Associate, Market Practice And Regulatory Policy (Buyside) in London

Closing Date for Applications: 14 September 2026

Location:
London (occasional travel might be required as part of the role, mainly within Europe)

Application requirements: Please submit an up-to-date CV and a cover letter explaining your interest in the role and how your experience meets the requirements. Both documents are required for your application to be considered.

Eligibility to work in the UK: Applicants must already have the legal right to work in the UK at the time of application and throughout their employment. ICMA is unable to provide visa sponsorship for this role. Applications from candidates who require current or future sponsorship will not be considered.

About ICMA

ICMA promotes well-functioning cross-border capital markets, which are essential to fund sustainable economic growth. It is a not-for-profit membership association serving around 630 members in 71 jurisdictions globally. Its members include private and public sector issuers, banks and securities dealers, asset and fund managers, insurance companies, law firms, capital market infrastructure providers and central banks.

ICMA provides industry-driven standards and recommendations, prioritising three core fixed-income market areas: primary, secondary, and repo and collateral, with cross-cutting themes of sustainable finance, FinTech, and digitalisation. ICMA works with regulatory and governmental authorities to help ensure that financial regulation supports stable and efficient capital markets.

The International Capital Market Association (ICMA) is looking to recruit an Associate to support its buy-side proposition across a range of market practice and regulatory topics relevant to the issuance and trading of bonds in the capital markets. The role is based in London and presents an exciting opportunity for a driven and capable individual, preferably with some capital markets and legal or regulatory experience, to develop and progress their career within an expanding and dynamic international organisation.

About the Role:

The Associate will support ICMA’s global buy-side proposition within the Market Practice and Regulatory Policy team, helping to deliver member-led market practice initiatives and support buy-side stakeholder engagement. The role is primarily Europe-focused, with wider international coverage as required, and will be based in London. The successful candidate will report to the Senior Director, Market Practice and Regulatory Policy and work closely with colleagues across the function.

The MPRP team consists of three core ‘vertical’ pillars, Primary, Secondary and Repo & Collateral. In addition, the role requires working closely and cooperatively with ICMA’s two key “horizontal” Teams of FinTech & Digitalisation (FTD) and Sustainable Finance (SF). These cross-cutting themes are becoming increasingly critical in terms of market development and structural evolution and are becoming ever more prominent in the focus and work of the three vertical pillars.

Responsibilities include:

Member engagement and buy-side proposition development

• Support delivery of agreed activities in executing ICMA’s buy-side strategy, as directed by the Senior Director, including engagement with non-traditional asset managers and investors and representation of buy-side perspectives in best practice and standard-setting discussions.
• Assist buy-side member outreach: preparing call notes, mapping stakeholders, tracking engagement and supporting new member and existing member interactions alongside other colleagues.
• Gather and analyse member input from surveys, interviews and roundtables, summarising key themes and proposing actions for inclusion in team workplans and external outputs subject to senior review and approval.

Assist Committee and working group secretariat (buy-side work streams)

• Support the planning and delivery of buy-side related meetings and working groups, including agendas, papers, attendance, logistics and follow-up actions.
• Take detailed notes and prepare draft minutes, action logs and member communications in co-ordination with the secretariat and relevant ICMA colleagues.
• Maintain accurate distribution lists and committee membership records, supporting relationship communications with members and stakeholders.

Research, monitoring and drafting (market practice)

• Monitor and synthesise developments affecting buy-side participants (e.g. market structure, growth trends and cross-cutting themes such as digitalisation and sustainable finance).
• Support ICMA advocacy work by undertaking research and preparing initial drafts of consultation responses, calls for evidence and briefings for senior review.
• Contribute technical content and initial drafts to ICMA publications, Quarterly Report articles, podcasts and other outputs ensuring accuracy and clarity before senior review and publication.
• Support and help to lead ICMA’s buy-side segment of the securitisation project which involves setting up roundtables, attending roundtables, creating QR articles with the potential for more deliverables in the future.

Events, webinars and communications

• Help organise ICMA events relevant to buy-side topics including roundtables, panels and webinars, support preparation of speaker briefs and discussion prompts.
• Support production of podcasts and other media output in co-ordination with Events and Communications teams.
• Update and quality control web pages and member communications (clarity, consistency).

Internal co-ordination (cross-team delivery):

• Liaise with relevant ICMA teams to share buy-side information, support consistent messaging and co-ordinate agreed activities.
• Co-ordinate with other MPRP pillars and across regional offices as needed to ensure buy-side insights are reflected in wider ICMA market practice and policy work.
• Identify cross-team dependencies, overlaps or inconsistencies and raise them with the Senior Director or relevant project lead.

Required skills and experience:

• Relevant professional experience of at least 2 years gained within capital markets and/or investment banking, asset management, or other related financial services roles.
• University degree is required; a master's is preferred, ideally in the area of finance, economics, international business or similar.
• Deep interest in, and directly relevant background in capital markets (ideally fixed income).
• Awareness of regulatory concepts and a demonstrated ability and willingness to develop deeper technical knowledge of the bond markets.
• Excellent written and verbal English communication skills with the ability to explain, contextualise and present complex and technical issues clearly and concisely to different audiences, while maintaining strong attention to detail.
• Collaborative working approach with strong interpersonal skills and the ability to build credible working relationships with senior professionals across ICMA’s diverse buy-side membership and colleagues.
• Strong personal organisational skills with the ability to prioritise competing activities and meet deadlines.
• Proficient with Microsoft Office
• Ability to work independently on defined assignments, seeking guidance on unfamiliar, sensitive or strategically significant matters.
• Fluency in at least one additional European language is preferred but not essential.
• Value inclusivity and being supportive and respectful of others.
• Operate with integrity, trust and professionalism.

Why join ICMA?

The successful candidate will work closely with all members of ICMA, building their skills and knowledge of the association and the industry as a whole. They will also have access to ICMA’s extensive educational and training offerings, enabling them to expand their skill set (see ICMA Education & Training for examples of courses).

We are committed to creating an inclusive workplace that is fair, safe, accessible, and inclusive, where everyone feels they belong, has a voice, and can thrive and succeed. All employment decisions are made based on qualifications, experience, and business needs. We provide a truly flexible and supportive environment where you will have autonomy over your role.

Please ensure you attach both your CV and cover letter before submitting your application.