Financial Conduct Authority
Senior Associate Assistant Private Secretary to the Executive Director of Authorisations
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Job Title: Assistant Private Secretary (APS) to either the Executive Director (ED) of Authorisations or the Chief Operating Officer (COO)
Division: Authorisations/Operations
Salary: National (Edinburgh and Leeds) ranging from £52,400 to £ and London from £59,200 to £75,000 per annum (salary offered will be based on skills and experience)
Role Grade: Senior Associate – Regulatory
Recruitment Contacts:
- External: Benjamin via benjamin.paulon@fca.org.uk
- Internal: Katie via Katherine.Baker@fca.org.uk
Application Process:
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.
Available Roles:
- Role 1: Senior Associate Assistant Private Secretary to the Executive Director of Authorisations
- Role 2: Senior Associate Assistant Private Secretary to the Chief Operating Officer
Role Descriptions:
Role 1:
You will play a key role in a close-knit, high-performing team supporting the Executive Director of Authorisations and the effective running of the Authorisations ED Office. The role is stretching, fast-paced, and varied, offering a unique opportunity to engage with the breadth of work undertaken across the Authorisations Division and the wider FCA. You will also gain exposure to strategic decision-making and senior stakeholders, both inside and outside the organisation.
Role 2:
You will play a key role in a close-knit team supporting the COO and the running of the COO Office. The COO APS has a unique opportunity to engage with the broad breadth of work undertaken by the Operations Division and the wider FCA. You will also gain insight into strategic decision-making and high-level decisions taken by senior leaders in the organisation.
Role Responsibilities:
- Prepare high-quality briefings for senior-level meetings, and review, question, and advise on the development of committee papers.
- Support the prioritisation and delivery of the relevant senior leader’s external engagement, including drafting and coordinating briefings and providing on-the-day support at events.
- Attend meetings with, and at times on behalf of the Private Secretary, ensuring clear capture of key points and actions.
- Manage follow-up on actions for the relevant senior leader, working closely with Business Partners, Heads of Department, Directors, and other Private Offices to ensure timely delivery.
- Draft and coordinate a range of communications on behalf of the relevant senior leader, ensuring clarity, accuracy, and alignment with strategic messaging.
- Ensure the Division is appropriately informed of key issues and developments, and escalate matters at pace where required.
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Skills Required:
Minimum:
- Experience supporting senior leaders and preparing briefings, papers, or communications.
- Experience working in a demanding office, regulatory, policy, project, delivery, or similar environment.
- Experience coordinating multiple priorities and delivering work through a range of stakeholders to tight deadlines.
Essential:
- Ability to quickly assimilate information from a range of sources, understand context and implications, and identify emerging issues.
- Well-developed organizational, prioritization, and time management skills, with the ability to manage a demanding workload and deliver high-quality outputs to tight deadlines.
- Effective written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to present complex information clearly and tailor messaging to different audiences.
- Effective stakeholder management skills, with the ability to build effective relationships across a range of internal and external stakeholders.
- Demonstrated ability to engage professionally and effectively with senior stakeholders.
- Understanding of financial services regulation, the FCA's remit, and the broader regulatory environment.
- Ability to handle sensitive and confidential information with discretion and professionalism.
- Strong personal integrity and sound judgement, particularly when managing complex or sensitive matters.
Benefits:
- 25 days annual leave plus bank holidays
- 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)
- 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
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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:
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:
- Advert Closing: 19th August (Midnight)
- CV Review/Shortlist: 21 August
- First Stage Interviews W/C: 24th August (There may be a case study within the interview process)
- Second Stage interview W/C: 31st August
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 or DV level vetting.
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