Payment Policy Manager

Division: Supervision, Policy and Competition

Department: Payments & Digital Assets Directorate

Salary: National (Edinburgh and Leeds) ranging from £74,900 to £88,900 and London £82,300 to £97,800 per annum (Salary offered will be based on skills and experience).

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. 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 Payments and Digital Assets directorate, the Policy department develops policy to address the challenges and opportunities the FCA identifies in payments and crypto sectors.

Role Responsibilities

• Play a key role as a member of the Payments and Digital Assets Policy departmental management team, providing strategic input and supporting the delivery of key policy objectives.
• Manage material workstreams to shape and develop various aspects of payments policy, working closely with the existing payments policy team as well as the stablecoins team and the crypto policy teams.
• Establish, develop, and maintain close relationships with key internal and external stakeholders, promoting open communication and collaboration.
• Maintain and manage an effective team through effective recruitment, performance management and development of staff from diverse backgrounds and of various levels.

Skills Required

• Prior experience of payments, including developing payments policy, experience in a payments firm, or similar.
• Prior experience of policy making.
• Prior experience of managing a team.

Essential

• An ability to consider complex information and to support the development and delivery of policy.
• Solid organisational skills with a capability to manage a variety of priorities and issues.
• High standard of problem solving and strategic thinking with sound judgement.
• A self‑managed thinker with an inquisitive mind‑set and a pragmatic approach to making judgements.
• Effective interpersonal and stakeholder management skills with a clear ability to work with and collaborate with stakeholders at all levels both internally and externally, including the confidence and credibility when representing the FCA externally.
• Able to prepare and deliver complex, strategic written technical communications and deliver sensitive messages.
• Willingness to learn and develop, taking on new responsibilities and adopting a flexible and pragmatic approach to your work.

Benefits

• 28 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: Sunday 26th July 2026 (midnight)
• CV Review/Shortlist: Tuesday 28th July 2026
• First Interview: W/C 3rd August 2026
• Manager Assessment: W/C 10th August 2026
• Second Interview: W/C 24th August 2026

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.