Lead Retail Banking Firm Supervisor 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). The Retail Banking Directorate oversees supervision and policy for UK retail banking and mortgages, driving better outcomes for consumers including those with vulnerabilities - through firm‑specific, sector‑wide, and event‑driven work, with a strong focus on fairness, affordability, and consumer protection.

This is a great opportunity to join the forward‑looking team at a pivotal moment. We’re overseeing some of the most complex and high‑impact areas of fixed firm supervision, offering you the opportunity to get involved in high‑profile work on firm mergers and acquisitions while shaping and piloting our new supervisory approach aligned to our five‑year strategy.

In this role, you’ll help shape our workplan—bringing insight, leadership, and clarity to efforts that directly support our regulatory objectives. You’ll have the scope to elevate your leadership impact, coaching and empowering the team to deliver our supervision priorities with confidence and purpose. If you’re looking for a role where you will shape outcomes and your leadership will deliver clear, practical results, this is it.

Role responsibilities

• Working in partnership with the Manager to plan, prioritise and allocate work across the team.
• Take a role in managing, coaching and mentoring junior team members and overseeing their work to ensure timely progress is made to deliver supervisory outcomes.
• Deputise for the Manager during periods of absence.
• Continuously improve internal processes by suggesting and implementing changes that result in better outcomes.
• Manage and oversee team operations in an environment with frequent changes, ensuring high standards in casework and records management.
• Analysing firms’ business models and strategies and identifying the key risks of harm, dealing with complex problems, and finding solutions that contribute to the development, implementation and oversight of effective, firm supervisory strategies.
• Balance personal delivery with team leadership to produce supervisory outcomes aligned with the FCA’s strategic priorities and that protect consumers.
• Working on event‑driven (reactive) work in response to firm issues and industry developments and forming sound judgement on a variety of regulatory topics and communicating this clearly and succinctly to internal and external stakeholders.
• Working collaboratively and inclusively, building trusting relationships with stakeholders across the Directorate, the wider FCA and key external stakeholders such as the Prudential Regulation Authority and trade bodies.
• Contributing to the wider Department and Division, including making recommendations for continuous improvement.
• Respond to emerging firm and industry developments with sound judgement across areas like financial crime, tech transformation, and consumer protection.

Skills required

Minimum

• Proven experience in identifying consumer harm and developing/implementing supervisory strategies to mitigate risks.
• Proven experience in building and managing relationships with stakeholders at all levels, including senior management.
• Prior experience in managing, coaching, and developing other team members and effectively delivering work through others.

Essential

• Good exposure or knowledge of banking mergers and acquisitions.
• Proven knowledge of the FCA Consumer Duty.
• Clear oral and written communication skills.
• Ability to help organise, plan, and manage conflicting priorities and allocate work within the team with minimal oversight.
• Ability to manage complex and large pieces of work with minimal oversight, including experience of managing through change and balancing conflicting priorities.
• Curiosity and motivation to continually learn about and investigate issues, and willingness to develop yourself and the team, taking on new responsibilities and adopting a flexible and pragmatic approach to your work.
• An understanding of FCA supervision including use of interventions/tools, risk management and prioritisation approaches.

Benefits

• 25 days annual leave plus bank holidays.
• Hybrid model where employees work a minimum of 40% in the office each month (expectation of 50% for senior leaders).
• 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 & 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 Timeline

• Job advert close: Tuesday 24th February at 23:59pm.
• CV Review/Shortlist: 26th February.
• Case Study Assessment & Interview: w/c 2nd March.

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.