Executive Director, Chief Operating Officer

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About the FCA

At the FCA, we’re creating a fair and more resilient financial system. We’reestablishing 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 Chief Operating Officer (COO) is a key senior leadership role within the FCA, reporting directly into the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and sitting on the organisation’s most senior decision-making committees including the Executive Committee. As COO, you will oversee the development of our strategic, financial and business priorities as well as implementing organisational operations to deliver and report on our performance against those priorities.

    The post-holder will be required to exercise their judgment over complex cross-organisation projects in a highly demanding stakeholder environment, playing a key part in driving changes in technology, culture and processes that provide the foundation for us being a Smarter Regulator.

    What will the candidate get from the role?

    You’ll join the FCA’s executive committee at an exciting period of change for financial services and its regulation. You will have the opportunity to shape and lead a division of talented and committed people working collaboratively on significant projects and programme of work. You’ll get exposure to a broad range of issues and will contribute to the wider FCA’s senior leadership team, helping to shape and influence the organisation’s strategy.

    Key responsibilities:

  • Organisational leadership – ExCo representative for Operations, leading on all strategic and operational activities. You will work closely with the CEO and your peers to deliver the FCA’s Strategy.
  • Dealing with the complex and uncertain global environment, taking responsibility for the effective operations of a public body under scrutiny from multiple stakeholders, governments departments and Parliament.
  • Responsible for directing the development and supporting the delivery of the FCA’s strategic prioritisation. Translate strategy into actionable goals, helping to implement organisation-wide goal setting, performance management, as well as annual and medium term business planning.
  • Advisor on all issues relating to operational functions, most specifically able to advise and ensure we benefit from the latest technology developmentsto ensure that the FCA continually adapts and innovates.
  • Providing leadership to divisional directors for functional areas of HR, Finance & Corporate Services, Change and Cyber/Operational Resilience.
  • Develop and implement policies and procedures to facilitate management control and to ensure that all internal operations achieve their business objectives.
  • Alongside the FCA Senior Leadership team peers, continue to drive forward our diversity and inclusion agenda, building a highly inclusive culture ensuring colleagues thrive and organisational outcomes are met.

    • The successful candidate will: 

  • be an executive committee member with collective leadership responsibility for the success of the organisation as a whole and for contributing to and delivering the FCA strategy 
  • be a role model for desired behaviours and culture within the FCA 
  • work collaboratively with the executive committee and senior leadership across the FCA to ensure maximum efficiency of the organisation 
  • develop and implement the FCA’s Operations Division strategy
  • be an ambassador for the FCA, leading engagement with media and with key national and international opinion makers; to influence and build the FCA’s credibility
  • be the lead decision maker, often as part of a committee on major events or strategically significant issues.

    • Skills/Experience 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

  • Extensive experience of leadership and people management, with the ability to inspire and motivate teams through a growth mindset 
  • Experience of setting corporate strategy and measuring/evaluating progress
  • Demonstrable operational grip across complex organisations including leadership to carry and drive significant change and technology enablement
  • Proven multi-functional leader of a consumer facing business at scale, with experience of operational challenges
  • Experience of balancing strategic leadership and operational delivery: relevant experience working within a matrix organisational structure to drive forward actionable metrics that improve efficiencies and deliver value for money 

    • Essential

  • Strategic thinker; open to new perspectives and better ways of working; an advocate of innovation
  • Proven ability to establish and maintain excellent stakeholder relationships with the credibility to engage, influence and gain the confidence of others. 
  • Ability to mitigate and foresee potential issues, working with the most senior of leaders, delivery partners and stakeholders to challenge in an assertive yet constructive way
  • Change agent; willingness and conviction to spearhead new initiatives that will lead to operational improvements. Establishing an organisational culture in which people embrace the notion of continuous change
  • Commitment to deliver and respond to changing situations in a complex, high-profile, environment
  • Experience of leading and shaping an organisational operational challenge, ideally across a wide multifunctional team combining teams such as technology, HR, Procurement, etc.

    • Desirable

  • Understanding of the different approaches and tools used by the FCA in a regulatory context

    • 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 purchaseadditional 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 todemonstrate 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 alsodisclose 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 31 October.
  • Selection will be via a two-stage interview and psychometric assessment 
  • If successful, you will be required to obtain and retain SC Clearance. 
  • We operate a hybrid working policy with an expectation that senior leaders spend a minimum of 50% of their working time each month in the office.
  • To apply please submit your CV and cover letter to

    • The FCA has retained Kornferry to advise on this appointment. For further information about the position and additional details on qualifications, requirements, terms and conditions of service and how to apply, please contact

    Apply
    Location:
    London
    Job Type:
    FullTime

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