Regulatory Lawyer – 12 months fixed term contract (maternity leave cover)

Division: Legal Division

Department: Payment Systems and Competition

Salary: National (Edinburgh and Leeds) ranging from £60,900 to £81,000 per annum and London from £66,900 to £89,000 (salary offered will be based on skills and experience)

This role is graded as: Senior Associate, Practising Legal

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’s Legal Division provides advice and legal services across the full breadth of FCA and Payment Systems Regulator activity, including regulatory, policy, enforcement and operational work. The FCA Legal Division’s Payment Systems & Competition Department provides advice to the PSR on its approach to regulation and policy development, and also its compliance and supervision work. It also provides advice to the FCA and PSR on how they each use their functions under competition law.

By joining us, you’ll play a key part in protecting consumers and other users of payment systems, contributing to economic growth and helping improve UK financial services.

Role responsibilities:

• Give high quality, risk based, legal advice to the PSR and FCA to support better outcomes for consumers and other users of payment systems
• Advise on policy development, for example consultations
• Advise on the application of existing legal requirements to those we regulate including potential areas of non-compliance
• Draft requirements (such as PSR directions)
• Work with colleagues across the FCA and PSR and with others such as the Bank of England and HM Treasury
• Manage a busy and complex workload (with appropriate support and supervision) with professionalism and through teamwork
• Use AI and other technologies appropriately to support high-quality outcomes and efficiency
• Uphold our values and culture which underpin our commitment to our colleagues, including inclusivity

Skills Required:

• A lawyer (solicitor, barrister or Chartered Legal Executive or overseas equivalents) entitled to practice in the UK with at least 5 years’ PQE
• Experience in advising on public law issues (whether in-house at a public sector organisation or an organisation that engages with the public sector, at a law firm or in a self-employed role)
• Experience in at least one of: regulatory law, competition law, financial services

Essential:

• Well-developed analytical and communication skills
• Ability to give practical, solution focused, advice, in writing and orally
• An ability to work in demanding situations, to understand when to seek support and to work collaboratively
• A willingness and aptitude to learn new areas of law and use of technology
• An awareness of the FCA and PSR’s values (which are the same) and a demonstrable understanding of how they might be applied in practice
• The capacity to explore and apply the responsible use of AI and other technologies, understanding the benefits while reducing associated risks

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:

Job advert closes: Midnight, 14 August 2026

CV Review/Shortlist: 18th August 2026

Interview: from the 1st September - 3rd of September

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.