Job title: Policy Advisor
Division: PSR
Department: Policy
1. Salary: National (Edinburgh and Leeds) ranging from £43,100 to £53,700 and London from £47,300 to £59,000 (salary offered will be based on skills and experience)
2. This role is graded as: Associate - Level 8 - Regulatory
3. Your recruitment contact is Cameron Nunn
4. via k. Applications must be submitted through our online portal. Applications sent via social media or email will not be accepted.
About the PSR and team
The PSR is an independent economic regulator led by Managing Director,
David Geale – who is also Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) Executive
Director, Payments and Digital Finance. The PSR is a subsidiary of the
FCA.
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. The Government has been clear that payment systems must continue to be effectively regulated - see the Government’s consultation (which was published in September 2025) - and so the PSR is continuing to focus on delivering its important and impactful programme of work, collaborating closely with the FCA. The transition is taking place in phases, with some teams already moving to the FCA where they continue to support PSR activity.
The policy department you are applying to join will ultimately move into
the FCA – either when the new legislation takes effect or before.
Candidates should be aware, therefore, that there may be changes to
their responsibilities as consolidation into the FCA progresses.
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 policy project you will be involved in focuses on
realising the opportunities of open banking in the UK, including through
unlocking the full potential of Variable Recurring Payments. This will give
consumers and businesses more choice and control over how they pay
and get paid.
Role responsibilities
5. Contribute to delivering policy projects and analytical work, both when managing your own workload and collaboratively, ensuring decisions are grounded in robust evidence and contribute meaningfully to high-quality regulatory outcomes
6. Work within multi-disciplinary project teams, building strong relationships with colleagues in policy, economics, legal and communications, so that diverse expertise is brought together to produce well-rounded, high-impact work
7. Engage professionally with a wide range of stakeholders, including firms, government bodies, regulators and consumer groups, to gather vital insights, test policy options and clearly communicate our approach, ensuring well-informed and transparent policymaking
8. Conduct thorough policy analysis, using data and evidence to shape recommendations, so that our work is both credible and aligned with the needs of consumers and the wider market
9. Draft clear, concise briefings that explain complex issues, often to demanding deadlines, enabling project teams and senior PSR leaders to make timely, well-informed decisions that strengthen our policy direction
Skills required
Minimum:
10. Experience of working in a policy or regulatory environment
11. Experience of project delivery – including ability to plan and work to
12. deadlines, and understand risks and opportunities
Essential:
13. Prior working experience a policy or regulatory environment role and familiarity with the policy development cycle
14. 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
15. Strong relationship and influencing skills and an ability to work with other team members and experts, internally and externally
16. Excellent prioritisation skills with the ability to define priorities and provide high quality contributions where it is most needed
17. An ability to exercise judgement in collaboration with a multidisciplinary team, including economists, lawyers, payment specialists and other policy advisors
18. An ability to take into account potentially conflicting views without losing sight of overall strategic aims and objectives
Benefits
19. 25 days annual leave plus bank holidays
20. Hybrid model where employees work a minimum of 40% in the office each month (expectation of 50% for senior leaders).
21. Changing from September to a minimum of 50% in the office each month (expectation of 60% for Directors and Executive Directors)
22. Non-contributory pension (8–12% depending on age) and life assurance at eight times your salary
23. Private healthcare with Bupa, income protection, and 24/7
Employee Assistance
24. 35 hours of paid volunteering annually
25. 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 & 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 timeline
26. Advert Closing: Tuesday 10th March
27. CV Review/Shortlist: Thursday 12th March
28. Interviews: W/C 23rd March
29. Your Recruiter will discuss the process in detail with you during
30. screening for the role, therefore, please make them aware if you
31. are going to be unavailable for any date during this time.