Executive Director, Markets

Local Government Chronicle; Leeds; On-site; GBP 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

A major regulatory body in Leeds is seeking an Executive Director for Markets to provide leadership and oversight in regulating financial markets. This role directly supports the CEO and is responsible for strategy implementation, stakeholder engagement, and managing a significant team. The ideal candidate will have vast leadership experience, extensive knowledge of financial services, and a collaborative mindset. The FCA encourages diversity and welcomes applications from underrepresented groups.

Qualifications

• Extensive experience in leadership and people management.
• In-depth knowledge of markets within financial services.
• High-level stakeholder management skills.

Responsibilities

• Oversee the FCA's supervision strategy and competition agenda.
• Develop and implement control frameworks.
• Be accountable for regulating financial services firms.

Skills

Leadership experience

Stakeholder management

Collaborative approach

Negotiation skills

Job description

Executive Director, Markets

Financial Conduct Authority - executive director of markets. The FCA regulates the conduct of around 42,000 businesses in the UK to ensure that financial markets work well. It is ambitious for the future and committed to enabling a fair and thriving financial services market for the good of consumers and the economy.

This is an opportune moment to join the FCA, during an exciting and challenging time of great change in financial services and its regulation. The FCA has recently launched a new five-year strategy to deepen trust, rebalance risk, support growth and be a smarter regulator.

The opportunity

The Executive Director, Markets (ED) is an Executive Committee Member, reporting directly to the CEO and working closely alongside the EDs for Consumers and Competition to run the Supervision, Policy and Competition Division (SPC). The work of SPC focuses on both market participants and cross‑market themes. The ED, Markets will oversee six directorates with joint leadership responsibility for c.1800 people.

The Successful Candidate Will

• be an Executive Committee member with collective leadership responsibility for the success of the organisation as a whole and for contributing to and delivering the FCA strategy.
• be accountable for regulating and engaging with leadership of financial services firms ensuring that the FCA statutory objectives are met.
• develop and then implement the FCA's supervision strategy, competition agenda, policy, risk appetite and control framework, and to specifically facilitate that in this division.

The Successful Candidate Will Bring

• extensive experience of leadership and people management, with the ability to inspire and motivate teams through a growth mindset
• in depth knowledge and experience of markets; understanding conduct and business model risk gained in the context of financial services in the UK and/or in another major financial centre
• highly collaborative approach as part of a leadership team and ability to motivate and carry a large organisation through a period of significant change.
• significant stakeholder management skills, ability to negotiate with and influence senior people in private and public sectors in the UK and internationally.

The FCA is committed to achieving greater diversity across all levels of the organisation. Given this, they particularly welcome applications from women, disabled, and minority ethnic candidates, as under-represented groups.

The closing date for this role is Sunday 18 January 2026 at 23:55.

Leeds, UK

Permanent

Published on 9 Dec 2025