Head of Department, Cross Market Intervention, Consumer Finance Directorate, Supervision, Policy & Competition Division

About the FCA 

At the FCA, we’re creating a fair and more resilient financial system. We’re establishing more transparent relationships between financial services and customers, building trust in financial markets and protecting vulnerable consumers. 

We’re currently on an exciting journey as we drive forward significant organisational, people, process, and technology transformation to become a more forward-thinking, proactive regulator. We will use data more effectively to drive better regulatory decisions and build greater cohesion across our broad financial services remit.  

Significant improvements in digital enablement, business intelligence, market data and information management maturity are all being pursued to maintain our position as a world leader in financial services regulation. 

In March 2025, the FCA launched a new 5-year strategy to deepen trust, rebalance risk, support growth and improve lives. The FCA will focus on four priorities:

• Be a smarter regulator; predictable, purposeful and proportionate. The FCA will improve its processes and embrace technology to become more efficient and effective.
• Support sustained economic growth, by enabling investment, innovation and ensuring the continued competitiveness of the UK’s world-leading financial services.
• Help consumers navigate their financial lives by working with industry to boost trust, product innovation and ensuring the right information and support is available for people to take financial decisions.
• Fight financial crime, focusing on those who seek to use the fact they are regulated to do harm. It will go further to disrupt criminals and support firms to be an effective line of defence.

The Role  

The Consumer Finance Directorate is responsible for the regulation of c.21,000 non-bank retail lending firms, ranging from small credit brokers credit card providers, point of sale finance, short-term credit, and debt management providers. Each Head of Department plays a key role in shaping and delivering the organisation’s transformation to a forward looking and proactive regulator that is data led, innovative, adaptive, and assertive.

To deliver on your responsibilities you will work in collaboration with the wider FCA Senior Leadership Team (SLT) and other FCA divisions. You will join the SPC Supervision, Policy and Competition (SPC) SLT and report into the Director of Consumer Finance. You will lead a department of circa 40 employees (including up to 4 managers), overseeing the operational running of the department focused on credit brokers, Claims Management   Companies and high volume cases across the directorate, making decisions in line with the FCA’s Decision Making Framework to prevent and mitigate harm; and implementing the agreed supervision strategy for retail firms to ensure the FCA achieves its statutory objectives.

You will play a key role in engaging with external market participants, representing the FCA with industry bodies, the media (including leading on key messages), and speaking at conferences and industry panels. We will explore specific motivation for the role in your cover letter and during the interview process.  

What will the candidate get from the role? 

• Joining the Senior Leadership Team at the FCA during an exciting and challenging time of great change in financial services and its regulation 
• Leading a department of talented and committed people through significant projects whilst also delivering on business-as-usual objectives 
• Exposure to strategic issues and key players in the world of finance, both nationally and internationally 

Key responsibilities: 

Developing and delivering a long-term strategy for the department and market, aligning to broader divisional and FCA 5-year strategy 

Build strong relationships with key stakeholders to drive and influence positive outcomes for consumers & firms to foster competition and innovation

• Take action to prevent or reduce harm occurring or stop harm where it has been identified.  Your department will achieve this by utilising a broad range of tools to intervene, working collaboratively, to employ expertise from across the FCA.
• Leading on performance, capability and culture within the department, with a strong focus on operational excellence 
• Delivering through others by relying on coaching, influencing and negotiating skills
• Building a strong and inclusive department that attracts and develops diverse pool of talent 

Skills/Experience Required  

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. (To learn more about the Disability Confident Scheme Click Here)

Minimum  

• Regulatory or consumer finance-based experience at senior level, including management of complex strategic issues
• Significant experience of managing and influencing key stakeholders, including senior decision makers
• Strong operational delivery skills, with the ability to drive effective performance across diverse teams.  Role model strong leadership behaviours in line with the FCA values
• Aptitude for and experience of using data strategically and systematically to assess markets and/or firm outcomes
• Experience of driving change and process efficiency/improvements, delivering value for money and innovation

Essential  

• Critical thinker with analytical and problem-solving abilities, able to lead teams to deliver consumer-focused outcomes
• Ability to motivate, develop and coach managers to lead high performing teams
• Understanding and knowledge of consumer and firm issues within retail markets
• Experience of role modelling strong leadership behaviours in line with organisational values 
• Confident representing the FCA externally to the media, external stakeholders and at conferences
• Understanding of the financial services market in the UK, how firms operate within it and the regulatory framework in place
• Experience of using data to systematically assess firms and implement appropriate tools in the delivery of agreed outcomes, in line with the wider FCA strategy
• The ability to inclusively lead a group of talented individuals with a wide variety of professional expertise, experience, and backgrounds 
• An open and flexible management style and the ability to communicate effectively to a wide-ranging audience with different skills and perspectives 

Desirable 

• Knowledge and awareness of the FCA supervisory and policy approaches

The FCA’s Values & Diversity  

Our ambition is to create a diverse and inclusive workplace that reflects the society we serve, helping us to be a better regulator. We serve the public and our decisions directly affect the wellbeing of people, businesses and the UK economy.  So, our values matter. They represent the culture we aspire to every day, guiding our judgements, building trust and helping us to be ‘At our best’.

The FCA is committed to achieving greater diversity across all levels of our organisation. Given this, we particularly welcome applications from women, disabled, and minority ethnic candidates, as under-represented groups.

As an inclusive employer, we are open to considering flexible working arrangements, including job shares. Please inform your recruiter if you wish to apply for this role on a flexible basis.

As part of the FCA’s on-going commitment to develop our national presence, most of our vacancies are now open to working in our Edinburgh, Leeds or London offices. This means that as part of the application process you will be able to select your preference of which office location you would like to work from.

Application Support

We want to remove any possible barriers and are committed to providing a wide range of reasonable adjustments so that you can keep the focus on your conversations and be at your best.

If you have an accessibility requirement, disability, or condition that means you might require changes to the recruitment process, please contact your recruiter to discuss this further. Our aim is to make you application as easy as possible, and your recruiter will be happy to work with you to make any necessary arrangements where possible.

Benefits

Our competitive benefits scheme gives you the opportunity to create a personalised benefits package, tailored to suit your lifecycle. You can this this allowance to purchase additional benefits such as dental or cycle to work, or you have the option to top up your base salary by taking this as cash.

Core benefits that you will receive as standard are:

• 30 days holiday per year plus bank holidays
• 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

Conflicts of interest 

All applicants to the FCA are required to demonstrate that they do not have other interests likely to conflict with their responsibilities as an employee of the FCA. You should declare any potential conflict of interest as early as possible in the selection process, and also disclose information or personal connections that, if appointed, might be open to misperception.  

Any potential conflicts of interest will not prevent candidates going forward to interview but may, if appropriate, be explored during the interview to establish how the candidate would address the issue(s) should they be successful in their application.  

Useful information 

• The closing date for this role is 23:55 on Friday 27 March
• Selection will be via a two-stage interview and psychometric assessment  
• If successful, you will be required to obtain and retain SC Clearance.  
• The salary range for the role is £130,000- £165,000 London £118,000- £148,500 National.
• We currently operate a hybrid working model, working a minimum of 40% in the office each month (50% for senior leaders). This way of working applies in our Stratford, Leeds and Edinburgh offices. From September 2026, FCA employees will be required to spend a minimum of 50% of their working time in the office. Our Executive Director and Directors will be expected to be in a minimum of 60% per month.

To Apply

This recruitment process is being led by our search partners at Green Park.

To apply please submit your CV and cover letter via this link - Click here to apply

For a conversation in confidence, please contact:

Juliet Hardingham - Juliet.Hardingham@green-park.co.uk