Commercial Lawyer

Financial Conduct Authority; Leeds; Hybrid; GBP 52,000 - 67,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

25 days annual leave

Non-contributory pension

Private healthcare

Volunteer hours

Flexible benefits

Job summary

Financial Conduct Authority is seeking a Commercial Lawyer to join the Operations Legal team. The role focuses on commercial, procurement and data protection work. You will draft, review and negotiate contracts, licences and NDAs, and support supplier relationships and governance with close supervision.

This early-career opportunity offers mentoring, structured development and exposure to complex regulatory matters across our Leeds, Edinburgh and London offices.

Qualifications

• Effective communication and analytical skills.
• Ability to learn new or novel legal concepts rapidly.
• Practical problem-solving skills for delivering pragmatic, outcome-focused advice.
• Strong organisational skills to manage competing priorities and deadlines.
• Good interpersonal skills to build relationships across the organisation.
• Commitment to continuous improvement including developing templates and training.

Responsibilities

• Provide practical legal advice on commercial, procurement, data protection and operational matters.
• Draft, review and negotiate commercial contracts, licences, NDAs, secondment agreements and other business arrangements.
• Advise on supplier and procurement issues, including contract changes, extensions and strategic relationships.
• Support legal matters relating to FCA Handbook, digital services, websites and business continuity arrangements.
• Advise on data protection, confidentiality, information sharing and information governance.
• Develop and maintain legal templates, playbooks, guidance and training materials.
• Build relationships with stakeholders across the FCA and external advisers, providing clear and solution-focused advice.
• Identify legal and regulatory risks and escalate as needed with specialist teams.
• Support estates projects and corporate initiatives across the organisation.

Skills

Effective communication

Analytical skills

Ability to learn

Practical problem solving

Organisational skills

Interpersonal skills

Continuous improvement

Education

Qualified Lawyer (Solicitor, Barrister, CLEx, or equivalent)

Job description

Commercial Lawyer

Division: Legal Division
Department: Prudential, Governance and Operations

• Salary: National (Edinburgh and Leeds) ranging from £52,000 to £62,900 and London from £55,000 to £67,000 (salary offered will be based on skills and experience)
• This role is graded as: Associate - level 8 - Practising legal
• Your external recruitment contact is Raimonda via [e-mail]
• Your internal recruitment contact is Fizah via [e-mail]

About the FCA and team

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.

This is an exciting time to join the FCA as we transform to become a smarter regulator, being more innovative, data-led and outcomes-focused.

The Operations Legal team provides legal advice to colleagues across the FCA on a range of operational matters, focusing on commercial, data protection and procurement law. This role would suit someone at an early stage of their legal career and is an excellent opportunity to join a supportive and collaborative team where learning and development are actively encouraged. Working alongside experienced specialist lawyers, you will receive close supervision, mentoring and guidance to help you develop your technical expertise and professional skills. The role offers substantial opportunities to gain experience, take on increasing responsibility and progress your career in a supportive environment.

Role responsibilities

• Provide practical legal advice on a broad range of commercial, procurement, data protection and operational matters
• Draft, review and negotiate commercial contracts, licences, NDAs, secondment agreements and other business arrangements
• Advise on supplier and procurement issues, including contract changes, extensions and strategic commercial relationships
• Support legal matters relating to the FCA Handbook, digital services, websites and business continuity arrangements
• Advise on data protection, confidentiality, information sharing and information governance issues
• Develop and maintain legal templates, playbooks, guidance and training materials to support the wider business
• Build effective relationships with stakeholders across the FCA and external advisers, providing clear and solution-focused advice
• Identify legal and regulatory risks and work with specialist teams to ensure appropriate management and escalation where required
• Support estates projects, academic collaborations and other corporate initiatives across the organisation

Skills required

Minimum:

• Qualified Lawyer (Solicitor, barrister, Chartered Legal Executive, or equivalent legal professional) typically from newly qualified (NQ) up to 3 years’ PQE
• Experience as a practising lawyer, in the public sector, private practice or in house legal team
• Relevant experience in general commercial law / commercial contracts. Experience also in public procurement, data protection and/or technology-related legal issues would be beneficial

Essential:

• Effective communication and analytical skills , with the ability to present complex issues in a clear, concise and effective manner
• Ability to learn new or novel legal concepts rapidly, demonstrating self-motivation while working under the guidance and support of senior colleagues
• Practical problem-solving skills, with the ability to deliver pragmatic, outcome-focused advice and communicate intricate legal issues clearly to non-legal stakeholders
• Effective organisational skills, with demonstrable experience managing competing priorities and delivering high-quality work to strict deadlines
• Good interpersonal skills , with the ability to build, sustain and leverage positive professional relationships across the organisation
• Commitment to continuous improvement , including developing legal know-how, guidance, templates and training to support wider organisational capability

Benefits

• 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 annuallyColleagues spend a minimum of 50% of their working time in the office each month (60% for Directors and Executive Directors) across our London, Leeds and Edinburgh offices
• A flexible benefits scheme designed around your lifestyle

For a full list of our benefits and our recruitment process as a whole visit our benefits page.

Our values and culture

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, drivers 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.

Disability confident: our hiring approach

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.

Useful information and timelines

Timeline:

• Job advert closes: Midnight, 9 September 2026
• CV Review/Shortlist: 11 September 2026
• Interviews are likely to be held in person from W/C 21 September
• 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.