Head of Agentic AI and Data Science Research

The FCA has retained Global Resourcing to manage this role; send applications directly to Global Resourcing.

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

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

• Delivering through others by relying on coaching, influencing and negotiating skills with a range of internal and external stakeholders

• 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

• Significant experience of managing and influencing senior stakeholders internally and externally

• Experience leading specialist technical, analytical, AI, data science or comparable multidisciplinary teams within a complex organisation

• Strong understanding of AI, machine learning, data science, and advanced analytics, including associated opportunities, limitations and risks

• Experience of developing governance frameworks, standards, operating models or strategic roadmaps supporting the safe, ethical, and proportionate use of AI or advanced analytics

• Proven ability to translate complex technological developments into practical organisational outcomes, priorities, and investment decisions

Essential

• Experience developing strategic, tactical, and ethical approaches for deploying AI and advanced analytics in support of organisational objectives

• Proven horizon-scanning capability and ability to convert emerging technological developments into actionable strategies, and business roadmaps

• Experience establishing AI governance, model assurance, research ethics or responsible AI frameworks.

• Ability to operate credibly as a senior technical adviser to executive and board-level stakeholders.

• Exemplary communication, influencing, and stakeholder management skill

• Experience of role modelling strong leadership behaviours in line with organisational values

• The ability to inclusively lead a group of talented individuals with a wide variety of professional expertise, experience, and backgrounds

• An open and flexible management style and the ability to communicate effectively to a wide-ranging audience with different skills and perspectives

Desirable

• Advanced understanding of agentic AI, multi-agent systems, and emerging frontier AI technologies.

• Experience within financial services, regulation or another highly regulated environment.

• Evidence of recognised thought leadership within AI, data science, or advanced analytics.

• Experience representing an organisation externally on AI strategy, governance, or innovation topics.

• Familiarity with commercially available agentic AI platforms and tooling.

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 the recruiter if you wish to apply for this role on a flexible basis.

As part of the FCA’s on-going commitment to develop our national presence, most of our vacancies are now open to working in our Edinburgh, Leeds or London offices. This means that as part of the application process you will be able to select your preference of which office location you would like to work from.

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 FCA has retained Global Resourcing to manage this role; send applications directly to Global Resourcing.

• Applications must be submitted directly to the search firm.

• The closing date for this role is 23:55 on Sunday 11th October.

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

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

• We currently operate a hybrid working model, working a minimum of 40% in the office each month (50% for senior leaders). This way of working applies in our Stratford, Leeds and Edinburgh offices. 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 London - £140,000 - £190,000 and National - £126,000 - £171,000.