Senior Professional Support / PA to the Head of Department of Wholesale Authorisation
Division: Authorisations
Department: Wholesale
Salary National (Edinburgh and Leeds) ranging from 28800 to 35000 and London 31600 to 40000 per annum (Salary offered will be based on skills and experience)
This role is graded as: Senior Professional Support Corporate
Your recruitment contact is Rumana via . 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 youll play a key part in protecting consumers supporting economic growth and shaping the future of UK finance services
The Authorisations Division serves as the initial point of contact for firms and individuals seeking to provide regulated financial services in the UK making authorisation decisions to ensure applicants meet the FCAs standards.
The Wholesale Authorisations Department sits within the Authorisations Division and is responsible for various regulatory transactions which include the authorisation of solo regulated firms that are new to the regulated environment as well as variation of permissions of existing solo regulated firms.
Role responsibilities
Acting as the first point of contact for internal and external queries within the Heads of Departments (HoDs) office while building effective working relationships with colleagues across all levels of the FCA
Providing central support to the department by managing and resolving ad hoc issues related to the use of FCA systems and handling queries on behalf of the HoDs
Efficiently manage the HoDs time through effective diary coordination incorporating flexibility for shortnotice changes arranging travel for the HoD and management team and overseeing the inbox to prioritise approval requests
Organising the smooth running of departmental meetings preparing agendas managing meetings documents coordinating briefings recording decisions and following up on actions where necessary
Collating the Departments contribution to the weekly note ahead of review by the EA
Providing ad hoc leave/illness cover for other PAs within Authorisations as and when needed
Skills required
Minimum:
Proven experience providing highquality HoDlevel administrative and PA support including complex diary and mailbox management
Proven experience in a role which has required effective written and verbal communication skills along with the capability to cultivate and manage stakeholder relationships across all levels
Experience using Microsoft Outlook OneNote Excel PowerPoint and SharePoint
Essential:
Demonstrates considerable initiative and proficient organizational skills with the ability to work efficiently to meet tight deadlines while maintaining accuracy and methodically track and escalate issues when required
Agile and able to handle shifting priorities with the ability to work effectively during tight deadlines while maintaining strong attention to detail
Ability to analyse and rapidly assimilate new information and understand complex issues and provide practical recommendations while maintaining discretion and composure when handling sensitive and highstakes matters
Ability to work on their own initiative and plan effectively prioritising tasks and handling competing deadlines while also contributing positively within a team to meet shared goals
Experience handling highly confidential and sensitive staff information with discretion professionalism integrity and the ability to maintain security trust and confidentiality of information
Responsive to changing circumstances and action-oriented taking initiative to address challenges with a positive solution-focused mindset and following them to completion
Benefits
25 days annual leave plus bank holidays
Hybrid model where employees work a minimum of 40% in the office each month (expectation of50% for senior leaders). Changing from September toa minimum of 50% in the office each month (expectation of60% for Directors andExecutive Directors)
Non-contributory pension (812% 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 thats 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
Were 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 cases of high application volumes we may progress applicants whose experience most closely matches the roles key requirements.
Useful information and timeline
Advert Closing: 2nd March 2026
CV Review/Shortlist: 4th March 2026
Interviews: Commencing from 12th March 2026
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.
Required Experience:
Director
The Financial Conduct Authority is the conduct regulator for around 50,000 financial services firms and financial markets in the UK and the prudential supervisor for 48,000 firms