Assistant Private Secretary - General Counsel and Chief Risk Officer’s office
Division: Legal
Department: General Counsel and Chief Risk Officer’s office
1. Salary: National (Edinburgh and Leeds) ranging from £39,100 to £43,500 and London from £41,600 to £46,500 (salary offered will be based on skills and experience)
2. This role is graded as: Associate Level 8 - Corporate
3. Your recruitment contact is Raimonda Stankute via k. Applications must be submitted through our online portal. Applications sent via social media or email will not be accepted.
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 General Counsel and Chief Risk Officer is responsible for the Legal, Risk and Compliance Oversight and Corporate Governance Divisions of the Financial Conduct Authority. Reporting to the Private Secretary, you will support the General Counsel and Chief Risk Officer. In this role, you will gain exposure to a range of strategic and operational issues, with a primary focus on operational coordination, information management and action tracking, ensuring the Private Secretary is supported with timely and accurate information to enable delivery of priorities. This will involve working closely with the team in the office and colleagues across the three Divisions, including each of the Senior Leadership Teams.
The role is likely to be particularly interesting to those looking for a challenge and who can respond to time‑sensitive issues while maintaining quality. Candidates are not required to have a legal background.
Role responsibilities
4. Assist the Private Secretary in supporting the General Counsel and Chief Risk Officer
5. Act as a central coordination point for internal and external stakeholders in their engagement with the General Counsel and Chief Risk Officer escalating complex or sensitive matters to the Private Secretary
6. Support others in the office with operational matters including budget oversight, business continuity management, risk management and governance meeting coordination and prepare minutes with accuracy
7. Help to prepare and maintain spreadsheets and management information for reporting to Executive Committees
8. Take responsibility for monitoring action items and providing regular progress updates
9. Support with coordinating briefings and information flows across the GC and CRO’s office
10. Contribute to the smooth and consistent operation GC and CRO’s office processes
Skills required
Minimum:
11. Effective interpersonal skills and ability to build and develop relationships
12. Good oral and written communication skills and attention to detail
Essential:
13. Sound judgement, including knowing when to progress routine matters on one’s own initiative and when to involve others and/or escalate
14. Well-developed organisational skills; the ability to manage a busy workload
15. The ability to stay professional, collected and approachable in high stress moments
16. Ability to work inclusively and effectively with colleagues across the FCA
17. Willingness to develop and learn quickly and good self-awareness to identify areas for personal development and seek to address them proactively
18. Evidence of initiative and a commitment to contribute and a positive, motivated approach
19. Working knowledge of Excel, Powerpoint and other Microsoft systems
20. Some understanding and working knowledge of Copilot or other AI systems
21. Experience working collaboratively as part of a team
Benefits
22. 25 days annual leave plus bank holidays
23. Hybrid model where employees work a minimum of 40% in the office each month (expectation of 50% for senior leaders). Changing from September to a minimum of 50% in the office each month (expectation of 60% for Directors and Executive Directors)
24. Non-contributory pension (8–12% depending on age) and life assurance at eight times your salary
25. Private healthcare with Bupa, income protection and 24/7 Employee Assistance
26. 35 hours of paid volunteering annually
27. 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 to 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
Timeline:
28. Job advert closes: midnight, 24th April 2026
29. CV Review/Shortlist: 27th April 2026
30. Interview: w/c 4th May
31. 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.
SC Clearance is required for this role (SC Guidance) - you will hold or will be required to obtain Security Check (SC) level vetting