Economic Strategy team)

Role responsibilities

• Consumers and Growth: Shape the Future of Consumer Policy: Establish and coordinate a multi-year academic research programme, guiding internal and external studies to close evidence gaps and deliver insights that drive economic growth. Build Influence and Collaboration: Lead engagement with industry, academia, and think tanks to share research, strengthen the FCA’s evidence base, and create a community that shapes policy and practice.
• Growth Strategic Analysis: Shape Strategic Decisions: Guide economic analysis on policy choices and their impact on growth, influencing choices at the FCA’s most senior levels, including the Executive Committee and Board. Champion Growth Across the FCA: Embed growth priorities by collaborating with analytical, policy, and operational teams to identify and drive actions that deliver measurable benefits. Communicate and Inspire: Support the FCA’s Growth Strategy by contributing to speeches, parliamentary hearings, and major events, ensuring our vision is understood and acted upon internally and externally.
• Horizon Scanning and futures: Guide Futures Thinking: Guide the development and implementation of horizon scanning and scenario planning, ensuring our approach to future trends is rigorous, inclusive, and delivers real strategic benefits. Anticipate Industry Shifts: Manage the FCA’s futures programme—tracking PESTLE trends, shaping strategic scenarios, and overseeing weak signals—to inform long-term regulatory decisions. Embed Strategic Insight: Maximise the value of futures work by collaborating across Strategy, Policy, Competition, and Supervisory teams, making it a core driver of the FCA’s strategic approach.

Skills required

• Minimum: Prior Economic experience, with a degree in Economics or with at least 50% of the modules in Economics. Demonstrated experience and ability to lead effective engagement with internal and external stakeholders, developing impactful relationships and influencing decision makers. Proven experience guiding multiple complex pieces of analysis, ensuring risks are managed appropriately and timelines are stretching but achievable.
• Essential:
  • Consumers and Growth: Evidence of leading, reviewing and quality assuring technical analytical reports for analytical rigour, clarity of communication, and suitability of conclusions and recommendations. Experience working with academics or external parties to deliver and communicate economic analysis. Experience managing procurement processes for economic analysis, including writing project tender documents, reviewing submissions, working with commercial and procurement teams, and managing external suppliers to deliver high quality outputs whilst working at pace.
  • Growth Strategic Analysis: Experience with economic growth and productivity as economic concepts and applying them in a professional context (for example, in strategic analysis, or in empirical research). Ability to guide, co-ordinate, and deliver proportionate analysis at pace. Ability to communicate analysis effectively with senior non-technical audiences. Experience in line-management, or in the absence of this, extensive experience in project-managing staff.
  • Horizon Scanning and Futures: Demonstrated expertise in futures approaches – particularly PESTLE trends and Scenario methods. Ability to lead project teams and engage with stakeholders internally and externally to enhance our futures work, with strong project management and willingness to explore new techniques and approaches and implement within small project teams, including systems thinking and the role of AI in economic analysis.

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 choices, 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 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: 14th January CV Review/Shortlist: 16th January First Interview: w/c 19th January

Please can you submit a short cover letter (no more than 400 words) outlining your motivation for applying and specifying which roles you are interested in. If you would like to be considered for more than one role, please state this clearly and provide an indication of your order of preference. 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.