Lead Economist in Leeds

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.

Economics is at the heart of the FCA’s work. Economic insight underpins our regulatory decisions and shapes how we respond to some of the most complex challenges across financial services.

We are seeking a permanent Lead Associate to join our Economics Division. The team plays a key role in supporting policy development through in-depth economic advice, thorough assessment and constructive challenge across both wholesale and retail markets. Our work spans market failure assessment and cost–benefit evaluation, alongside overseeing and commissioning high-quality research to improve policy.

This is an exciting opportunity for a highly skilled individual to contribute to the FCA’s work on critical issues in wholesale financial markets, including capital markets and to help shape fair, effective and competitive markets.

Using your economic knowledge and experience, you will play a central role in delivering high-quality policy advice and analysis across a range of live policy issues, with a particular focus on wholesale markets, including capital markets. You will deliver the economic input into policy development, working across a varied portfolio of projects. This will involve producing careful analysis to tight deadlines where needed, as well as undertaking more in-depth, longer-term research to support complex policy questions.

As a Lead Economist, you will manage multiple workstreams, including the design and management of projects. A key part of this will be leading cost–benefit analysis for proposed policy interventions, ensuring outputs are robust and credible. Alongside your delivery responsibilities, you will support and develop more junior colleagues through line management and day-to-day work oversight. You will help set direction, provide guidance and promote a culture of balanced work and continuous professional development. You will also work closely with the team manager to plan, prioritise and allocate work effectively across the team and act as an escalation point for complex or high-profile issues.

• A solid academic foundation in Economics, with a degree at the graduate level or higher in economics or a closely related field, supplemented by relevant professional experience.
• Solid knowledge of wholesale financial markets, gained through either professional experience or academic study.
• Demonstrable experience of delivering cost-benefit analysis, within a high-volume or policy-driven environment.
• Demonstrated experience delivering high-quality economic advice on regulatory and/or public policy issues.
• Extensive experience conducting and delivering robust economic policy analysis.
• Comfortable working in ambiguous environments, with the ability to identify key policy questions, structure complex problems, prioritise analytical work, and generate clear, actionable insights from diverse information sources.
• Well-developed stakeholder management skills, with the ability to build and maintain effective, trust-based relationships with both internal colleagues and external partners.
• Effective communication skills, with the ability to translate complex technical concepts into clear, accessible messages for non-technical audiences.
• Experience leading the delivery of complex analytical projects, including planning, prioritising, and coordinating team activities. Able to perform effectively in high-pressure environments while maintaining quality and pace.
• Demonstrates a solid commitment to continuous learning and self-awareness, with the ability to build supportive networks and build resilience, both personally and within the team.

• 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 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.

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.

Job advert close: midnight, 14th June 2026. CV Review/Shortlist: 16th June 2026. Interview: w/c 22nd June 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.