The FCA has retained Odgers to manage this role; send applications directly to Odgers .
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 Listings Department, within the Market Oversight Directorate, operates the FCA’s gateway to the Official List. It reviews and approves prospectuses and shareholder circulars, assesses eligibility for admission to the Official List, and provides guidance on the UK Listing Rules and prospectus regime across debt, equity and structured products. Operating to demanding timelines, the department supports trusted, orderly and efficient UK primary markets.
Listings is central to strengthening the attractiveness, effectiveness and integrity of the UK’s public markets. Following major reforms to the listing regime, the department is embedding the new framework while transforming its operating model through digital enablement, data and AI-enabled ways of working to improve regulatory decision-making, efficiency and the experience of issuers and advisers.
We are seeking a Head of Department to provide strategic and operational leadership to a highly skilled team of capital markets specialists. The successful candidate will combine strong technical and professional judgement with the ability to lead transformation, make balanced and timely decisions, and engage credibly with senior stakeholders, market participants and advisers.
As a member of the Market Oversight Senior Leadership Team, they will operate effectively in a high-profile environment where regulatory decisions can directly affect issuers, investors and the competitiveness of UK capital markets.
What will the candidate get from the role?
You will be part of the FCA's Senior Leadership Team at an exciting time of change for financial services and its regulation. You will lead a department of talented and committed people, working collaboratively to deliver an effective contribution to the FCA’s objectives of market integrity and supporting sustainable economic growth. You will gain exposure to a broad range of strategic issues that are central to the future of UK capital markets, and you will help shape the organisation’s strategy. The role includes:
Leading a skilled and capable department through significant market, legal, operational and technological change whilst continuing to deliver timely high-quality business-as-usual outcomes
Exposure to strategic issues and key stakeholders in UK and international capital markets, including issuers, advisers, exchanges, domestic agencies and overseas regulators
Experience of being a project sponsor on a major transformational project
Key responsibilities
Setting and delivering the long-term strategy for Listings, aligned with FCA priorities and the continued strengthening of the UK listing and prospectus regimes.
Directing the effective and efficient operation of a complex, market-facing department, ensuring robust decision-making, timely delivery and consistent application of the FCA’s risk-based approach across Listings and Market Oversight.
Contributing as a senior leadership team member to the strategic direction and leadership of Market Oversight and the wider FCA.
Building and maintaining effective relationships with senior internal and external stakeholders, including FCA teams, issuers, advisers, exchanges, public authorities, international regulators and market participants.
Leading the department’s work on complex and high-profile transactions, eligibility reviews, approvals, guidance requests and statutory decisions, ensuring outcomes are timely, proportionate, well-evidenced and legally robust.
Leading an inclusive, high-performing department by developing capability, managing performance and change, maintaining colleague engagement, and attracting and retaining diverse talent.
Sponsoring operational and technological improvements that strengthen quality assurance, resilience, continuous improvement and readiness for the future operating model.
Building an effective and inclusive department that attracts, develops and retains diverse talent, while ensuring the department has the skills and agility needed for the future operating model.
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
Demonstrable knowledge of the aspects of the Listing Rules, prospectus regime, disclosure framework and other relevant rule books as they impact primary markets transactions and listed issuers.
Significant stakeholder management skills, with the ability to negotiate, influence and collaborate with senior internal and external stakeholders, engage credibly with industry experts, and articulate complex issues clearly.
In-depth experience of UK capital markets, corporate finance, securities regulation or a closely related field.
Effective leadership skills: ability to lead, motivate and inspire teams, build capability, address performance issues where necessary, and create a high performing and inclusive department
Essential
Robustness in the face of challenge, with the ability to make decisions and judgements in a rapid, balanced and well-evidenced way, including where issues are novel, sensitive or high-profile.
Demonstrated ability to deliver results aligned with business priorities.
Able to demonstrate solid understanding of the UK and external political context and environment within which the FCA is operating.
Significant breadth of wholesale industry knowledge across relevant sectors and products, with the ability to recognise and address complex interconnected issues.
Inclusive and values-led leadership, with an open and responsive management style, the ability to lead skilled colleagues from diverse professional backgrounds,
The communication skills to engage audiences with different expertise and perspectives, while embedding the FCA Strategy and advancing organisational priorities
Good understanding of other areas in the FCA and their roles, including Policy, Legal, Supervision, Enforcement, Authorisations and Data & Intelligence.
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 FCA has retained Odgers to manage this role; send applications directly to Odgers .
The closing date for this role is 23:55 on 6 December 2026
Selection will be via a two-stage interview and psychometric assessment
If successful, you will be required to obtain and retain SC Clearance.
Colleagues spend a minimum of 50% of their working time in the office each month (60% for Directors and Executive Directors) across our London, Leeds and Edinburgh offices.
Salary: National (Edinburgh and Leeds) ranging from £121,500 to £153,000 and London £135,000 to £170,000 (salary offered will be based on skills and experience)
Please contact Odgers if you require further information