Head of Workplace and Estates

The FCA has retained Odgers to look after this role on our behalf.  

The following link will take you to the Odgers website where you will be able to apply www.odgers.com/96619 

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   

The FCA has a workforce of 5,500 spread across three sites in London, Edinburgh, and Leeds. London is the largest office with approximately 4,800 staff located in 12 Endeavour Square. We have committed to continued growth outside of London and have also adopted hybrid working practices. There is a small in-house team with the majority of services outsourced under two key contracts. The team sits within the Operations Division and the Finance & Corporate Services Directorate, reporting to the Director of Finance. 

This role will lead the team, oversee our contracts, and ensure the FCA is getting maximum value from its estate. The building and services are key to our staff and our employment offer and maintaining a high level of excellence is key. There are also opportunities to evolve the offering as hybrid working practices become clearer, technologies advance and our ways of working change. 

What will the candidate get from the role?  

• Providing strategic direction and leadership for a team of Facilities, Estates, Security and H&S professionals in relatively new buildings. 

• Managing a significant budget and contractual relationships 

• Opportunity to develop and evolve space in line with changing working practices 

• Be part of an organisation that plays a significant part in protecting consumers and our economy 

Key responsibilities:  

• Lead the team with overall responsibility for Estates, Facilities, Corporate Security and Health & Safety. This includes all aspects of setting overall direction, objectives and measuring performance and key trends.  

• The facilities being overseen include front of house, security, cleaning, gym, staff restaurant and AV. 

• Management of the relationships with both our superior landlord and a significant tenant that the FCA subleases to. 

• Overseeing key suppliers who deliver our services to ensure compliance, value and the highest quality of service. 

• Ensuring the estate is resilient, has adequate contingency plans and running disaster recovery responses where necessary 

• Ensuring the organisation has the right space design and planning to continue effectively meeting its objectives. 

• Ensuring our estate delivers against our sustainability goals.  

• Developing and delivering a long-term strategy for the department, aligning to broader divisional and organisational strategies  

• Leading on performance, capability, and culture within the department, with a strong focus on operational excellence  

• Building a strong and inclusive directorate that attracts and develop diverse talent.  

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  

• Strong experience of managing a facilities, estates, and infrastructure team 

• Strong leadership capabilities - a role model for the Estates & Facilities team with the ability to lead multi-disciplinary teams through change. 

• Extensive experience of managing outsourced Facilities Management supplier contracts  

• Experience of estate planning, space planning and running projects 

Essential   

• Extensive experience of managing a facilities operation in a corporate workplace 

• Experience of managing relationships with both landlord and managing significant tenants 

• Strong experience of health & safety management  

• Strong experience of physical security risk assessment and management 

• Responsibility for keeping leased building in operation and maintaining its condition 

• Ability to get the best out of suppliers working in partnership with others across the FCA 

• Confident, assertive and able to influence and challenge stakeholders 

Desirable  

• Operating in a high rise, high quality office estate 

• Estate transactions 

• NEBOSH qualification  

The FCA’s Values & Diversity   

Our ambition is to create a diverse and inclusive workplace that reflects the society we serve, helping us to be a better regulator. We serve the public and our decisions directly affect the wellbeing of people, businesses and the UK economy.  So, our values matter. They represent the culture we aspire to every day, guiding our judgements, building trust and helping us to be ‘At our best’. 

The FCA is committed to achieving greater diversity across all levels of our organisation. Given this, we particularly welcome applications from women, disabled, and minority ethnic candidates, as under-represented groups. 

As an inclusive employer, we are open to considering flexible working arrangements, including job shares. Please inform your recruiter if you wish to apply for this role on a flexible basis. 

Application Support 

We want to remove any possible barriers and are committed to providing a wide range of reasonable adjustments so that you can keep the focus on your conversations and be at your best.  

If you have an accessibility requirement, disability, or condition that means you might require changes to the recruitment process, please contact your recruiter to discuss this further. Our aim is to make you application as easy as possible, and your recruiter will be happy to work with you to make any necessary arrangements where possible. 

Benefits  

Our competitive benefits scheme gives you the opportunity to create a personalised benefits package, tailored to suit your lifecycle. You can this this allowance to purchase additional benefits such as dental or cycle to work, or you have the option to top up your base salary by taking this as cash. 

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 Sunday 20 September  

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

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

• 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 £130,000- £150,000 This role will be London based only 

• To apply please submit your CV and cover letter, using this link www.odgers.com/96619 

The FCA has retained Odgers to look after this role on our behalf.  

The following link will take you to the Odgers website where you will be able to apply www.odgers.com/96619 

If you have any questions regarding your application, please contact Peter Lawrence on [email protected]