Vice President, Strategy & Innovation Public Policy

Cls Group; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid working — 2 days in office

Private medical and dental cover

Generous pension contributions

Learning platform access

Paid parental leave

Flexible work environment

Job summary

CLS is the trusted centre of the global FX ecosystem, driving policy engagement and strategic initiatives from the Office of the CEO in London. The Vice President will shape public policy positions, oversee communications strategy and coordinate with senior executives and policymakers to advance CLS's agenda.

You will build external relationships with industry bodies, contribute to policy papers and monitor regulatory developments, ensuring CLS remains at the forefront of financial market

Qualifications

• 5+ years’ experience in business development, policy or regulatory affairs in financial services or highly regulated environments.
• Deep understanding of CLS's role in the global financial system and public policy matters.
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills.
• Strong problem-solving skills to manage ambiguity and analyze large, complex data sets.

Responsibilities

• Support CEO Office in shaping CLS strategy and public policy positions.
• Coordinate engagement with policymakers and industry stakeholders.
• Prepare papers, agendas and minutes for governance meetings.
• Contribute to policy papers, white papers and speeches aligning with CLS objectives.
• Track regulatory developments and contribute to consultation responses.

Skills

Policy experience

Public policy communication

Regulatory affairs

Education

Bachelor’s degree in finance, law, accounting or related field

Job description

CLS is the trusted party at the centre of the global FX ecosystem. Utilized by thousands of counterparties, CLS makes FX safer, smoother and more cost effective. Trillions of dollars’ worth of currency flows through our systems each day.

Created by the market for the market, our unrivalled global settlement infrastructure reduces systemic risk and provides standardization for participants in many of the world’s most actively traded currencies. We deliver huge efficiencies and savings for our clients: in fact, our approach to multilateral netting shrinks funding requirements by over 96% on average, so clients can put their capital and resources to better use.

CLS products are designed to enable clients to manage risk most effectively across the full FX lifecycle – whether through more efficient processing tools or market intelligence derived from the largest single source of FX executed data available to the market.

Job information:

• Functional title – Vice President, Strategy & Innovation Public Policy
• Department – Office of CEO
• Report to – Executive Director, Strategy & Innovation
• Location – London

What you will be doing:

The CEO Office supports the evolution and maintenance of the company’s strategy and owns the performance metrics. In this context, it monitors business and technology trends which may impact the company’s business, and steers innovation research and experimentation efforts. The CEO Office is responsible for determining and implementing the global communications marketing strategy across all external audiences and leads public policy efforts. It provides the secretariat function for CLS-internal governance bodies and facilitates the company’s decision‑making processes. The CEO Office also coordinates the firm’s public policy activities.

The Vice‑President of Public Policy assists the Executive Director, Strategy & Innovation, the Managing Director, Office of the CEO, and the CEO in proactively supporting and facilitating the organization’s engagement with the global public policy agenda for financial market infrastructure. The role ensures that the organization contributes substantively to global policy discussions, develops well‑evidenced public policy positions, and supports senior management in their interactions with public policymakers.

Concrete activities include:

• Supporting the CEO and the Head of the CEO Office in expanding CLS's network of industry and public policy stakeholders; facilitating stakeholder management with policymakers and senior executives of CLS shareholders; preparing agendas, meeting materials and minutes for related meetings
• Supporting the firm’s activities around the FSB’s G20 cross‑border roadmap with a focus on membership in the CPMI Payment Interoperability and Extension Task Force; preparing and contributing to papers and participating in related meetings
• Coordinating and contributing to analysis around the BIS Triennial Survey of foreign exchange and over‑the‑counter derivatives markets and the regular surveys conducted at jurisdictional FX Committee level
• Coordinating CLS engagement with the Global Foreign Exchange Committee (GFXC) and local FX Committees; coordinating the development of positions on FX Global Code reviews
• Tracking policy developments and consultations affecting CLS’s strategic direction of its services and innovation agenda; coordinating the preparation of consultation responses and drafting of consultation response letters
• Authoring white papers and speeches which focus on strengthening the firm’s institutional image; coordinating with Communications and Marketing to align events and media activities with CLS's public policy objectives

What we are looking for:

• 5+ years’ experience in business development, policy or regulatory affairs, particularly in financial services, insurance or highly regulated environments
• Deep understanding of CLS's role in the global financial system and public policy matters, as well as experience with regulatory change management
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, able to produce clear and concise documents
• Strong problem‑solving skills to manage ambiguity and analyze large, complex data sets

Typical Qualifications

Bachelor’s degree in finance, law, accounting or a related field

Our commitment to employees:

We are a small company with a big mandate, so every person is essential to our success. We are also committed to employing and retaining the most talented and dedicated people.

What makes us interesting goes beyond our competitive salaries and great benefits. Our work environment is designed around quality outcomes, not output. The FX market would cease to function without our services, and we take pride in being responsible for keeping it running smoothly.

We are different from other financial institutions in that we have a flatter and more transparent structure, with accessible leadership. You will be seen, heard and empowered to develop your career.

We are a purpose‑driven organization, with an inclusive culture that focuses on doing what is right. The well‑being of our people is as important to us as the resilience of our systems. In addition to encouraging our people to ‘locate for their day,’ we run a range of initiatives that support a sense of belonging, as well as physical, emotional and mental well‑being.

Our extensive benefits for employees typically include:

• Vacation/annual leave: 25 days in UK/Asia + 3 life days, 23 in US + 3 life days
• Private medical and dental cover and life insurance
• Generous pension contributions in the UK and Asia; matching 401(k) in the US
• ‘Locate for your day’ hybrid working - 2 days a week in office
• Access to Discover – our learning platform with 1000+ courses from LinkedIn Learning
• Paid parental leave / Coaching and support services
• ‘Heads down days’ with no meetings on the last Friday of every month
• Employee Networks (Black Employee Network, Parents & Caregivers Network, Pride Network, Sustainability Network, Veterans Network, Women’s Forum)
• Social events

Awards:

• The Sunday Times Best Places to Work 2023, 2024, 2025 / Big Company / The Sunday Times Awards
• Third place in Britain’s Healthiest Workplace 2022 / Medium Company / Vitality Awards