PA to the Head of Department for Technology, Resilience and Cyber Specialists - 12 months Secondment

Financial Conduct Authority; Leeds; On-site; GBP 28,000 - 44,000; Full time

Job summary

The Financial Conduct Authority is seeking a maternity cover for a Senior Professional Support role within the Technology, Resilience & Cyber team. The position involves managing senior level communications, assisting daily operations, and providing strategic support. Ideal candidates will have proven administrative experience and strong organizational skills. The role offers comprehensive benefits, a supportive culture, and opportunities for professional development.

Benefits

25 days holiday plus bank holidays

Hybrid working (up to 60% of your time at home)

Private healthcare with Bupa

Non-contributory Pension starting at 8% of basic salary

Life assurance of eight times your basic salary

Income protection

Qualifications

• Proven experience in a busy administrative role, including Personal Assistant work with complex diary and inbox management.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills with a keen eye for detail.
• Strong relationships management skills with the ability to build rapport.

Responsibilities

• Provide professional assistance to the Head of Department, managing communications and overseeing actions.
• Prepare agendas and manage meetings, handling travel arrangements efficiently.
• Assist in the day-to-day operations of the department and cover for other PAs as needed.

Skills

Communication

Organizational Skills

Problem Solving

Stakeholder Management

Tools

Microsoft Outlook

Microsoft Excel

Microsoft PowerPoint

Microsoft OneNote

Job description

Division – Specialists Directorate

Department – Technology, Resilience & Cyber

Salary - National (Edinburgh and Leeds) ranging from £28,800 to £43,100 and London £31,600 to £47,400 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. Follow this link to find out more About the FCA.

The Technology, Resilience and Cyber department (TRC) sit within the Specialists Directorate. The department provides specialist expertise and thought leadership on the approach to embedding Operational Resilience in third party service providers that support the Financial Services industry.
This role is to provide maternity leave cover for a period of approximately 12 months.

What will you be doing?

• Provide professional assistance to the HoD, handling information and progressing actions as needed, which includes liaising with senior management, external stakeholders and their officers

• Oversee inbox management by monitoring emails, preparing agendas for the management meetings and following up actions where necessary, flagging requests for HoD’s approval and ensuring the department is represented at all key meetings during the HoD’s absence

• Responsible for preparing agendas, coordinating briefings and managing meetings documents and pending actions. Skilled in drafting documents, letters, PowerPoint presentations when required to. Efficiently handling travel arrangements, including international travel, ensuring bookings and budgets are managed effectively, producing detailed travel itinerary, arranging currency and visa requirements

• Responsible for investigating queries, managing departmental communications, providing support to management with ad hoc tasks. Assist the HoD in overseeing the organisation and day-to-day operations of the department

• Attending key organisational, divisional and departmental team meetings to develop a comprehensive understanding of priorities and projects and contributing to these projects where appropriate

• Providing cover for other PA’s within Specialist Directorate (SD) and ‘acting up’ to cover for the Director’s PA when needed

• What will you get from the role?

• An insight into senior management and leadership

• To take on a pivotal role in the operational running of a busy team, managing a diverse and demanding workload

• The opportunity to support firms developing their operational resilience and cyber capabilities, helping to reduce potentials risks to consumers and financial markets

• Active involvement in a high-profile area of the business, contributing to key initiatives and strategic objectives

• As an Academy business we place great value on learning and at the FCA we offer world-class development opportunities which will assist you in achieving your career aspirations.

• Building and maintaining key relationships across a broad range of internal and external stakeholders

Which skills are required?
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 go through to the next stage of the recruitment process. ( To learn more about the Disability Confident Scheme Click Here )

Minimum
• Proven experience in a busy administrative role, including Personal Assistant work with complex diary and inbox management
• Experience using Microsoft Outlook, OneNote, Excel and PowerPoint
• Proven experience in handling highly confidential and sensitive staff information with discretion, professionalism and integrity

Essential
• Excellent oral and written communication skills, with a keen eye for detail and an ability to summarise key ‘need to know’ information clearly and efficiently for senior leadership. Capable of exercising sound judgement and initiative on behalf of the Head of Department in various situations, particularly in managing and responding to income email requests
• Strong relationships management skills with the ability to build rapport and develop stakeholder-focused relationships by understanding their key priorities, including at a senior level
• Proactive, highly organised and efficient, with strong problem-solving skills and the ability to coordinate and prioritise tasks and workload
• Demonstrates and encourages in taking ownership and responsibility – has a “can do” approach and is committed to achieving results and strives for continuous improvements
• Ability to work independently with initiative and minimal supervision, while also working as part of a support team to provide cover and assist colleagues as needed
• Experience of working within a support team, providing coverage, assisting colleagues and overseeing the quality and completion of tasks

Our Values & Diversity
We are proud to be an inclusive employer and our ambition is to cultivate a culture for all employees that respects their individual strengths, views, and experiences. We believe that our differences and similarities enable us to be a better organisation – one that makes better decisions, drives innovation, and delivers better regulation.
Within the workplace you will have access to various employee resource groups which aim to promote and achieve a healthy work / life balance and support our diversity ambitions.

Did you know? 50% of our Executive Committee were the first in their family to attend university.

Benefits of working at the FCA:

• 25 days holiday per year plus bank holidays

• Hybrid working (work from home up to 60% of your time)

• 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

We also have a competitive flexible benefits scheme which gives you the opportunity to create a personalised benefits package, tailored to suit your lifestyle.
We welcome applications from candidates who are looking for flexible arrangements. Many of our staff work flexibly including working part-time, staggered hours, and job shares. We can’t promise to give you exactly what you want but we can explore what might work best for both sides.
Follow this link to see what life is like at the FCA - Life at the FCA

Application Support
We are dedicated to removing barriers and ensuring our application process is accessible to everyone. We offer a range of adjustments to make your application experience as comfortable and straightforward as possible.
If you have an accessibility need, disability, or condition requiring changes to the recruitment process, please contact your recruiter using the details below and they will be happy to discuss this further with you.

Useful Information and Timeline

• This role is graded as Senior Professional Support

• Advert Closing Date: 12th June

• CV Review/Shortlist: 13th June

• First Round Case Study Assessment: 18th June

• Competency Based Interview: 27th June

• SC Clearance is required for this role (SC Guidance) - you will hold or will be required to obtain Security Clearance (SC) level vetting

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.

Got a question?

If you are interested in learning more about the role, please contact Rumana Hussain at [e-mail]

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