Senior Lawyer

Senior Lawyer

Division: Legal Division
Department: Law, Policy & International (LPI)

• Salary: National (Edinburgh and Leeds) ranging from £60,900 – £76,000 and London £66,900 – £83,500 (salary offered will be based on skills and experience)

• This role is graded as: Senior Associate, Practising Legal

• Your recruitment contact is Raimonda 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, you'll play a key part in protecting consumers, driving economic growth and shaping the future of UK finance services.  

The Legal Division provides advice and legal services across the full spectrum of FCA activities, whether regulatory, policy, enforcement or operational. Sitting in Enforcement Legal, the teams within LPI ensure that our policies and rules can be effectively enforced and that we have the appropriate investigation and enforcement powers and policies to achieve fair and just outcomes in response to misconduct.

Role responsibilities

• Contribute to the development and implementation of the FCA's enforcement policies(e.g. Enforcement Guide, Decision Procedure and Penalties Manual) and use this framework to guide actions across authorisations, supervision and interventions

• Provide legal and policy advice on enforcement and the exercise of the FCA's powers, collaborating across Legal Division and other FCA teams

• Support Technical Specialists/Lead Associates in delivering team projects through proactive project management, coordinating multiple stakeholders and guiding junior Associates, trainees, or paralegals

• Build and maintain effective working relationships with internal and external stakeholders, including senior colleagues and external bodies

• Prepare and present updates on projects, legal, or policy issues to EMO Directors and other internal committees (e.g., ExCo, ERPC)

Skills required

Minimum:

• Applicants must be a qualified lawyer, eligible to practise in the UK

• Post qualification experience in one or more of the following areas: financial services regulation, investigations, complex litigation, fraud, public law or policy-making

Essential:

• Strong analytical skills with the ability to quickly assess information and identify key issues

• Advanced legal expertise, capable of conducting complex legal research and providing practical, imaginative and legally sound solutions in novel situations

• Excellent communication skills, able to convey complex legal and policy matters clearly and concisely to a variety of audiences, including senior stakeholders

• Proven ability to build and maintain effective relationships with peers, management, internal teams and external agencies at a senior level

• Self-motivated, able to manage deadlines under pressure

Benefits

• 25 days annual leave plus bank holidays

• Hybrid model 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 and 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 timelines 

Timeline: 

• Advert Closing Date: 28th December 2025

• CV Review/Shortlist: 30th December 2025

• First Interview: w/c 5th January 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

• Candidates from this recruitment round may also be considered for future vacancies in the Legal Division