Personal Assistant to Head of Department (HoD)
Division: Supervision, Policy & Competition
Department: Consumer Finance
Salary: National (Edinburgh and Leeds) ranging from £28,800 to £43,100 and London from £31,600 to £47,300 (salary offered will be based on skills and experience)
This role is graded as: Senior Professional Support - Corporate
Your recruitment contact is Tahir Khan via tahir.khan1@fca.org.uk. 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.
SPC oversees firms and individuals (supervision), creates and reviews the rules by which they operate (policy) and identifies and remedies ineffective competition in markets (competition). The Consumer Finance Directorate oversees policy and supervision for over 30,000 firms across consumer credit, claims management, credit unions, and mortgage intermediaries, aiming to ensure fair access to credit, early support for those in financial difficulty, and timely, high-quality debt advice.
Role responsibilities:
Supporting two HoDs splitting your time on a 50/50 basis
Acting as the first point of contact for internal queries for each HoD, while building strong working relationships with colleagues across all levels of the FCA
Providing central support to two departments by managing and resolving ad hoc issues and queries on behalf of the HoD’s
Efficiently managing the HoD’s diaries with flexibility to accommodate short-notice changes, planning and helping the HoDs to use their time effectively
Organising daily packs for meetings and ensuring HoDs have papers in advance to allow for review and consideration
Organising the smooth running of departmental meetings, booking rooms, preparing agendas, coordinating briefings, managing meetings documents and pending actions, and headcount
Involvement in a high-profile area of the business, looking at topical issues while ensuring that your office and Departments comply with local and FCA wide processes and procedures
The opportunity to get involved in cross-Directorate activities that make a wider contribution
Skills required:
Minimum:
Proven experience in delivering high-quality administrative support at HoD/Director level, including mailbox and diary management
Prior experience in a role which has required strong written and verbal communication skills, to cultivate and manage stakeholder relationships across all levels
Proven experience in handling highly confidential and sensitive staff information with discretion, professionalism and integrity to maintain security, trust and confidentiality of information
Essential:
Capability to maintain composure, resilience and approachability in high pressure situations, with the ability to prioritise and provide support to your team and setting positive example for colleagues across the Division
Proven organisational, prioritisation and planning skills
A proactive approach to supporting a senior leader, demonstrating the ability to foresee potential challenges and efficiently implement solutions
A solid grasp of how large organisations or a strong ability and eagerness to learn quickly to support the development of others
Proven ability to work effectively within a team environment, contributing to shared objectives to achieve common goals
Experience of working with Microsoft Office applications
Benefits:
25 days annual leave plus bank holidays
Hybrid working with up to 60% remote work
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
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
Job advert close: Tuesday 20th January at 23:59pm
CV Review/Shortlist: Thursday 22nd January
Interview: w/c 26th January
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.