Innovation Service Specialist

Job Title: Innovation Services Specialist - Senior Associate
Location: London, Leeds, Edinburgh
Role: Perm
Security Clearance: The successful candidate will hold or will be required to obtain Security Clearance (SC) level vetting.

About the FCA
The FCA regulates the conduct of 50,000 firms in the UK to ensure our financial markets are honest, fair and competitive. We do this to make sure markets work well for individuals, businesses and the economy as a whole. For more information on what we do, our three-year strategy can be found here.

The team/department
We support the FCA to be a progressive and forward-thinking regulator. We protect consumers, encourage competition and enable innovative financial services firms to be the best they can be.
Our teams comprise of the Innovation services. We created the often-imitated Regulatory Sandbox which allows firms to test innovative products and services with real customers in a live market.

What you will be doing (the role)
* Consider and respond to requests for support from firms, forming judgement about our rules, within the relevant eligibility criteria
* Collaborate with other areas of the FCA, particularly Policy, GCD, Supervision and Authorisations, to gather the relevant expertise required to understand queries and issues related to innovative business models
* Provide support to innovative firms, whether regulated or unregulated, who have been approved for support from Innovation - meetings can involve simple explanations or educating firms about the regulatory regime, and may also consider if it is appropriate to use other tools, such as providing informal steers or individual guidance
* Develop and publish tools and resources to support innovative firms enter and thrive in the UK financial market
* Liaise with key internal and external stakeholders for example HM-Treasury and the Financial Ombudsman Service.
* Consider and deliver ways to effectively promote and raise awareness of innovation services externally, to increase stakeholder awareness and drive improvements in application volume

What you will get from the role
* If you come to work for us, you will become a member of our talented Innovation Department, with a unique opportunity to support and shape FinTech firms as they develop customer focused propositions.
* You will get the opportunity to work on cutting edge firms deploying technology such as artificial intelligence, and distributed ledger technology and engage with stakeholders both internally and externally on our FCA approach to innovation.
* Use your expertise to have a positive impact on the development of technology that can benefit consumers
* Gain a unique perspective on the development of FinTech through your exposure to a wide range of firms and other external stakeholders with an interest in innovation
* Develop your knowledge of various regulatory regimes
* Gain hands-on experience with the digital sandbox environment, understanding how it can foster innovation and collaboration in the financial sector

The skills and experience you will have
Minimum
We are a signatory to the Government's Disability Confident scheme. This means that we will offer an interview to disabled candidates entering under the scheme, should they meet the minimum criteria for a role.
* Analytical skills: proven experience of analysing large amounts of both numerical and written information
* Regulatory experience: proven experience of application of the FCA's rules and guidance to firms undertaking regulated activities
* Stakeholder management: Proven experience of managing stakeholders, building strong working relationship with colleagues and firms and delivering key messages about complex issues clearly

Essential
* Role-specific know-how, transferrable skills, elements of core skills and behaviours that are essential to the role, referring to our Capability Framework as a source of information to help you design your criteria
* Strong interest in technology and innovation: you will engage regularly with FinTech firms and will therefore need an interest in FinTech and innovation as well as an open-minded approach focused on finding consumer-friendly solutions
* Experience of cutting-edge technology or innovation, particularly in a financial services context
* Good judgment and analytical skills: you will have the ability to form judgements about which requests for support are eligible, and how to provide that support, adopting a flexible and pragmatic approach
* Strong knowledge and understanding of FCA tools and powers: you will need to consider how we might be able to use our tools and powers to support the development of innovative business models
* Good written and oral communication skills: An ability to translate technical concepts and approaches into easily understandable language
* The ability to balance, prioritise and manage competing demands and be flexible to support the team's outcomes
* Experience in assessing and evaluating innovative financial products or services, preferably in a regulatory or sandbox environment
* Understanding of the digital sandbox concept and its role in fostering innovation in the financial sector

If you are someone who is seeking that next challenge, and you have the experience and skills required, then please send me your CV/

We are committed to offering an inclusive recruitment experience. If you require accommodations because of disability or health condition, please email. This position is being sourced through our Outsourcing service line.