Data Specialist

Division - Wholesale Buy-side. Team - Market Analysis and Policy. Salary - National (Edinburgh and Leeds) ranging from £72,100 to £102,100 and London from £79,300 to £112,300 (salary offered will be based on skills and experience).

The FCA regulates the conduct of 45,000 firms in the UK to ensure our financial markets are honest, fair and competitive. The Wholesale Buy-side Directorate is responsible for the regulation of the UK’s significant asset management sector, including supervision of firms managing £14.1trn and their funds, authorising new UK funds, and setting policy that leads to successful markets, provides protection to consumers and promotes competition.

You will take on a central role in a high-profile project to establish a world-leading regulatory data model for the asset management and funds sector. The project seeks to streamline and update data collection for the sector, updating the current regime to reflect recent developments and new data needs, reduce firm burden, and future-proof for the evolution of the sector in the years to come.

What will you be doing?

• Lead the generation of ideas, design, development and delivery of a new regulatory data ecosystem for the asset management sector
• Coordinate inputs from across the organisation to understand data needs, their rationale and prioritisation
• Act as subject matter expert for the data model workstream, guiding execution, setting priorities and representing the work to senior management and stakeholders
• Collaborate with colleagues across the FCA and project teams including project managers, data architects and software developers, while working closely with the team modernising the asset management and fund gateway
• Develop expertise in legal structures, vehicles and activities within the sector to inform data model design, taking account of recent developments
• Conduct research into global asset management and fund reporting regimes, engage with industry and regulators and advise on data standards to support future design choices

What will you get from the role?

• Contribute to a high-profile project aimed at transforming data collection for the UK asset management sector
• Apply subject matter expertise and problem-solving skills to design efficient data formats and taxonomies while gaining exposure to senior leadership and key areas across the FCA
• Work on a wide range of topics including financial market developments, policy engagement and regulatory reporting design as part of a collaborative team involving senior stakeholders

• Experience in industry, consultancy or regulatory roles within the asset management or related sectors and understanding of the regulatory regimes that apply to firms
• Experience of designing and validating data workflows and systems, with a detail-oriented approach to documenting processes, architectures and standards
• Experience of collaborating across varied stakeholder groups and presenting evidence-based analysis and recommendations to senior audiences
• Essential
• Familiar with large regulatory datasets and/or international data standards
• Skilled in identifying, explaining and resolving data quality issues across databases and data products
• Committed to continuous learning and staying informed about evolving data trends and sector developments
• Able to assess the reusability of data and the strategic value of connecting datasets across the organisation, supported by a working knowledge of databases and data joining
• Familiar with the foundational principles of good data management and focused on delivering robust, high-quality data solutions aligned with strategic objectives
• Capable of independent thinking and reaching sound, timely conclusions
• Confident in building and maintaining relationships with senior management, regulators and colleagues across all levels

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. We are committed to achieving greater diversity across all levels of the organisation. We particularly welcome applications from women, minority ethnic, disabled, and neurodivergent candidates for this role.

Benefits of working at the FCA

• 28 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%
• Life assurance
• Income protection
• Flexible benefits scheme to tailor to your lifestyle