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 AI 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 Head of Agentic AI and Data Science Research leads the FCA’s capability at the frontier of applied AI, ensuring the organisation not only adopts emerging technologies but understands, shapes and governs them in a way that supports its public interest objectives.
Reporting to the Director of Intelligence & Digital, this role is the research and design engine for AI. It provides strategic leadership for AI research, model governance, data science capability, and horizon scanning. It is responsible for identifying how emerging AI technologies can be applied safely, ethically and proportionately to support better regulation, enhance regulatory intelligence, combat financial crime and improve organisational effectiveness.
The role owns the FCA’s medium and longer-term AI agenda, translating emerging opportunities and risks into actionable strategies, governance frameworks and capability roadmaps. It also leads the FCA Data Science Profession and provides technical thought leadership to senior decision-makers across the organisation and wider regulatory, and technology stakeholder communities.
Working closely with AI Product Delivery and AI Security & Technology Operations, the role ensures clear accountability across strategy, research, governance, delivery and operations, without duplication of responsibility.
What will the candidate get from the role?
- Joining the Senior Leadership Team at the FCA during an exciting and challenging time of great change in financial services and its regulation
- Leading a department of talented and committed people through significant projects whilst also delivering on business-as-usual objectives
- Exposure to strategic issues and key players in the world of finance, both nationally and internationally
Key responsibilities:
- Lead the FCA’s Agentic AI and Data Science Research function, setting the strategic direction for AI research, advanced analytics and emerging technologies
- Define and shape the FCA’s medium and long-term approach to AI and Data Science, ensuring emerging technologies support smarter regulation, regulatory intelligence, financial crime reduction and organisational effectiveness
- Establish and maintain the FCA’s AI governance and research ethics framework, providing the standards, controls and technical authority required for the safe, ethical and proportionate use of AI and advanced analytics
- Develop and maintain the FCA’s medium and long-term AI and Data Science roadmap, translating research, horizon scanning, and emerging technologies into future organisational capability and priorities
- Lead the FCA’s horizon scanning and AI intelligence capability, identifying emerging opportunities and risks, and translating them into strategic recommendations, policy insight and investment priorities
- Lead the FCA’s Data Science Profession; provide specialist AI and Data Science expertise, building professional standards, organisational readiness, and thought leadership while representing the FCA across regulatory, technology, and stakeholder communities
- Developing and delivering a long-term strategy for the department, aligning to broader divisional and organisational strategies
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