Director, Wholesale and Unauthorised Business Investigations

Director, Wholesale and Unauthorised Business Investigations, Enforcement and Market Oversight

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 on a journey of organisational, people, process and technology transformation to become a more forward-thinking, proactive regulator. We will use data more effectively to drive regulatory decisions and build cohesion across our remit.

Significant improvements in digital enablement, business intelligence, market data and information management are 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, focusing on four priorities:

• Be a smarter regulator
  , with predictable, purposeful and proportionate processes; embrace technology to become more efficient and effective.
• Support sustained economic growth
  , by enabling investment, innovation and ensuring the UK’s competitiveness in financial services.
• Help consumers navigate their financial lives
  , by boosting trust, product innovation and ensuring the right information and support is available for financial decisions.
• Fight financial crime
  , focusing on those who seek to misuse regulation to do harm, and disrupting criminals while supporting firms as a line of defence.

Background

We are looking to appoint a Director of Wholesale and Unauthorised Business Investigations (WUBI). WUBI is a core function within our Enforcement and Market Oversight Division, focused on market misconduct, policing the perimeter, and providing investigation services. WUBI actions help to fight financial crime, protect consumers’ interests and ensure markets operate with integrity.

WUBI conducts forensic investigations into regulatory breaches and criminal offences by firms and individuals operating in the wholesale arena, as well as those conducting regulated activities without authorisation. Typical cases include insider dealing, market manipulation, systems and controls failings, fraud/scams and organised crime activity linked to the financial services sector. The FCA’s Proceeds of Crime team sits within WUBI. WUBI collaborates closely with the wider FCA, other regulatory bodies and law enforcement agencies, domestically and abroad, to tackle issues affecting UK markets and consumers.

The Role

Reporting to the Executive Director of Enforcement and Market Oversight, the Director of Wholesale and Unauthorised Business Investigations will be responsible for developing and delivering the enforcement strategy for all wholesale and unauthorised business cases, and accountable for case outcomes and external engagement. The role holder will play a key part in driving FCA activity to disrupt financial crime. This is a senior leadership role requiring creative thinking and strong relationship building;

you will lead from the front.

You will be a member of EMO’s Director Team, responsible for leading a team of over 200 staff through Heads of Department on the WUBI leadership team.

Key responsibilities

• Managing complex portfolios of wholesale and unauthorised business investigations and resulting criminal, civil and regulatory enforcement action.
• Being the Settlement Decision Maker on Enforcement Operations.
• Role model for the FCA/EMO with a commitment to continuous improvement through delivery of the deterrence agenda.
• Developing and delivering a long-term strategy for the directorate, aligned to divisional and organisational strategies.
• Leading on performance, capability and culture within the directorate with a focus on operational excellence.
• Delivering through others by coaching, influencing and negotiating with a range of internal and external stakeholders.
• Building a strong and inclusive directorate that attracts and develops diverse talent.
• Working across organisational boundaries to achieve outcomes, particularly in relation to financial crime.
• Operational responsibility for the running of the…