2027 Operational Resilience Graduate Programme - London

The Financial Conduct Authority; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 33,000 - 41,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Private healthcare with Bupa

25 days annual leave

Non-contributory pension

Life assurance at eight times salary

Wellbeing resources

Job summary

The FCA is offering a two-year Operational Resilience Graduate Programme designed to develop you into a resilience professional within the UK financial system. You will rotate across teams, gaining exposure to business continuity, crisis management and regulatory practice, while building skills in risk management and stakeholder engagement.

As a graduate, you’ll join a structured learning journey with specialist training, network-building opportunities, and access to senior leaders to shape a

Job description

Programme Overview

We offer you the chance to start your career and make a real difference. Programme Length: Two years Programme Type: Rotational (Year 1 - 2 x 6 months & Year 2 - 1 x 12 months) At the FCA, we develop and uphold the rules that keep financial markets fair, protect consumers, and support the UK economy, powered by people committed to creating positive change. As a graduate, you’ll be part of shaping those outcomes. You’ll rotate across teams, gaining exposure to different areas of financial services – from economic analysis and policy to strategic research and regulation. From day one, you’ll help deliver important work, expand your capabilities, and start building a career that has lasting impact.

About the Programme The Operational Resilience Graduate Programme is your opportunity to develop into a resilience professional at the heart of the UK's financial system. Operational Resilience is about making sure organisations can continue delivering their most important services when disruption happens. Whether responding to a cyber incident, technology failure, severe weather event or other major disruption, resilience professionals help organisations prepare for the unexpected and recover quickly when challenges arise. At the FCA, Operational Resilience is a strategic priority. As the regulator charged with building resilience across the financial services sector, we are committed to applying those same standards within our own organization. Our goal is simple: to reduce disruption and minimise harm to consumers, firms, markets and the wider financial system. As a graduate, you'll work with experienced colleagues to help the FCA prevent, prepare for, respond to and learn from operational disruption. You’ll gain practical experience in Business Continuity, Crisis Management and Operational Resilience, helping to protect the critical services that support the FCA’s statutory objectives. You'll work across the organisation to identify risks, improve resilience plans, support testing and exercises, and contribute to incident and crisis response activities. Along the way, you'll develop valuable skills in problem-solving, risk management, stakeholder engagement and strategic thinking. If you’re curious, good at adjusting to new tasks and motivated by solving complex challenges, this programme will give you the opportunity to build a rewarding career helping organisations stay resilient when it matters most.

Learning & Development

We invest in your future from day one. Our two-year rotational programme combines meaningful work experience with a structured learning journey, giving you access to professional development programmes, specialist training and career-building opportunities. As you develop your technical and professional skills, you’ll be encouraged to explore a range of career paths, expand your professional network, and build the confidence to contribute across the FCA.

You’ll benefit from:

• Structured learning and development to support your growth
• Tailored induction and professional training
• Opportunities to build your network across the FCA
• Social and networking events with your graduate cohort
• Access to senior leaders and inspiring career stories

What We Look For

We’re looking for people who are curious, driven and motivated by the opportunity to learn. You’ll be motivated to develop new skills, build good relationships and use data and evidence to help solve complex challenges. Our colleagues come from a wide range of backgrounds, and we believe diverse perspectives help us make better decisions. Whatever your degree discipline, you’ll be supported to learn and grow through practical experience, structured development and guidance from experienced colleagues, helping you build a rewarding career at the FCA.

What We Offer

£37,000 salary plus a flexible benefits scheme designed around your lifestyle

Colleagues spend a minimum of 50% of their working time in the office each month across our London, Leeds and Edinburgh offices

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

Commitment to diversity and inclusion

Wellbeing resources and support

Sports and social clubs

Subsidised on-site fitness centre (London only)

Free eye tests

Subsidised restaurant

Interest‑free season ticket loans

Application Process

Application Deadline: midnight, Sunday 29th November 2026.

You can only submit one application to an FCA Early Careers programme within a six-month period.

All application and assessment submissions must be your own work. We do not permit candidates to receive assistance from another person or to submit responses generated by artificial intelligence (AI) tools or similar software.

We are committed to creating an inclusive recruitment process. If you require a reasonable adjustment at any stage of the application process or during the programme, support is available through AmberJack [e-mail].

For queries, contact [e-mail].

Right to Work

Candidates requiring visa sponsorship are welcome to apply. However, sponsorship for our Early Careers graduate, apprenticeship and summer internship programmes is available only in very limited circumstances and is unlikely to be possible.

Candidates must have, or expect to have, the right to work in the UK for the full duration of the programme. Where a candidate requires sponsorship to meet this requirement, eligibility will depend on Home Office requirements, the programme meeting relevant immigration requirements, the candidate’s individual circumstances, and the availability of Certificates of Sponsorship (CoS) allocated to the FCA. Sponsorship eligibility can only be assessed once a formal offer of employment has been made. For the Graduate Programme, a Graduate visa will not cover the full programme duration and the FCA cannot guarantee subsequent sponsorship under the Skilled Worker route.

Candidates relying on a Graduate visa may therefore apply but would need to have an alternative right to work in the UK for the remainder of the programme. Where a CoS is issued, any visa application remains subject to Home Office approval, and candidates must have valid permission to work in the UK before the indicated programme start date.

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 their customers, building trust in financial markets and protecting vulnerable consumers.