Senior Policy Advisor
Division – PSR
Department – Policy
Salary - ranging from £57,700 to £85,000 (Salary offered will be based on skills and experience)
About the PSR
Every time anyone uses a cash machine, transfers money, uses contactless, or gets paid, they use a payment system. Payment systems are always evolving and the PSR is here to make sure they work well for everyone. Follow this link to find out more
About The PSR
.
The PSR is an independent economic regulator led by interim Managing Director, David Geale – who is also FCA Executive Director, Payments and Digital Finance. Operationally the PSR is currently an independent subsidiary of the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), however in March 2025 the Prime Minister announced that the PSR would be consolidated into the FCA, a pragmatic next step in simplifying regulation of payments. This transition will likely take some time and will follow a Government consultation, although the Government has already been clear that payment systems must continue to be effectively regulated. For the time being, therefore, the PSR continues to focus on delivering its important and impactful programme of work, collaborating closely with the FCA.
The Policy team drives delivery of our strategy, providing you with an exciting opportunity to work on different aspects of policy development and analysis, project delivery and stakeholder engagement. We publish our annual
Plan and Budget
which sets out our work programme in detail.
The role will support the PSR's work on unlocking the potential of account-to-account payments to be used for retail transactions, including through promoting further innovation in open banking.
What will you be doing?
We're delighted to be able to offer a number of senior associate level opportunities to join our Policy team as we continue to progress our important work to deliver against our strategy and the Government's National Payments Vision.
Our senior associates are the heartbeat of the organisation, leading on various policy projects and analysis as well as playing a key role in the overall success of the PSR through building relationships both internally and externally. As a senior associate you will be expected to:
* Lead and contribute to the delivery of policy projects and analysis, on your own and as part of a team, including overseeing the work of more junior colleagues
* Work as part of multi-disciplinary project teams, building relationships with policy, economist, legal and communications colleagues, delivering high quality work
* Lead relationships between the project team and external stakeholders, which could include firms, government, other regulators and consumer groups, to gather evidence, test policy options and explain our approach
* Oversee and use robust policy and economic analysis to manage the development of policy
* Draft briefings and papers to explain complex issues, often within tight timeframes and present policy recommendations to the PSR leadership
* Support, be a role model and share your knowledge and best practice with more junior colleagues
What will you get from the role?
This role is an exciting opportunity to work at the heart of policy in the PSR. You will have the opportunity to:
* Develop in-depth knowledge of the market dynamics and regulations that will shape the future regulation of the payment sector
* Support the development of high-profile or complex policy proposals in a fast-growing space within financial services
* Apply your judgement, make choices at pace, stand by them and continuously learn from experience
* Contribute to a welcoming, collaborative and informal environment that encourages creative thinking to drive effective solutions to complex and engaging policy issues
* Take on a dynamic and varied workload, where you'll take ownership of directing and delivering assigned tasks
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
* Proven experience of working in a policy or regulatory environment
* Prior experience of project delivery – including ability to oversee workstreams, plan and work to deadlines and understand risks and opportunities
Essential
* Excellent written and oral communication skills, including the ability to distil complex issues into succinct messages and present confidently to a variety of internal and external stakeholders
* Strong relationship and influencing skills and an ability to work collaboratively at senior levels internally and externally
* Experience of project delivery – including ability to plan and work to deadlines and understand risks and opportunities
* Excellent prioritisation skills with the ability to define priorities and provide a quality contribution where it is most needed
* An ability to identify and exercise judgement in collaboration with a multi-disciplinary team, including economists, lawyers, payment specialists as well as other policy advisors
* An ability to take into account potentially very different views which may be conflicting, without losing sight of the overall strategic aims and objectives
* Prior experience developing policy proposals and presenting recommendations to leaderships, ideally as part of a previous role at a regulator
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.
Benefits of working at the PSR
* 25 days holiday per year plus bank holidays
* Hybrid working (work from home up to 50% of your time)
* Private healthcare with Bupa
* A non-contributory Pension of at least 8% of basic salary each month (there are several contribution levels that increase depending on your age – up to 12% a month once you reach age 35)
* Life assurance of eight times your basic salary
* 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 PSR -
Working at the PSR
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 as Senior Associate Regulatory
* Advert Closing Date: 17th September (Midnight)
* CV Review/Shortlist: 22nd – 23rd September
* Case Study Assessment/ Competency Based Interview: w/c 29th September
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 Raimonda Stankute at
Applications must be submitted through our online portal. Applications sent via email will not be accepted.
Want to learn more before applying? Join our upcoming webinar on Friday, 12 September 11am – 11:45am to hear directly from our hiring team about this role, our company culture, and what we're looking for in the ideal candidate.
Webinar Details
Friday 12 September 11am - 11:45am
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