About The Role

Job Title: Senior Associate – Market R esearch specialist

Division : Supervision , Policy and Competition

Directorate: Cross Cutting Policy & Strategy
Department : Cross-Cutting Response, Research & Contracts

Salary: National (Edinburgh and Leeds) ranging from £53,800 to £67,199 and London £59,200 to £73,799 per annum (Salary offered will be based on skills and experience)
This role is graded as: Senior Associate – Regulatory
Your recruitment contact is: Louis Van den Burg via Louis.vandenburg@fca.org.uk
Your External Recruitment contact is : Tahir Kahn via Tahir.Khan1@fca.org.uk
Application must be submitted through our online portal. Applications sent via social media or email will not be accepted.
You will need a CV and a supporting statement no longer than 500 words . T he supporting statement is mandatory . P l ease i nclude links to an y research publ icatio ns. Applications without a covering letter may not be accepted .
We are also advertising for a Research Manager ( JR0022259 ). You can apply for both roles through one application . Please indicate in your supporting statement if you are interested in, and why you are suitable for, both roles .

About the FCA and the team

The FCA regulates the conduct of c 3 5 , 5 00 firms in the UK to ensure our financial markets are honest, fair and competitive. Follow this link to find out more About the FCA .

The FCA’s Market Research team provides vital consumer insights that support regulatory decisions. The team conducts bespoke surveys and qualitative research for other areas of the FCA, collaborates with third-party data providers and ensures consumer insights are embedded across the organisation. They also deliver the Financial Lives survey (FLS) – a key, nationally representative study tracking UK consumer s’ attitudes, behaviours and financial experiences.

Their work informs policy, identifies emerging issues and measures regulatory impact – helping to keep the consumer voice central to financial oversight.

The tea m also ma nages a smaller amount of firm research, inc ludin g res earch about the perce ptions firm s an d ot her sta kehol der s have of the FCA and how fir ms exper ience r egu latio n .

Role r esponsibilities

The role will be around 75% on bespoke research and around 25% on FLS . You will work closely with the team leads (Lead Associates) for FLS and for Bespoke research.
You will work with our internal clients, to write excellent Statements of Requirements ( SoRs ) for new bespoke research , assess/ evaluate agency bids, and work with appointed suppliers to ensure research projects are delivered on time and within budget. You will be responsible for ensuring that projects use optimal data collection , data is robust, and findings are analysed and reported well.
For quantitative bespoke projects you will ensure that sampling, screening and weigh t ing are addressed as early as needed in the project timeline, and that outputs will meet client needs . For qual itative research you will ensure pro jects meet client needs , wh ether they are standalone projects , or intended to help design a survey or to fill the gaps quantitative research cannot fill, or to inform be havioural testing research run by our colleagues in Economics.
For some projects, you r role may be to design the survey or t he qualitat ive research , and/or to provide in a SoR a clear research design for agencies to refine. So met imes y ou wi ll produc e a first draft o f the questi onnai re or discuss ion guide .
You will be responsible for two or three of the retail financial sectors or topics covered by the FLS, meaning you deliver the questionnaire, the tabspec and the slides-based report for these sections of the survey.

Skills Required

Minimum

Prior experience managing market research projects within a market research agency , regulator or government department , including devising and overseeing workstreams and detailed timelines as well as overseeing suppliers .
Strong organisational skills, with the ability to work autonomously and del iver on your ow n ini tiati ve , to manage competing priorities, to work collaboratively to ac hieve wider tea m goals , and to keep delivery on track.
High attention to detail, with the ability to implement and maintain processes that ensure the quality and rigour of the team’s work .

Essential

Experience of designing and conducting research for, or on behalf of, a financial services organisation or a public sector organisation .
Very good knowledge of a broad range of quantitative and qualitative research methodologies, with the ability to analyse results effectively .
Experience of writing reports to publication standard, in PowerPoint and in Word .
Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
Broad understanding of the different retail sectors within the financial services industry and the regulatory environment in which it operates ,
E xperience of designing and conducting research in one or more financial services sectors ( or an ability to demonstrate you will get up to speed quickly ) .

Benefits

25 days annual leave plus bank holidays
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
Hybrid model where employees currently work a minimum of 5 0% in the office each month
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 Timeline

Advert Closing Date: Tuesday 8 th September 2026 at 23:59
CV Review/Shortlist: Wednesday 9 th – Friday 11 th September 2026
Short liste d Can di dates to be in form ed – Friday 11 th S eptemb er 2026
First Round Interviews , o ver Tea ms : Monday 21 st September – Thursday 1 st October 2026
Second R ound shortlist: Thursday 1 st October 2026
Shortlisted Candidates to be informed – Fr iday 2 nd Oc t obe r 2026
Second Round Interviews , in person id eally , and including a case study task : Thursday 15 t h October and Friday 16 th October 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.