Senior Policy Advisor

Financial Conduct Authority; Leeds; Hybrid; GBP 54,000 - 69,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

25 days annual leave

Non-contributory pension (8–12%) and a

Private healthcare with Bupa

Volunteer days / paid volunteering

Hybrid model with 50% in office

Flexible benefits scheme

Job summary

Financial Conduct Authority in the United Kingdom is seeking a Senior Policy Advisor to lead policy projects, oversee the Fees Policy programme and develop evidence-based policy proposals for senior decision-makers. You will collaborate with internal teams and external stakeholders, including government bodies, to drive policy development and implementation.

The role sits in the Cross-Cutting Policy area within the SPC division, with responsibilities spanning policy, supervision and competition.

Qualifications

• Demonstrated policy experience within financial services or other regulatory environments.
• Experience building constructive working relationships with internal and external stakeholders at all levels.
• Experience preparing papers, publications and briefings for senior audiences.
• Demonstrated ability to lead complex projects, navigate governance processes effectively and deliver high-quality work at pace.
• Solid analytical skills, with the ability to analyse complex information and develop proposals for new policies and approaches.
• Experience of working effectively as part of a team, supporting others to reach shared goals and adjusting your approach as circumstances require.
• Capability to identify and manage key internal and external stakeholders, with the experience to engage with, question, and work constructively with them.
• Demonstrated ability to communicate persuasively and credibly, explaining complex issues succinctly and clearly to audiences less familiar with the subject matter.
• Sound judgement, well-developed attention to detail and the ability to work flexibly and on your own initiative with minimal supervision.
• Effective organisational and time-management skills, with the ability to deliver multiple tasks and workstreams when deadlines are tight and within challenging timeframes.

Responsibilities

• Own key policy projects, drawing on solid methodical, stakeholder management and project management skills
• Lead delivery of the team’s core programme of work, including the annual fees cycle, managing multiple workstreams to ensure high-quality outcomes
• Develop evidence-based policy proposals and present recommendations to senior decision-makers across the FCA
• Build productive working relationships with stakeholders across the FCA to drive policy development and implementation
• Represent the FCA externally with government departments, including the Treasury as well as industry participants, trade bodies and other regulators
• Tackle complex fees policy questions, using sound judgement to develop and advance policy thinking

Skills

Policy experience

Stakeholder management

Briefing senior audiences

Project leadership

Analytical thinking

Team collaboration

Job description

Job title: Senior Policy Advisor
Division: Supervision, Policy and Competition (SPC)
Department: Cross-Cutting Policy

• Salary: National (Edinburgh and Leeds) ranging from £53,800 to £62,733 and London from £59,200 to £69,000 (salary offered will be based on skills and experience)
• This role is graded as: Senior Associate – Regulatory
• Your internal recruitment contact is Louis Van Den Burg via [e-mail]
• Your external recruitment contact is Tahir Khan 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.

SPC oversees firms and individuals (supervision), creates and reviews the rules by which they operate (policy) and identifies and remedies ineffective competition in markets (competition).

Sitting within Cross-Cutting Policy & Strategy (CCPS), the Fees Policy team is responsible for developing and maintaining the FCA’s policy framework for recovering its costs. Our work is central to the operation of the FCA, requiring us to balance strategic, regulatory and operational considerations while working closely with stakeholders across the organisation and industry. Through our policy framework, we determine how the FCA funds its activities, ensuring that it remains sustainable and proportionate.

Role responsibilities

• Own key policy projects, drawing on solid methodical, stakeholder management and project management skills
• Lead delivery of the team’s core programme of work, including the annual fees cycle, managing multiple workstreams to ensure high-quality outcomes
• Develop evidence-based policy proposals and present recommendations to senior decision-makers across the FCA
• Build productive working relationships with stakeholders across the FCA to drive policy development and implementation
• Represent the FCA externally with government departments, including the Treasury as well as industry participants, trade bodies and other regulators
• Tackle complex fees policy questions, using sound judgement to develop and advance policy thinking

Skills required

Minimum:

• Demonstrated policy experience within financial services or other regulatory environments
• Experience in building constructive working relationships with internal and external stakeholders at all levels
• Experience preparing papers, publications and briefings for senior audiences

Essential:

• Demonstrated ability to lead complex projects, navigate governance processes effectively and deliver high-quality work at pace
• Solid analytical skills, with the ability to analyse complex information and develop proposals for new policies and approaches
• Experience of working effectively as part of a team, supporting others to reach shared goals and adjusting your approach as circumstances require
• Capability to identify and manage key internal and external stakeholders, with the experience to engage with, question, and work constructively with them
• Demonstrated ability to communicate persuasively and credibly, explaining complex issues succinctly and clearly to audiences less familiar with the subject matter
• Sound judgement, well-developed attention to detail and the ability to work flexibly and on your own initiative with minimal supervision
• Effective organisational and time-management skills, with the ability to deliver multiple tasks and workstreams when deadlines are tight and within challenging timeframes

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 annually
• Hybrid model where employees work a minimum of 50% in the office each month (expectation of 60% for Directors and Executive Directors)
• 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, drives 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 ton 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

• Job advert closing: 22nd October 2026 at 23:59
• CV Review/Shortlist: 26th October 2026
• Case Study: 29th and 30th October 2026
• Interviews: 4th November to 11th November 2026
• Please can you make your Recruiter aware if you are going to be unavailable for any date during this time.