Director of Internal Audit in London

About the FCA

At the FCA, we’re creating a fair and more resilient financial system. We’re establishing more transparent relationships between financial services and customers, building trust in financial markets and protecting vulnerable consumers.

We’re currently on an exciting journey as we drive forward significant organisational, people, process, and technology transformation to become a more forward-thinking, proactive regulator. We will use data more effectively to drive better regulatory decisions and build greater cohesion across our broad financial services remit.

Significant improvements in digital enablement, business intelligence, market data and information management maturity are all being pursued to maintain our position as a world leader in financial services regulation.

In March 2025, the FCA launched a new 5-year strategy to deepen trust, rebalance risk, support growth and improve lives. The FCA will focus on four priorities:

• Be a smarter regulator; predictable, purposeful and proportionate. The FCA will improve its processes and embrace technology to become more efficient and effective.
• Support sustained economic growth, by enabling investment, innovation and ensuring the continued competitiveness of the UK’s world-leading financial services.
• Help consumers navigate their financial lives by working with industry to boost trust, product innovation and ensuring the right information and support is available for people to take financial decisions.
• Fight financial crime, focusing on those who seek to use the fact they are regulated to do harm. It will go further to disrupt criminals and support firms to be an effective line of defence.

The Role

The Chief Internal Auditor is a pivotal senior leadership role at the heart of the FCA, reporting directly to the Chief Executive and Chair of the Audit Committee and contributing to the FCA’s most senior decision-making forums, while retaining the independence fundamental to the role. This creates a distinctive opportunity to influence how the FCA manages its most significant risks, strengthens its control environment and delivers its Strategy, providing senior leaders and the Board with independent assurance, insight, challenge and foresight.

As the FCA becomes a more innovative, agile, assertive and digitally led regulator, the Chief Internal Auditor will have the mandate to shape the next evolution of Internal Audit and assurance across the organisation. Working closely across the Three Lines, they will strengthen the alignment of assurance, while harnessing data, technology and AI to build an increasingly digitally enabled, forward-looking Audit function. For an ambitious audit / assurance leader, this is an opportunity for genuine enterprise-wide influence and to shape how assurance adds value to one of the UK’s most significant financial institutions.

The role can be based in our Edinburgh, London, or Leeds office, with hybrid working practices and an expectation of being based in the office 60% of the time.

Key responsibilities

Strategy

• Develop and deliver a long-term strategy for Internal Audit, aligned to the FCA’s ambition to be a more data-led, innovative, agile and assertive regulator. Shape the FCA’s approach to assurance, ensuring Internal Audit provides independent insight that strengthens governance, risk management and the control environment, while identifying opportunities to improve organisational effectiveness and business performance.

Operating Model, Quality and Standards

• Develop and deliver a digitally enabled audit operating model, using internal and external expertise while maintaining appropriate budgetary control, coverage and quality.
• Embed internal auditing standards and requirements into day-to-day practice, further developing the quality assurance and improvement programme across Internal Audit. Monitor the function’s effectiveness and efficiency, with regard to the Principles of International Standards for Internal Auditing and relevant corporate governance and financial services requirements.

Partnership & Aligned Assurance

• Build and maintain effective relationships with Risk, management, and relevant external stakeholders and professional networks, to ensure appropriate coverage of the FCA’s key business risks and a coordinated approach to assurance.
• Support the FCA’s annual external audit process, including effective engagement with the National Audit Office.

Leadership & Influence

• Participate proactively as an expert adviser to key management, board and committees throughout the FCA; and providing clear and effective reporting to the Audit Committee on Internal Audit activity, significant findings and the wider assurance and control environment.
• Oversee the FCA’s internal whistleblowing arrangements.
• Act as an effective team member and corporate leader, working collaboratively with stakeholders and peers to achieve business goals.

People & Accountability

• Lead, direct, coach, motivate and continuously improve the capability of the internal audit function. Foster an environment of knowledge sharing, challenge and continuous learning within the function, helping the team capture and apply relevant best practice. Advance change within the organisation by supporting new initiatives that improve audit and assurance and reinforce a continuous improvement mindset.

Skills/Experience required

• Credible independent advisor with experience influencing Boards, Audit Committees and executive-level stakeholders on audit, assurance, governance, risk and control.
• Strong commercial and organisational awareness, with the judgement to operate effectively in a complex, regulatory, political or public-interest environment.
• Significant senior leadership experience within an internal audit / assurance function in a large and complex organisation, with a particular focus on fast moving technological and data orientated environments.
• Experience of developing and delivering a risk-based internal audit strategy, plan and operating model; translating organisational strategy and risk into clear audit and assurance priorities, plans, and measurable outcomes, through technology, data, analytics, AI or other innovative approaches.
• Evidence of leading, developing and motivating multidisciplinary teams and building an inclusive, high-performing culture, and communicating effectively with diverse audiences.
• Hold a relevant audit, risk, assurance or accountancy qualification.
• Experience of internal audit or assurance in a complex, highly regulated environment, covering areas such as operational resilience, cyber security, AI, financial crime, third-party risk or data analytics.

Essential

• Enterprise leadership & collaboration: Builds trusted relationships and empowers others to deliver organisation-wide outcomes.
• Strategic thinking & judgement: Navigates complexity, connects strategy and risk, and exercises sound judgement in making balanced decisions.
• Influence & constructive challenge: Builds credibility with senior stakeholders, communicates clearly and provides effective, evidence-based challenge.
• Leading change & innovation: Champions new thinking, leads change effectively and creates momentum for continuous improvement.

The FCA’s Values & Diversity

Our ambition is to create a diverse and inclusive workplace that reflects the society we serve, helping us to be a better regulator. We serve the public and our decisions directly affect the wellbeing of people, businesses and the UK economy. So, our values matter. They represent the culture we aspire to every day, guiding our judgements, building trust and helping us to be ‘At our best’. The FCA is committed to achieving greater diversity across all levels of our organisation. Given this, we particularly welcome applications from women, disabled, and minority ethnic candidates, as under-represented groups.

As an inclusive employer, we are open to considering flexible working arrangements, including job shares. Please inform your recruiter if you wish to apply for this role on a flexible basis.

Application Support

We want to remove any possible barriers and are committed to providing a wide range of reasonable adjustments so that you can keep the focus on your conversations and be at your best. If you have an accessibility requirement, disability, or condition that means you might require changes to the recruitment process, please contact your recruiter to discuss this further. Our aim is to make your application as easy as possible, and your recruiter will be happy to work with you to make any necessary arrangements where possible.

Benefits

• 30 days holiday per year plus bank holidays
• Private healthcare with Bupa
• A non-contributory Pension of at least 8% of basic salary each month (there are several contribution levels that increase depending on your age- up to 12% a month once you reach age 35)
• Life assurance of eight times your basic salary
• Income protection

Conflicts of interest

All applicants to the FCA are required to demonstrate that they do not have other interests likely to conflict with their responsibilities as an employee of the FCA. You should declare any potential conflict of interest as early as possible in the selection process, and also disclose information or personal connections that, if appointed, might be open to misperception. Any potential conflicts of interest will not prevent candidates going forward to interview but may, if appropriate, be explored during the interview to establish how the candidate would address the issue(s) should they be successful in their application.

Useful information

• The closing date for this role is 23.55 on Sunday 29th November 2026
• Selection will be via a two-stage interview and psychometric assessment
• Salary range for this role is £200,000 - £275,000 (London), £180,000 - £248,000 (National)
• This role can be based in our Edinburgh, London or Leeds office
• If successful, you will be required to obtain and retain SC Clearance.
• We expect Directors to spend minimum 60% of working time in the office.