Policy Advisor

Job Title

Policy Advisor

PSR

Policy

Salary:
National (Edinburgh and Leeds) ranging from £43,100 to £53,700 and London from £47,300 to £59,000 (salary offered will be based on skills and experience)

Grade:
Associate - Level 8 - Regulatory

Cameron Nunn ()

The PSR is an independent economic regulator led by Managing Director David Geale – who is also Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) Executive Director, Payments and Digital Finance. The PSR is a subsidiary of the FCA. In March 2025 the Prime Minister announced that the PSR would be consolidated into the FCA, a pragmatic next step in simplifying regulation of payments. The Government has been clear that payment systems must continue to be effectively regulated – see the Government’s consultation (published in September 2025) – and so the PSR is continuing to focus on delivering its important and impactful programme of work, collaborating closely with the FCA.

The transition is taking place in phases, with some teams already moving to the FCA where they continue to support PSR activity. The policy department you are applying to join will ultimately move into the FCA – either when the new legislation takes effect or before. Candidates should be aware that there may be changes to their responsibilities as consolidation into the FCA progresses.

The policy team drives delivery of our strategy, providing you with an exciting opportunity to work on different aspects of policy development and analysis, project delivery and stakeholder engagement.

• Contribute to delivering policy projects and analytical work, both when managing your own workload and collaboratively, ensuring decisions are grounded in robust evidence and contribute meaningfully to high‑quality regulatory outcomes
• Work within multi‑disciplinary project teams, building strong relationships with colleagues in policy, economics, legal and communications, so that diverse expertise is brought together to produce well‑rounded, high‑impact work
• Engage professionally with a wide range of stakeholders, including firms, government bodies, regulators and consumer groups, to gather vital insights, test policy options and clearly communicate our approach, ensuring well‑informed and transparent policy making
• Conduct thorough policy analysis, using data and evidence to shape recommendations, so that our work is both credible and aligned with the needs of consumers and the wider market
• Draft clear, concise briefings that explain complex issues, often to demanding deadlines, enabling project teams and senior PSR leaders to make timely, well‑informed decisions that strengthen our policy direction

• Experience of working in a policy or regulatory environment
• Experience of project delivery – including ability to plan and work to deadlines, and understand risks and opportunities

• Prior working experience in a policy or regulatory environment role and familiarity with the policy development cycle
• Excellent written and oral communication skills, including the ability to distil complex issues into succinct messages and present confidently to a variety of internal and external stakeholders
• Strong relationship and influencing skills and an ability to work with other team members and experts, internally and externally
• Excellent prioritisation skills with the ability to define priorities and provide high quality contributions where it is most needed
• An ability to exercise judgement in collaboration with a multidisciplinary team, including economists, lawyers, payment specialists and other policy advisors
• An ability to take into account potentially conflicting views without losing sight of overall strategic aims and objectives

• 25 days annual leave plus bank holidays
• Hybrid model where employees work a minimum of 40% in the office each month (expectation of 50% for senior leaders)
• Change from September to a minimum of 50% in the office each month (expectation of 60% for Directors and Executive Directors)
• Non‑contributory pension (8–12% depending on age) and life assurance at eight times your salary
• Private…