Operational Security Advisor en Fca

Operational Security Advisor - 18-month Fixed Term Contract

Division – Enforcement & Market Oversight

Department – Enforcement & Intelligence Support Service

Team – Specialist Intelligence Department

Salary - London £70,000 to £80,000 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.

We’re recruiting an Operational Security Advisor to join our Specialist Intelligence team on an 18-month fixed term contract. This is a unique opportunity to support high-impact investigations using covert law enforcement tactics, with a strong focus on operational risk management and security assurance.  

The Specialist Intelligence Department (SID) plays a critical role in supporting the FCA’s regulatory and enforcement objectives by providing intelligence on financial crime, insider dealing, investment fraud, regulatory breaches, and whistleblower cases. As Operational Security Advisor (OpSy), you’ll help reduce operational security risks across investigations, shape policy and best practice, and work with national partners and legal teams to build a consistent operational security framework.

You’ll also support the FCA’s RIPA Gatekeeping function and Central Authorities Bureau (CAB), offering tactical advice and contributing to IPCO inspections. This role is key to protecting FCA assets, people, capabilities, and reputation while helping the FCA to evolve its intelligence capabilities in line with their five-year strategy to combat financial crime.

What will you be doing?

• Advising and supporting senior investigators in the planning and delivery of investigations using covert law enforcement tactics with an emphasis upon risk assessment and risk management

• Providing and facilitating current and relevant operational security advice and guidance in the management and avoidance of compromise and developing policy and operational practice by review and implementation of approved recommendations

• Testing the integrity, review process and risk management in any investigation and/or intelligence operation and undertaking independent reviews and inspections of the operational use of Intelligence

• Undertaking and participating in audit and inspections of the Sensitive Intelligence Unit (SIU) in conjunction with the SIU Manager, as determined by local arrangements and the Sensitive Intelligence Network (SIN) National Assurance program for SIUs.

• Protecting assets including staff, capabilities, intellectual property and organisational reputation whilst reporting operational security incidents and compromises to allow learning and reducing risk to future operations

• Being a part of the FCA’s RIPA Gatekeeping function / Central Authorities Bureau (CAB) assisting stakeholders with tactical advice and IPCO Inspections

What will you get from the role?

• Opportunity to provide expert advice in managing risk in covert and relevant overt activities

• Ability to highlight operations that are potentially a risk to the organisation

• Exposure to a range of interesting surveillance projects and workstreams

• You will develop close working relationships with Information assurance, anti-corruption capabilities, National OpSy Network, Investigatory Powers Commissioners Office (IPCO), Information Security Officers and Other external bodies and agencies

• Ability to identify learning requirements in relation to covert and relevant overt policing

• The understanding to review covert and relevant overt methodology, at all levels within the organisation, to ensure that standards and effective practices are met and maintained

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

• Prior hands-on experience and specialist training experience in managing operational security techniques

• OpSy qualified with proven operational experience (tradecraft) within a covert policing role including an in-depth knowledge of RIPA 2000 and CPIA 1996. Ability to scrutinise and give covert tactical advice

• Prior involvement in an OpSy role and the national OpSy network, with the experience to make well considered and timely decisions, cutting through complexity to see the bigger picture.

Essential

• A developed sense of risk (identify and mitigate), producing accurate reports, explaining rationale to peers and/or senior stakeholders

• An ability to work effectively within a team and build strong working relationships but also independently with a high level of motivation and initiative

• Strong relationship management skills to build and maintain effective, working relationships with colleagues in other business units who may not have experience in covert operations and external partners

• Current minimum vetting of SC but must be able to obtain DV in the role

• Has excellent verbal and written communication skills to convey complex information clearly and concisely

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.

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 Senior Associate – Regulatory

• Security Clearance is needed for this role (ability to obtain DV)

• Advert Closing Date:  14th October (advert will close at 23:59 on the 13th)

• CV Review/Shortlist: Week commencing 20th October

• First Round Interview: Week commencing 27th October

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.