Cyber Resilience Graduate Programme 2024

At the FCA, we regulate the conduct of nearly 50,000 businesses in the UK to ensure that our financial markets are honest, competitive and fair. Our ambition is to become a more innovative, more assertive and more adaptive regulator; one that fully capitalises on data and technology, ensures consumer protection and market integrity, and responds well to the challenges we face.

We’re looking for graduates to join our diverse and highly capable teams across the FCA.

About the programme

Programme length

• Two years

Programme Type

• Rotational

Cyber Resilience is part of the Technology, Resilience and Cyber (“TRC”) department, which is a team responsible for assessing, developing and implementing FCA strategy on the building of capability within firms and markets to defend against, and recover from, cyber-attacks. We provide operational resilience expertise and specialist support to supervisors and various other teams across the FCA, and work to prevent cyber criminals from undermining confidence in the UK’s financial sector.

You’ll have a chance to work with a variety of firms such as retail and wholesale banks, insurance firms and asset managers, and with senior leaders within those firms, to focus on the approaches being taken to various aspects of technology and cyber risk within the financial sector. You’ll be able to help progress our strategy to be increasingly data-led; and you will have the opportunity to work on implementation of cyber resilience policy into firm-supervision, working with regulated firms to assess their capabilities; and you will have the chance to broaden your network and experience by working alongside other regulatory bodies such as the Bank of England and HM Treasury.

If you are looking for a varied role and the opportunity to build an in-depth knowledge of cyber resilience, this could be the role for you.

What does the role involve? What are the key responsibilities?  

• Analysing business models, systems and controls to identify potential cyber resilience weaknesses.
• Working with stakeholders across the FCA to propose solutions for issues identified.
• Building and maintaining relationships with internal and external stakeholders, including disseminating knowledge.
• Escalating risks, issues and other points of note in a timely manner.
• Working in a fast-paced, challenging and supportive environment with a team of people who want to deliver the same excellence you do. You will have the opportunity to provide input and suggestions into how to improve our processes.
• You will need to be able to juggle several competing pieces of work at once, ensuring deadlines are met.
• Supporting market-wide initiatives as well as engagement groups for cyber security.
• Applying and continually enhancing your acquired knowledge.

What will the candidate get from the role?

• This is an incredibly interesting time to join the FCA’s team of cyber security and resilience specialists. In the role you will get the opportunity to:
• Be at the heart of helping to develop and deliver the FCA’s cyber strategy.
• Help mitigate harms to consumers as a result of the impacts of cyber-attacks on regulated entities.
• Shape the FCA’s approach to cyber issues both internally and externally.
• Work with and influence a range of stakeholders and industry professionals both within and outside the FCA.
• Work in a fast-paced and stretching environment, to grow your expertise in all aspects of cyber.
• Work alongside and as part of a team of dedicated cyber security and resilience professionals.
• Observe a range of cyber security incidents as they occur from the perspective of the FCA’s business resilience team.

Learning and development

As a graduate in Cyber Resilience, you’ll have the opportunity to study towards an Apprenticeship, Professional Qualification or enrol on a development pathway relevant to your graduate programme. We will also give you the support you need to develop your career at the FCA.

What we look for

We are seeking graduates from any degree discipline. You need to be resilient, analytical and confident in using your judgement in making regulatory decision. You will be curious and able to gather relevant information whilst building relationships across the organisation. An interest in governance and compliance is beneficial.

What we offer

We’re committed to making the FCA a great place to work. We do this by:

• Providing a rewarding environment, recognising that our people are motivated by meaningful work
• Maintaining a strong commitment to diversity and inclusion, allowing people to develop and progress without barriers
• Looking after the well-being of our people, ensuring that they are safe and well and appropriately cared for
• Promoting an environment in which people are valued and respected

Beyond this, we offer all our graduates a competitive range of benefits, including:

• Base salary of £36,000
• Flexible working options
• Private health care
• Career and family leave
• Non-contributory pension
• Charity and volunteering initiatives
• Minimum of 25 days’ holiday
• Sports and social clubs
• Subsidised on-site fitness centre (London only)
• Free eye tests
• Subsidised restaurant
• Interest-free season ticket loans.

Please note

• We only accept ONE application per person for our 2024 programmes, therefore, please apply to your first-choice programme. Any additional applications will not be progressed.
• For the 2024 Cyber Resilience Graduate Programme, submit your online application by Sunday 10th December 2023. However, we recruit on a rolling basis and therefore encourage early applications.
• Applicants must have obtained or be on track to achieve a minimum 2:1 degree from any university.
• Applicants for the 2024 graduate programmes must have graduated or be in their final year of study.
• Your application and any work you submit throughout the recruitment process must be all your own. You will not allow another person to complete any parts of the assessment nor submit responses provided or generated by an AI assistant or other similar software