Senior Associate

Division: Supervision, Policy and Competition

Department: Advisers, Wealth and Pensions (AWP)

Salary: National (Edinburgh and Leeds) ranging from £52,400 to £61,800 and London from £57,700 to £65,000 (salary offered will be based on skills and experience)

This role is graded as: Senior 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 financial services in the UK. SPC oversees regulated 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 AWP Department supervises around 5,000 financial adviser and wealth portfolio management firms. We focus on working to reduce harm from poor advice, poor investment portfolio management, scams, and financial crime, while promoting consumer protection, sector growth and sustainability, and better outcomes through firm engagement and cross‑FCA collaboration.

Role Responsibilities

• Work at pace to make sound, well‑reasoned judgements and connect the dots to identify risks early and shape smarter, more effective regulatory decisions.
• Develop supervision and risk mitigation strategies, setting clear expectations to firms, directing, persuading and where appropriate, using formal powers to change behaviour to deliver better outcomes for consumers in line with the Consumer Duty.
• Review the business models/strategies of firms, and identify how risks could cause harm to consumers and/or markets.
• Develop constructive working relationships with senior leaders in firms to enhance regulatory and consumer outcomes.
• Play an engaged role in cross‑department and FCA‑wide initiatives to enhance collaboration and deliver practical, organisation‑wide improvements.
• Manage key stakeholder relationships across internal and external partners to build trust, improve communication, and accelerate delivery of shared goals.

Minimum Skills Required

• Prior experience in financial advice, wealth management and investment intermediary sectors. Alternatively, other relevant experience at a regulator or consultancy firm.
• Experience delivering proficient written communications to a very high standard with internal and external stakeholders.
• Strong experience of designing and implementing robust strategies and of making timely risk‑based decisions with clear analysis and robust justification.

Essential

• Ability to build effective working relationships to support the delivery of supervisory outcomes, flexing your style to build consensus and persuade a range of diverse stakeholders.
• Ownership of problems and implement pragmatic action‑based solutions.
• Ability to manage priorities efficiently when unexpected changes arise.
• Ability to influence and negotiate while maintaining the integrity of the issues that need to be conveyed.

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). Changing from September to a minimum of 50% in the office each month (expectation of 60% for Directors and Executive Directors).
• 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 is free from discrimination and bias, celebrates difference, and supports colleagues in delivering 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 smarter 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: 6th February 2026, 11:59pm.
• CV Review/Shortlist: 10th February 2026.
• Case Study Assessment: w/c 16th February 2026.
• Interview: w/c 23rd February 2026.
• We are recruiting for 3 headcounts for 12‑month Fixed Term Contracts.

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.