Policy Manager (Regulatory Policy)

Solicitors Regulation Authority; West Midlands; Hybrid; GBP 70,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Pension scheme

25 days annual leave

Life Assurance (4x salary)

Health and wellbeing portal

Employee discounts

Job summary

Solicitors Regulation Authority is seeking an experienced policy professional to lead a complex policy programme and oversee a small team. The role focuses on high standards of ethical practice and regulatory understanding across the solicitor profession.

You will produce impactful policy reports and briefings, manage external relationships, and contribute to shaping regulation in England and Wales while supporting colleagues' development. Hybrid working options available.

Qualifications

• Experience managing high profile policy projects with robust PM techniques.
• Understanding regulation in the legal sector and how it shapes approaches.
• Ability to build influential relationships with senior stakeholders.
• Ability to produce practical conclusions to complex issues.
• Proven ability to develop documents to a high standard, including board papers.

Responsibilities

• Manage major policy projects from design to implementation.
• Produce and present reports, consultation papers and policy documents.
• Line manage two colleagues and support their development.
• Balance regulatory requirements with competition and consumer protection.

Skills

Policy project management

Regulatory context understanding

Stakeholder management

Decision making

Leading a small team

Tools

Board papers writing

Job description

We are looking for an experienced policy professional who thrives on juggling demanding priorities and can manage policy development in complex areas, even when outside of your area of expertise. You will be a senior member of the team.

Our Regulatory and Innovation Policy, EDI and Professional Ethics team works across a broad range of issues which help to drive trust and confidence in the legal services market across England and Wales, from looking after our regulatory framework to considering the implications of AI and technology on the legal sector to supporting equality and diversity across the profession.

We are currently recruiting for a Regulatory Policy Manager to focus primarily/initially on delivering a complex, high profile programme of work to ensure high standards of ethical practice and understanding across the solicitor profession. The role will also involve management of related areas of work, and the role holder will be required to take on additional/future projects as required. The successful candidate will line manage two colleagues, and will be responsible for supporting their professional development.

The work will be fast paced and sometimes high profile. Professional Ethics is an area of significant focus for the team and for the SRA more broadly, and which is core to what we do as an organisation, and what we expect of our regulated community. The work is complex and intellectually challenging, and requires the ability to think both creatively and laterally. You will oversee work across your small team on areas around protecting consumers, legal professionals and the broader legal sector from harms, such as the SRA's work on whistleblowing.

More broadly, you will strive to ensure that our regulatory requirements strike the right balance between promoting competition and growth while protecting consumers from harm. You will be experienced in using a variety of policy development techniques, and have proficient project management skills to manage policy development on new and complex issues. You will demonstrate a real commitment to continually building an evidence base and to the values of equality, diversity and inclusion throughout your work.

As part of your role, you will produce and present impactful reports, consultation papers, policy documents and board papers. You will provide specialist advice, support and briefings on complex policy issues within the SRA and externally. Working with a wide range of internal and external stakeholders, you will be positive in establishing influential relationships and will have the credibility to contribute effectively to external debate. You will build strong and trusting relationships with your two reportees, and support them to develop their skills and to deliver to their full potential in the SRA.

What's in it for you

• Manage major policy projects from design to implementation
• Gain exposure to high profile stakeholders
• As a member of the SRA's leadership team, you will promote the SRA's culture, values, policies and ways of working to large numbers of internal colleagues
• Enjoy an environment that values equality, diversity and inclusion
• Additional 3% of annual basic salary for you to choose the benefits that best suit your lifestyle and personal situation
• Pension - We will contribute 1½ - 2 times your contribution, up to 12.25%. So, if you contribute 7%, you will enjoy the maximum combined contribution of 19.25%
• 25 days annual leave, plus bank holidays and buy/sell/save holiday trading scheme
• £25 contribution to a monthly health and wellbeing portal. The portal provides access to more than 5,000 products, experiences and services. Some options available include gym membership, National Trust membership, music lessons, tennis lessons, massages, nutrition, life coaching, fertility support, financial support and much more
• Access to employee discount vouchers for savings on High Street brands, travel and supermarkets
• Life Assurance cover of 4 times basic salary.

What we are looking for - essential criteria

• Experience of managing high profile policy projects, using robust project management techniques to develop and implement a range of approaches to policy problems.
• Understanding of the regulatory context and how this shapes approaches to regulation in the legal sector
• Ability to build influential relationships with senior level internal and external stakeholders
• A capable judgement maker, with ability to produce practical and clear conclusions to complex issues.
• Ability to produce a range of documents to an exceptional standard, including board papers and consultations documents
• Ability to work at pace to demanding deadlines, juggling several priorities.
• Line management experience

Useful information:

• There is a role profile attached at the bottom of this advert which details the full skills and experience required.
• This is a hybrid role. You may be based in our Birmingham, Cardiff, or London offices, depending on which is nearest to your location. You will work at least two days in the office, and from home for the rest of the week. Regular travel will be required to the other offices from which you are based, or for meetings with stakeholders or attendance at events.

Closing date for applications: Wednesday 23 September 2026 at 23:55

If your application is shortlisted, you will be invited to a short interview via Microsoft Teams during the week commencing 5 or 12 October. If you are successful at this stage, you will then be invited to attend an in-person assessment and interview during the weeks commencing 19 and 26 October.