Head of Department, Resolution & Insolvency (R&I) 

About the FCA  

At the FCA, we’re creating a fair and more resilient financial system. We’re establishing more transparent relationships between financial services and customers, building trust in financial markets and protecting vulnerable consumers.  

We’re currently on an exciting journey as we drive forward significant organisational, people, process, and technology transformation to become a more forward-thinking, proactive regulator. We will use data more effectively to drive better regulatory decisions and build greater cohesion across our broad financial services remit.   

Significant improvements in digital enablement, business intelligence, market data and information management maturity are all being pursued to maintain our position as a world leader in financial services regulation.  

In March 2025, the FCA launched a new 5-year strategy to deepen trust, rebalance risk, support growth and improve lives. The FCA will focus on four priorities:  

• Be a smarter regulator; predictable, purposeful and proportionate. The FCA will improve its processes and embrace technology to become more efficient and effective.  

• Support sustained economic growth, by enabling investment, innovation and ensuring the continued competitiveness of the UK’s world-leading financial services.  

• Help consumers navigate their financial lives by working with industry to boost trust, product innovation and ensuring the right information and support is available for people to take financial decisions.  

• Fight financial crime, focusing on those who seek to use the fact they are regulated to do harm. It will go further to disrupt criminals and support firms to be an effective line of defence. 

The Role   

An exciting opportunity has arisen to take on the role of Head of the Resolution and Insolvency (R&I) department. 

The R&I department sits within the Specialist Directorate and focuses on all aspects of actual or potential firm failure across FCA-regulated firms., R&I identifies and recommends FCA resolution strategies for failing or at-risk firms and supports Supervision in implementation. The work also involves extensive co-ordination and collaboration with other parts of the FCA including other specialist departments, legal division, cross-cutting policy, comms, authorisations, EMO.  The department is responsible for leading the FCA’s relationship with a number of key external stakeholders; HM Treasury’s Resilience and Resolution team within Financial Stability, the Bank of England’s Resolution Directorate, and FSCS Resolution department. 

What will the candidate get from the role?  

• Joining the Senior Leadership Team at the FCA during an exciting and challenging time of great change in financial services and its regulation  

• Leading a department of talented and committed people through significant projects whilst also delivering on business-as-usual objectives  

• Exposure to strategic issues and key players in the world of finance, both nationally and internationally  

Key responsibilities:  

• Leading and inspiring an ambitious, energetic and dedicated department which manages and responds to firm failures, ensuring FCA objectives are met and that harm from disorderly failure is minimised. 

• Providing thought leadership in resolution or supervisory strategies in respect of potential or actual failures, including high profile, complex cases, and leading the FCA’s response to major firm failures. 

• Leading the department in a number of proactive cross-FCA critical workstreams including R&I focussed, policy-related, crisis preparedness (both within FCA and external). 

• Continuing to empower and lead the department to implement the delivery plan, including ongoing embedding of numerous operational improvements. 

• Leading on performance, capability and culture within the department. 

• Delivering through others by relying on building strong relationships, coaching, influencing and negotiating skills with a range of internal and external stakeholders. 

• Leading numerous key stakeholder relationships and close liaison to ensure cross authority work on crisis preparedness and other relevant resolution work continues. 

Skills/Experience Required   

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. (To learn more about the Disability Confident Scheme Click Here) 

Minimum   

• Significant experience of managing and influencing key stakeholders, including senior decision makers internally and externally. 

• In-depth experience in insolvency, restructuring and resolution, or evidence demonstrating a keen desire to deepen existing experience. 

• Significant experience in leading teams through faced paced, difficult and complex situations and good judgement under pressure. 

• Strong ability to build and deepen relationships across a wide ranging internal and external landscape. 

Essential   

• Strong communication skills, both written and oral (ability to convey complex issues in a coherent, logical, and compelling way, including communicating technical or legal issues to non-specialist audiences). 

• Exceptionally strong judgement, supported by highly developed analytical skills and high levels of diligence; can demonstrate making challenging, risk-based decisions in a complex and changing regulatory landscape. 

• Experience in dealing with contentious issues in firms, taking decisive action and delivering difficult messages. 

• An ability to get up to speed on new issues quickly and innovative thinking for how to deal with new complex problems most effectively. 

• Experience of role modelling strong leadership behaviours in line with organisational values. 

• The ability to inclusively lead a group of talented individuals with a wide variety of professional expertise, experience, and backgrounds. 

• An open and flexible management style and the ability to communicate effectively with a wide-ranging audience with different skills and perspectives. 

The FCA’s Values & Diversity   

Core benefits that you will receive as standard are: 

• 30 days holiday per year plus bank holidays  

• 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 

Conflicts of interest  

All applicants to the FCA are required to demonstrate that they do not have other interests likely to conflict with their responsibilities as an employee of the FCA. You should declare any potential conflict of interest as early as possible in the selection process, and also disclose information or personal connections that, if appointed, might be open to misperception.   

Any potential conflicts of interest will not prevent candidates going forward to interview but may, if appropriate, be explored during the interview to establish how the candidate would address the issue(s) should they be successful in their application.   

Useful information  

• The closing date for this role is 23:55 on 26th April. 

• Selection will be via a two-stage interview and psychometric assessment   

• If successful, you will be required to obtain and retain SC Clearance.   

• We currently operate a hybrid working model, working a minimum of 40% in the office each month (50% for senior leaders). This way of working applies in our Stratford, Leeds and Edinburgh offices.  From September 2026, FCA employees will be required to spend a minimum of 50% of their working time in the office. Our Executive Director and Directors will be expected to be in a minimum of 60% per month. 

• The salary range for the role is between £135,000 and £170,000 for London, and £121,500 and £153,000 nationally. 

• To apply please submit your CV and cover letter. 

For further information about the role, please contact [email protected]