Wholesale Trading Venues Associate

Salary: National up to £45,000 and London up to £50,000 per annum
- _Salary offered will be based on skills and experience_
- Are you interested in joining a team that will help shape and deliver the future of Trading Venue supervision at the FCA?_

The Role

Are you interested in joining a team supervising the UK’s wholesale markets? We are looking for a talented Associate to join the Trading Venues team within the Trading Venues & Corporate Finance Firms Department of the FCA. Your role will contribute to the FCA strategy from a Wholesale Markets perspective and involve supervising key elements of the UK financial markets ecosystem including market infrastructure providers such as Recognised Investment Exchanges, Recognised Overseas Investment Exchanges, Multilateral Trading Facilities and Organised Trading Facilities - collectively referred to as Trading Venues.

Through our work, we aim to advance market integrity, investor protection and effective competition in the interests of consumers. You will use your analytical skills to identify risk in the business models and strategies of the firms in our portfolio. Our team members have diverse backgrounds including regulation, trade associations, market structure, and trading. If you have a similar interest of, or experience within, wholesale markets combined with excellent communication skills and are keen to develop your career, this could be the job for you

What you will be doing- Support the formulation of the FCA strategy for supervising wholesale markets firms and our work on wider market structure issues- Analysing the business models/strategies of Trading Venues and identifying risks within them- Managing the FCA response to issues relating to the firms we supervise-
- Collaborating and building strong working relationships with internal and external stakeholders (for example, Policy, Market Monitoring, Operational Risk, Prudential, Financial Crime Supervision, CASS, and Enforcement colleagues) who can support the delivery of the supervision strategies on a wide variety of issues-
- Escalating material issues as appropriate, including proposing appropriate, outcome focused solutions to FCA senior management and relevant governing committees- Assist on projects and visits to firms. This typically involves talking to market participants, report writing and presenting findings to stakeholders

What will you get from the role?

Our competitive flexible benefits scheme gives you the opportunity to create a personalised benefits package, tailored to suit your lifestyle. You can use this allowance to purchase additional benefits such as dental or cycle to work or you have the option top up your base salary by taking this as cash. Core benefits that you will receive as standard are:
- 25 days holiday per year- Private healthcare with Bupa- A non-contributory Pension of at least 8% of your basic salary each month (there are several contribution levels that increase depending on your age - up to 12% a month once you reach the age of 35)- Life assurance of eight times your basic salary- Income protection- We support hybrid working which means you will be able to work from home up to 60% of the time over a month with the remainder of your time in one of our three office locations

You will also get:
- An opportunity to work with a team and wider department at the forefront of the FCA’s work in this area- An in-depth, cutting edge insight into the regulated industry and the relevant regulations and legislation- Satisfying, worthwhile and responsible work with the opportunity to use and develop your skills in complex situations- A challenging, interesting and varied portfolio of work, working with colleagues from across the department and other parts of the FCA- Work in a high-energy and stimulating department, within a supportive team environment that continually seeks to develop individuals- A future career path that offers opportunities for progression across the organisation, including the FCA’s consumer and payment teams

The skills and experience you’ll have

Minimum- Experience of wholesale markets or- Experience of supervising firms or knowledge of the FCA's supervisory framework

Essential- Understanding of, and interest in, wholesale financial markets- Strong written and verbal communication skills- Strong verbal and written communication skills and the ability to present well-reasoned arguments in a clear and concise manner- Strong analytical capability with a proven ability to quickly and clearly draw out key implications from a broad and varied range of information- Good relationship management skills to enable credible engagement with internal and external stakeholders- The ability to use sound judgement alongside a flexible and adaptable approach- Self-starter with proactive approach to acquiring skills- Curiosity with an enthusiasm for learning and sharing knowledge- The ability to prioritise competing objectives and to collaborate to