Personal Assistant (PA) to Executive Director of Authorisations
Salary: London: £41,600 – £60,000 (salary offered will be based on skills and experience)
Division: Authorisations
Department: Authorisations
Directors Office
This role is graded as: Associate – Level 8 – Corporate
Recruitment contact: Benjamin Paulon – Benjamin.Paulon@fca.org.uk
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.
The Authorisations Division is responsible for assessing and reviewing applications from firms and individuals who wish to conduct or are conducting regulated activities, to ensure they meet and are set up to continue to meet our standards. Authorisations touches on every sector and portfolio and is also home to the Supervision Hub, the FS Register and Early Oversight. Authorisations is currently implementing its transformation strategy, which focuses on how we digitise the gateway, through improved use of data.
This is about making Authorisations ready for the future, both to meet the needs and expectations of applicants who use our services, but also to improve our effectiveness. As a member of the Authorisations division you will be expected to contribute proactively to the delivery of this strategy.
Authorisations works closely with Supervision, Policy and Competitions teams as well as Enforcement and Market Oversight, to enable a holistic and coordinated approach to regulation.
Role Responsibilities
* Strategically schedule and prioritise the Executive Director (ED), engagements to optimise their time.
* Coordinate ED’s participation in senior meetings, committees, conferences, and speaking engagements, including travel, accommodation, and expenses.
* Ensure the ED is well‑prepared for meetings by managing briefing materials and papers, organising and preparing day packs, and maintaining OneNote for easy access to relevant documents.
* Manage the ED’s inbox and correspondence, triaging messages, drafting responses, and handling key communications.
* Schedule regular meetings and maintain strong relationships with key partners, including Board level (C‑suite) members and the wider regulatory family.
* Manage internal communications, cascading divisional updates and ensuring alignment with wider organisational communication.
* Providing support on records management and maintaining the office SharePoint.
Skills Required
* Minimum significant PA, private office or secretarial experience working in a fast‑paced environment.
* Demonstrable experience of managing the diary and inbox of a director or similar.
* SC Clearance is required for this role (SC Guidance) – you will hold or will be required to obtain Security Check (SC) level vetting.
* Essential strategic mindset with the ability to make connections between incoming emails and pre‑empt ED needs and making decisions.
* Professional liaison skills to build relationships with senior internal and external stakeholders (C‑suite).
* Strong organisational, prioritisation and time management skills, to work efficiently under tight deadlines and adapt to changing circumstances.
* Exceptional verbal and written communication skills.
* Ability to build strong professional relationships and leverage them to influence outcomes.
* Proficiency in Word, Excel, OneNote, PowerPoint & Outlook.
Benefits
* 25 days annual leave plus bank holidays.
* Hybrid model with up to 60% remote work.
* 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.
* A flexible benefits scheme designed around your lifestyle.
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 to find flexible solutions that suit both the role and individual needs, including options like part‑time and job sharing where applicable.
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.
Useful Information and Timeline
Advert Closing Date: Sunday 21st June (midnight). CV Review/Shortlist: Tuesday 23rd June. Competency Based Interview and a Case Study Exercise to take place w/c 6th July.
At the FCA, we’re creating a fair and more resilient financial system. We’re establishing more transparent relationships between financial services and their customers, building trust in financial markets and protecting vulnerable consumers.
Legal Statement
Equal opportunities for all applicants, regardless of race, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, religion, disability or any other status.
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