Lead Associate – Banking and Insurance Department
Division – Authorisations
Salary - National (Edinburgh and Leeds) ranging from £59,100 to £73,700 and London £64,900 to £81,000 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.
Join our supportive Insurance Authorisations Team as a Lead Associate, where you’ll oversee and contribute to meaningful regulatory decisions across the UK insurance sector. This role offers variety and purpose, with opportunities to assess applications from life, general, and Lloyd’s market firms - both solo and dual-regulated.
The team works closely with colleagues across supervision, policy, legal, and risk teams, building trusted relationships and evaluating a wide range of regulatory applications, including new firm authorisations, variations of permission, Part VII transfers, and pre-application requests. Your insights and leadership will help shape the future of insurance regulation in the UK.
It is an exciting time for the team as we continually adapt to new and varied insurance business models, the increasing use of digital channels with new and innovative customer offerings whilst simultaneously contributing to growth in the market as a smarter and more efficient regulator.
We are recruiting a talented candidate to oversee a sub-team in the assessment of a portfolio of new insurance authorisations from both domestic new entrants and overseas insurers and intermediaries seeking to establish operations in the UK.
This role offers variety, purpose and the chance to grow in a team that values diverse perspectives and shared success.
What will you be doing?
1. You will offer both technical and strategic stewardship to the associates in your sub-team, co-ordinating the development of clear, risk conscious case assessment strategies for each transaction for agreement with senior management and will be responsible for managing your sub-team’s execution of these strategies on time and to the right level of assurance
2. You will make use of sound project management disciplines to ensure that the transactions in your portfolio are progressed effectively, co-ordinating resource and prioritising/re-prioritising effectively where necessary. You will escalate operational challenges and risks and issues within your team’s case portfolios to management and show creativity and drive in working with management and your team to develop plans to resolve them
3. You will take a key role in developing the talent and capability within your sub-team and the wider department
4. You will also be responsible and take a key role in delivering the Department workplan in support of the Government’s growth strategy and driving efficiencies in regulatory decision making
What will you get from the role?
This role will interest and suit individuals who are driven by the following:
5. The opportunity to take a leading role in creating and maintaining a high performing, outcomes focussed culture in your team through developing team members
6. The opportunity to think strategically and influence the future shape of the Department and the wider Authorisations Division
7. The opportunity to positively influence new insurer business models through regular engagement with the executive and Board of new insurance companies
8. Developing and maintaining excellent relationships and networks across the FCA, the PRA and various other stakeholders
9. Freedom to exercise and display sound judgement and initiative, using various sources of information and intelligence
10. The opportunity to engage with the difficulties of managing different and often innovative business and operational models
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
11. Prior expertise in insurance business models, or substantial experience in making regulatory decisions regarding their appropriateness
12. Prior experience of successfully managing the delivery of a number of long-term projects (assessments) concurrently
13. Prior experience of directing the engagement with senior stakeholders internally and externally
Essential
14. Experience of managing people and operations
15. Ability to assimilate and evaluate information to form judgments and mitigate potential risk
16. Evidence of leading, supporting and assisting colleagues with both technical issues and career development conversations
17. Proactive approach to work including the ability and understanding of using your own initiative to identify potential issues
18. A strong team player with the ability to be flexible and pragmatic with the ability to adapt to changing circumstances, positively embracing new approaches whilst working collaboratively
19. Ability to balance multiple priorities across a broad portfolio, work collaboratively under pressure and achieve results within tight deadlines
20. Evidence of building and maintaining professional relationships with stakeholders
21. Ability to contribute to and provide effective challenge to senior management
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.
Benefits of working at the FCA
22. 25 days holiday per year plus bank holidays
23. Hybrid working (work from home up to 60% of your time)
24. Private healthcare with Bupa
25. 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)
26. Life assurance of eight times your basic salary
27. 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
28. This role is graded as Lead Associate - Regulatory
29. Advert Closing Date: Sunday 12th October (midnight)
30. CV Review/Shortlist: Tuesday 14th October
31. First Round Interview: W/C 20th October
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: k
Applications must be submitted through our online portal. Applications sent via email will not be accepted.