Senior Policy Associate

Financial Reporting Council; Birmingham; Hybrid; GBP 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

30 days annual leave

Pension contribution 10%

Employee Assistance Programme

Cycle to work scheme

Hybrid working arrangement

Job summary

The Financial Reporting Council (FRC) in Birmingham seeks a Senior Policy Associate to join the Corporate Governance and Stewardship team. You will analyse governance and stewardship reporting, lead drafting for annual reviews, and assess applicants for Stewardship Code signatories, engaging with external stakeholders to support policy development.

You will review research, prepare briefings for senior colleagues, and mentor junior staff while working across cross-organisational initiatives in a

Qualifications

• Understanding of UK corporate governance and stewardship frameworks and their interaction with government, regulators, practitioners and stakeholders.
• Experience in corporate governance, stewardship, or policy.
• Excellent written and verbal communication; ability to convey complex information clearly.

Responsibilities

• Carry out analysis of governance and stewardship reporting by UK listed companies and Stewardship Code signatories.
• Lead drafting for annual UK governance reporting and stewardship reviews.
• Assess applicants for UK Stewardship Code signatories and manage end-to-end assessment processes.

Skills

Analytical skills

Stakeholder engagement

Policy development

Technical writing

Public speaking

Tools

Microsoft Office

Data analysis tools

Job description

The Corporate Governance and Stewardship team within the FRC is responsible for the UK Corporate Governance Code, the Stewardship Code and the Wates Principles.

This role is part of a dynamic team developing the FRC’s approach to corporate governance and stewardship, through analysis, assessment and obtaining evidence to support policy development.

As well as producing regular and ad hoc publications and assessing applications against the Stewardship Code, the team is responsible for frequent interaction with external stakeholders including those who use our Codes and others across the business and political stakeholder landscape.

Job Description

• Undertake the comprehensive analysis of the quality of corporate governance and stewardship reporting by UK listed companies and Stewardship Code signatories, respectively.
• Lead on drafting sections of the annual UK corporate governance reporting review and the annual review of stewardship reporting, producing high quality content on areas of expertise.
• Contribute to the robust, fair and proportionate assessment of applicants for UK Stewardship Code signatories.
• Assume responsibility for aspects of the end-to-end assessment process for UK Stewardship Code applications.
• Promote and support the Wates Governance Principles for Large Private Companies, providing analysis and developing policy as appropriate.
• Review, analyse and summarise relevant research, policy papers and consultations, and preparing briefings for senior colleagues.
• Support and oversee junior colleagues in day-to-day work.
• Accompany senior colleagues to external meetings, providing high quality briefing and liaising directly with external stakeholders when appropriate.
• Work on cross-organisational initiatives that promote good governance and stewardship or support organisational transformation.

Skills & Knowledge

• A thorough understanding of the UK corporate governance and stewardship frameworks, including the interaction between government, regulators, practitioners and other stakeholders.
• Relevant experience in corporate governance, stewardship, or policy.
• Good proficiency using Microsoft applications and new technologies to support deliverables.
• Ability to develop and maintain effective internal and external stakeholder relationships and effectively engage with other organisations who have interests in these areas.
• Excellent standard of written and verbal communication, with the ability to effectively communicate complex technical information to a range of audiences.
• Ability to communicate findings of analysis accurately and succinctly both in writing and orally.
• Proficiency in identifying trends and key issues to highlight emerging policy areas, and the synthesis of this information to deliver credible and coherent recommendations.

Ability to:

• manage a varied workload with competing priorities, and to meet tight deadlines.
• provide leadership to more junior team members and role model effective working behaviours.
• be adaptable and perform comfortably in a complex and changing policy environment.
• work collaboratively across a mixed site team.
• The Senior Policy Associate role is important in supporting the UK Corporate Governance Code and the UK Stewardship Code, bringing integrity and transparency to business and confidence to investment markets.

Rewards and benefits

• The FRC offers remuneration packages, including 30 days annual leave, ability to buy extra leave.
• Generous employer pension contribution of 10%.
• Staff Employee Assistance Programme including confidential counselling and work life services.
• The FRC offers staff the opportunity to save at least 25% on the purchase of a new bike through the Cycle to work scheme.
• The FRC has a strong work/life balance ethos.

The FRC believes that equality of opportunity and diversity is important in the work that we do and we are strongly committed to being an inclusive employer. Our values of being fair and independent supports this commitment. Equal opportunities monitoring is an important means of demonstrating and implementing our commitment to promoting equality of opportunity and diversity. Completing our diversity form will assist the FRC to identify any barriers that prevent access to employment and career development for certain groups of people, and to develop solutions, such as action plans, new policies and practices. The FRC operates a hybrid working arrangement, with a expectation that 40% per month of a person's working time will be located at one of our offices, with precise arrangements to be agreed between the employee and the line manager

The FRC is a Disability Confident Employer, and therefore, people or individuals with disabilities and long-term conditions, as defined by the Equality Act 2010, who 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.

The role is based in our central Birmingham office. The post holder should be able to work flexibly to support the team’s activities and also provide cover within the FRC as necessary. The FRC operates a hybrid working arrangement with its workforce. The FRC operates a hybrid working arrangement, with a expectation that 40% per month of a person's working time will be located at one of our offices per week, with precise arrangements to be agreed between the employee and the line manager.