Lead Policy Advisor (9-month Fixed Term Contract) in Leeds

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. SPC oversees firms and individuals (supervision), creates and reviews the rules by which they operate (policy) and identifies and remedies ineffective competition in markets (competition). Sitting in the Consumer Investments (CI) directorate, the CI Market Analysis and Policy (MAP) department leads policy, strategy, and risk identification across the consumer investments market through four specialist teams focused on market insights, market analysis, advice policy, and distribution policy. You will be focused on leading policy development and reform in investment advice and guidance as part of the Consumer Investments Advice Policy Team. It works with stakeholders to deliver key initiatives such as the Advice Guidance Boundary Review and Targeted Support, while addressing emerging trends like AI to improve consumer outcomes.

Role Responsibilities

• Own complex policy workstreams end-to-end, overseeing the development of policy proposals and producing high quality papers for senior management/Board decisions and public consultation, including communicating proposals externally.
• Manage relationships with key internal and external stakeholders, building consensus and securing agreement at senior levels.
• Line-manage and lead colleagues, helping to set direction, motivate, and provide constructive feedback to support consistently strong performance.
• Coach and develop more junior team members, including supporting their capability and confidence in policy delivery.
• Support the Manager to run the team day-to-day: agree priorities, allocate work, support colleagues, and help to build the team’s culture.
• Help shape the team and department strategy, including defining priority outcomes and how we will measure success.
• Share knowledge regularly across the team and act as an escalation point for complex issues, identifying risks and options early.

Minimum skills required

• Prior experience delivering complex work programmes and turning evidence into clear recommendations for senior decision-makers.
• Prior experience leading people and delivering high quality outputs through others (through formal line management and/or informal leadership).

Essential

• Sound judgement in complex or ambiguous situations: able to weigh evidence and trade-offs, manage risk, and land clear recommendations.
• Stakeholder management: able to build effective relationships, persuade and negotiate, and bring others with you to agree a shared approach.
• Clear written and verbal communication: able to produce concise papers/briefings and explain complex proposals clearly, tailoring messages for different audiences.
• Reliable delivery focus: able to plan and prioritise across multiple workstreams, manage dependencies, and deliver to deadlines.
• Understanding of regulatory policy development: able to develop workable options and take proposals through governance and senior decision-making.
• Collaborative and inclusive teamworking: able to work effectively across disciplines, encourage constructive feedback, and support others to deliver high-quality outcomes.

Benefits

• 25 days annual leave plus bank holidays.
• 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.
• Hybrid model where employees work a minimum of 40% in the office each month (expectation of 50% for senior leaders). Changing from September to a minimum of 50% in the office each month (expectation of 60% for Directors and Executive Directors).
• 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. 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

• Advert Close Date: 27th May 2026.
• CV Review/Shortlist: 29th May 2026.
• First Interview: 8th June 2026.