Senior Associate - Market Insights

The Consumer Investments Market Analysis and Policy (MAP) Department is responsible for strategic policymaking and providing market insights for the consumer investments sector. This covers over 5,000 firms and 50,000 individuals, providing a range of crucial investment services to consumers.

The Market Insights Team leads on the cross-cutting vision for consumer investments by identifying, assessing, monitoring and prioritising market-wide emerging harms and future trends to enable the Directorate to take assertive action to support a well-functioning consumer investments sector that delivers the FCA Strategy.

The core functions of the team include:

• Leading on market analysis across consumer investments to provide the cross-cutting view of the sector to support Supervision and Policy to take regulatory action, including producing a six-monthly Financial Markets Report for consumer investments.
• Leading horizon scanning to uncover emerging trends and harms across the sector, covering topics including AI & technology, innovative business models and the economic & political environment.
• Carrying out harm assessments; deeper research into specific issues where our horizon scanning identifies an emerging trend that could lead to consumer harm.
• Facilitating the prioritisation of proactive cross-cutting workstreams across the Consumer Investments Directorate.
• Internal and external communication and engagement to gather insights, provide technical cross-cutting support and proactively communicate our priorities.

What will you be doing?

• Horizon scanning across the sector; working proactively with key internal and external stakeholders to maintain effective relationships, assessing quantitative and qualitative intelligence and escalating emerging and evolving harms to relevant internal stakeholders.
• Delivery of harm assessments and market research. This involves: analysis of consumer harm and drivers of harm, evaluating intelligence and applying judgement to recommend suitable mitigation activities and presenting reports & recommendations to divisional management to enable effective decision-making and prioritisation.
• Supporting the directorate through wider technical support, including co-ordinating and drafting briefings and speeches for senior management, drafting external publications, training and sharing insights from horizon scanning, research and harm assessments.

What will you get from the role?

• Your work will be varied and you will have the opportunity to be curious and proactive in carrying out research and leading projects exploring emerging trends and harms, be innovative in the approach we take to tackling them and influence strategic regulatory developments in the consumer investments sector.
• You will have ownership of research and project work, supporting future career development.
• You will develop a unique and deep understanding of the consumer investments market.
• You will broaden your contacts and raise your profile internally and externally.

Which skills are required?

• Minimum proven experience working in an analytical or research role, being able to quickly draw out key implications from a broad range of information and applying judgement to assess risks to consumers and markets.
• Proven experience building and maintaining relationships with both internal and external stakeholders at all levels.
• Experience presenting key issues and recommendations to stakeholders.
• Comfortable working proactively with the ability to lead research, prioritise own workload and drive work forward.
• Comfortable with ambiguity, defining a problem statement and driving forward pragmatic action-based solutions.
• An inquisitive thinker able to assess, challenge and validate information, making sound and timely decisions with a clear rationale.
• A great team player who works effectively with others to achieve positive outcomes.
• Ability to communicate in a clear and concise manner verbally, visually and in writing.
• Strong organisational skills with the proven ability to manage project work, work at pace and manage priorities.
• Ability to influence and negotiate, especially when gathering intelligence and understand how to deliver challenging messages.
• A strategic thinker with the ability to think about the “bigger picture” to make connections and develop innovative solutions and recommendations which convey the “so what”.
• Understanding of Microsoft Office e.g. Excel, Word and PowerPoint.

Our Values & Diversity

We are proud to be an inclusive employer and our ambition is to cultivate a culture for all employees that respects their individual strengths, views, and experiences. 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.

Benefits of working at the FCA:

• 25 days holiday per year plus bank holidays.
• Hybrid working (work from home up to 60% of your time).
• Private healthcare with Bupa.
• A non-contributory Pension of at least 8% of basic salary each month.
• Life assurance of eight times your basic salary.
• Income protection.
• A competitive flexible benefits scheme which gives you the opportunity to create a personalised benefits package, tailored to suit your lifestyle.

Application Support

We are dedicated to removing barriers and ensuring our application process is accessible to everyone. We offer a range of adjustments to make your application experience as comfortable and straightforward as possible.

Useful Information and Timeline

This role is graded as Senior Associate - Regulatory. Advert Closing Date: Sunday 6th July. CV Review/Shortlist: Tuesday 8th July. Case Study: Friday 11th July. First Round Interview: Week commencing 14th July.