Security Vetting Specialist - #1656917

Division – Operations

Department – Operational Resilience

Salary – National (Edinburgh and Leeds) ranging from £39,100 to £48,800 and London £41,600 to £51,900 per annum (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.

The Cyber and Operational Resilience department ensures secure regulation within the FCA and PSR, protecting UK consumers and financial markets. As an Associate in the Vetting Team, you will manage the delivery of the FCA Security & Vetting Framework. Your responsibilities include making clearance decisions, supporting the Team Manager and Deputy Department Security Officer, and ensuring compliance with Security Vetting and Screening requirements.

What will you be doing?

• Oversee all vetting-related enquiries, proactively resolving issues and dealing with clearance holders, recruiters, prospective line managers, and external agencies
• Support the clearance decision-making function, identifying risk thresholds and engaging with FCA departments
• Build and maintain relationships with UKSV and other agencies, nurturing service deficiencies when necessary
• Guide the business on vetting risk appetite, advocate policy breaches, and develop solutions to prevent recurrence
• Engage with the Risk & Compliance function to raise the profile of National Security Vetting within the organisation
• Assess Security Clearance Requests, make decisions on high-risk cases, and recommend risk mitigation steps to ensure compliance
  
  

What will you get from the role?

• Build a diverse and transferable skill set that holds strong value both within the FCA and across the wider professional landscape
• Accelerate your career in a high-visibility role, gaining recognition and impactful experience along the way
• Benefit from comprehensive training and dedicated support to confidently engage with all FCA departments on vetting matters
• Join a dynamic and supportive team, playing a key role in protecting the FCA and strengthening its organisational resilience
• Take advantage of ongoing professional development opportunities that support your long-term career growth and success
  
  

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 Click Here)

Minimum

• Proven expertise in national security vetting, including case decision-making via the UKSV Case Management System and Portal, with working knowledge of national vetting policy, compliance standards, and risk-based decision-making within a regulatory environment
• Highly detail-oriented with excellent IT proficiency with experience across Word, Excel, Outlook, and related tools
• Strong relationship management skills with experience of developing relationships with both internal and external stakeholders
  
  

Essential

• Ability to work independently, prioritise tasks, escalate issues appropriately, and take responsibility for actions
• Proven track record of working to tight deadlines while maintaining accuracy and confidentiality
• Flexibility and willingness to take on new tasks and responsibilities
• Adaptability to changes in the vetting case lifecycle
  
  

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.

The FCA is committed to achieving greater diversity across all levels of the organisation. Given this, we particularly welcome applications from women, minority ethnic, disabled, and neurodivergent candidates for our role.

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 gives you the opportunity to create a personalised benefits package, tailored to suit your lifestyle.

We welcome applications from candidates who are looking for flexible arrangements.  Many of our staff work flexibly including working part-time, staggered hours, and job shares.  We can’t promise to give you exactly what you want but we can explore what might work best for both sides.

Follow this link to see what life is like at the FCA - Life at the FCA

Application Support

We are dedicated to removing barriers and ensuring our application process is accessible to everyone. We offer a range of adjustments to make your application experience as comfortable and straightforward as possible.

If you have an accessibility need, disability, or condition requiring changes to the recruitment process, please contact your recruiter using the details below and they will be happy to discuss this further with you.

Useful Information and Timeline

This role is graded as Associate Level 8 – Corporate

• Advert Closing Date: Sunday 4th May
• CV Review/Shortlist: Week commencing 5th May
• First Round Case Study Assessment: Week commencing 12th May
• Competency Based Interview: Week commencing 19th May
  
  

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.

Got a question?

If you are interested in learning more about the role, please contact: [email protected]

Applications must be submitted through our online portal. Applications sent via email will not be accepted.