Senior External Affairs Associate

Senior External Affairs Associate (Devolved Nations - Northern Ireland)

Division - Communications

Department - Internal Communications, External Affairs & Public Information

Salary - Ranging from £43,300 to £54,100 (Salary offered will be based on skills and experience)

About the FCA

The FCA regulates the conduct of 45,000 firms in the UK to ensure our financial markets are honest, fair and competitive. Follow this link to find out more

About the FCA

In the Communications division at the FCA, we change opinions and behaviours to enable a fair and thriving financial services market for the good of consumers and the economy. It’s an exciting time as we’re expanding our team and changing how we do things to deliver more engaging, insight-led, audience focused communications. If you want to be part of a supportive and fun team, work across a wide range of issues and are ready to be challenged, curious and creative then come and join us.

The External Affairs team is the interface between the FCA and many important stakeholders including Government, Parliament, business, consumer groups, think tanks and more. The team advises the organisation on how to engage with key stakeholders to help ensure public confidence in the FCA’s work.

Our Devolved Nations team works to build deeper relationships with key stakeholders in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, including government, parliament, industry, consumer groups, think tanks, academia and others. It leads on this external affairs activity, holding relationships with key stakeholders, and supporting senior engagement.

What will you be doing?- Representing the organisation to relevant stakeholders in Northern Ireland-
- Deep understanding the work of the FCA in specific areas and our overarching strategy, as well as the nuances of the Northern Ireland's economy and political landscape of relevance to financial services- Acting as a briefing function, working closely with the team and the organisation to prepare senior management for engagements and public events in Northern Ireland, as well as UK-wide engagements where necessary- Leading projects that ensure the FCA is communicating its work effectively to those involved in financial services policy in Northern Ireland, including plugging relevant parts of the organisation into external opportunities- Understanding and explaining the external decisions (including political dynamics and Government policy) in Northern Ireland that affect the financial services sector and work of the FCA to senior members of staff across the organisation- Working closely with key teams to support delivery of their work, including Strategic Communication Partners

What will you get from the role?- A large amount of autonomy on responsibilities included within this role- Exposure to a wide range of senior stakeholders across the Northern Ireland- The opportunity to have an impact on the financial services industry within Northern Ireland

Which skills are 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

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Minimum- Prior experience in leading external engagement activities across the political landscape within Northern Ireland- Prior experience of engaging with trade associations and consumer organisations- Prior experience gathering intelligence from multiple sources to identify risks and trends within the political and socio-economic environment

Essential- Strong verbal and written communication skills- Ability to brief and communicate with external stakeholders effectively- Ability to lead project teams to achieve complex deliverables- Strong judgement and decision-making skills

Our Values & Diversity

We are proud to be an inclusive employer and our ambition is to cultivate a culture for all employees that respects their individual strengths, views, and experiences. 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.

Within the workplace you will have access to various employee resource groups which aim to promote and achieve a healthy work / life balance and support our diversity ambitions.

Did you know?

50% of our Executive Committee were the first in their family to attend university.

Benefits of working at the FCA- 25 days holiday per year plus bank holidays- Hybrid working (work from home up to 60% of your time)- 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

We also have a competitive flexible benefits scheme which gi