Senior Payments Policy Associate

Senior Payments Policy Associate

Division: SPC - Supervision, Policy & Competition

Department: Payments Policy

Salary: National (Edinburgh and Leeds) ranging from £52,400 - £62,000 and London £57,700 - £68,000 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 payments team leads on the policy that makes payments work. The work touches the lives of everyone in the UK, making sure that payments are fast, efficient, reliable and safe.

The payments landscape is undergoing rapid change. Increasing digitalisation, the emergence of new ways of paying, the evolution of Open Banking data sharing and payment initiation services that give consumers ways to interact with their bank accounts in new ways. All these developments are underpinned by payment services regulation.

What will you be doing?

As a Senior Associate in the team you will have ownership of key payments policy issues, engaging with teams across the FCA and analysing information to develop proposals. You will be helped and supported to build a depth of knowledge, as well as develop your skillset.

You will contribute to drafting public consultations on changes to FCA rules or guidance, as well as work to ensure FCA priorities are reflected in changes taken forward by others. You will have opportunities to interact with government, other regulators and industry participants.

You will also contribute to advice and briefings about payment policy issues to FCA colleagues and senior leadership. We are looking for two Senior Associates to join the division.

What will you get from the role?

• This role is an exciting opportunity to work at the heart of policy in the FCA in an evolving area of policy

• You will have the opportunity to develop in-depth knowledge of the systems and regulations that underly payments which touch on every area of consumer and businesses financial lives

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:

• Experience of policy making or payments

• Prior experience presenting key issues clearly and succinctly both orally and in writing

• Prior experience of building and maintaining relationships with stakeholders

Essential

• Experience of analysing information and contributing to the development of policy

• Evidence of problem solving and organisational skills with the ability to look after a variety of different priorities and issues

• Good stakeholder management with the ability to build and support a network across and beyond the organisation

• Willingness to learn and develop, taking on new responsibilities and adopting a flexible and pragmatic approach to your work

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.

The FCA is committed to achieving greater diversity across all levels of the organisation. Given this, we particularly welcome applications from women, minority ethnic, disabled, and neurodivergent candidates for our Senior Associate roles.

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%

• Life assurance

• 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 Senior Associate – Regulatory

• We are recruiting for two Senior Associate positions within the division

• Advert Closing Date: Tuesday 22nd April (midnight)

• CV Review/Shortlist: Friday 25th April

• Interview Stage: W/C 5th May 2025

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:

• For internal applicants, please contact Sartaj Deol at Sartaj.Deol@fca.org.uk

• For external applicants, please contact Sartaj Deol at Sartaj.Deol@fca.org.uk

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