Assistant Private Secretary

Financial Conduct Authority; City of Edinburgh; Hybrid; GBP 52,000 - 63,000; Full time

Job summary

A financial regulatory body in Edinburgh seeks an Assistant Private Secretary to support the Executive Director. In this role, you'll manage stakeholder communications, lead key areas, and ensure the Executive Director is well-prepared. Applicants should have experience with regulatory policymakers and a strong ability to handle multiple tasks efficiently. The position offers a hybrid working model and valuable exposure to high-profile matters within the organization.

Benefits

25 days holiday per year plus bank holidays

Private healthcare with Bupa

Non-contributory Pension of at least 8%

Qualifications

• Experience of working within or closely with regulatory policymakers.
• Experience of working in Wholesale Markets.
• Proven experience of managing a busy workload.

Responsibilities

• Leading on assigned wholesale areas and advising the Executive Director.
• Ensuring that the Executive Director is well briefed ahead of meetings.
• Maintaining open, productive relationships with stakeholders.

Skills

Analytical skills

Stakeholder management

Communication skills

Judgement

Job description

Overview

Assistant Private Secretary

Division – Supervision Policy and Competition (SPC)

Salary – National (Edinburgh and Leeds) ranging from £52,400 to £63,000 and London £57,700 to £70,000 per annum (Salary offered will be based on skills and experience)

About the FCA

The FCA regulates the conduct of 45,000 firms in the UK to ensure our financial markets are honest, fair and competitive. The FCA is a public body that regulates financial services and markets in the UK.

We are looking for a Senior Associate to join as an Assistant Private Secretary in the Supervision Policy and Competition (SPC) division, in the office of the Executive Director of Markets and International. The role offers an opportunity to work closely with a senior executive at the FCA. In this role, you will gain exposure to a breadth of strategic, supervisory and policy issues and work on high-profile matters that support the FCA’s objectives. It is a role to build experience toward further progression within your career. The role holder will work autonomously to provide high quality support to the Executive Director and their Private Secretary and interact with internal and external stakeholders to ensure priorities are delivered.

We are looking for someone with sound judgement and strong analytical, stakeholder management and communication skills, as well as discretion. Applications are welcome from existing Senior Associates or Associates who can demonstrate readiness for the role.

What will you be doing?

• Leading on assigned wholesale areas (for example, policy, supervisory or operational), advising the Executive Director, Supporting the Executive Director and Private Secretary as part of a dynamic team, managing a varied workload and engaging with senior internal and external stakeholders
• Ensuring that the Executive Director is well briefed ahead of meetings, taking minutes at meetings, and preparing the Executive Director for external engagements including speeches and media appearances
• Facilitating the effective and efficient running of SPC Markets and International
• Managing the flow of information between the Executive Director and colleagues across the FCA, communicating requests and steers to and from staff at all levels
• Maintaining open, productive and supportive relationships with key stakeholders. Handling correspondence from external stakeholders (including C-suite of firms) and responding to media queries

What will you get from the role?

• Every day is different in this role. It is a unique opportunity to stretch and challenge yourself and a stepping stone to progressing your career within the FCA
• You will engage with the breadth of work undertaken by the SPC and International divisions, developing technical knowledge in Wholesale Markets and other SPC areas
• You will have the opportunity to get involved in a wide range of projects within SPC and International, depending on your interests
• You will gain a privileged view of how the FCA operates and how decisions are made at senior levels. You will work with the Executive Director and learn from this experience
• You will interact with senior internal and external stakeholders daily, building your network and developing communication skills

Skills and Qualifications

We are a Disability Confident Employer; therefore, disabled people or individuals with long-term conditions who best meet the minimum criteria for a role will progress to the next stage of the recruitment process. (Disability Confident Scheme information)

Minimum

• Experience of working within or closely with regulatory policymakers, supervisors, investigators or compliance
• Experience of working in the Wholesale Markets
• Proven experience of managing a busy workload, prioritising effectively and delivering under pressure, including juggling multiple issues

Essential

• Sound judgement and the ability to resolve issues as they arise, knowing when to deal with matters yourself and when to involve others
• Ability to manage work autonomously and deliver outputs efficiently
• Ability to assimilate and summarise a large amount of information, analyse proposals and evidence and consider next steps and risks
• Ability to remain calm, resilient and approachable under pressure, supporting your team and modelling behaviour for colleagues
• Strong ability to build and maintain effective stakeholder relationships and communicate effectively
• Curiosity and motivation to continually learn about and investigate issues within the financial services sector while identifying emerging issues
• Willingness to learn and develop yourself and others, taking on new responsibilities with a flexible and pragmatic approach
• The successful candidate will hold or will be required to obtain Security Clearance (SC)

Our Values & Diversity

We are an inclusive employer with a commitment to a culture that respects individual strengths, views and experiences. We believe our differences and similarities enable better decisions, innovation and regulation.

Within the workplace you will have access to employee resource groups promoting work life balance and diversity ambitions.

Benefits

• 25 days holiday per year plus bank holidays
• Hybrid working (work from home up to 60% of your time)
• Private healthcare with Bupa
• Non-contributory Pension of at least 8% of basic salary (up to 12% with age)
• Life assurance of eight times basic salary
• Income protection

We offer a flexible benefits scheme to tailor packages to individual needs. Flexible arrangements are welcomed, including part-time, staggered hours and job shares.

Application Support

We aim to remove barriers and make the application process accessible. If you have an accessibility need, please contact your recruiter to discuss adjustments.

Timeline

• This role is graded as Senior Associate, Regulatory
• This role requires Security Clearance
• Advert Closing Date: 28 September 2025
• CV Review/Shortlist: 30 September 2025
• First Round Case Study Assessment: w/c 6 October 2025
• Competency Based Interview: w/c 13 October 2025

Your Recruiter will discuss the process in detail during screening; please notify them of any unavailability.

Getting in touch

For more information about the role, contact [e-mail]

Applications must be submitted through our online portal. Applications sent via email will not be accepted.