Senior Manager Public Policy

Are you ready to chart your own career path? At SJP we need talented individuals like yourself to support our evolving culture. If you’re seeking an employer that is passionate about excellence, innovation and autonomy, SJP could be the place for you.

At a glance:

Location: London or Cirencester with hybrid working

Workplace Type: Hybrid

Employment Type: Permanent

Seniority: Mid-Senior Level

Who We Are

People have always been at the heart of St. James’s Place, we value long-term relationships and we are a home for people who care about the future – financially, environmentally and socially. These core values have enabled us to become a leading FTSE 100 Wealth Management company.

The role:

This role will be fulfilled by an experienced and autonomous technical policy specialist who has strong advocacy capabilities. The role holder will have strong technical understanding of financial services policy and regulation, and preferably in relation to asset management, investing, tax, pensions, insurance, and investment product regulation in particular.

The role will support the Director of Public Policy in prosecuting a strong advocacy approach to reactive policy across a range of technical areas, representing SJP’s views and helping to ensure SJP’s voice is heard externally with policymakers and industry.

What you'll be doing:

• You’ll develop and lead SJP advocacy positions on a range of key policy issues, particularly in relation to asset management, retail investing, tax, pensions, insurance, and investment product regulation, amongst a wider set of technical policy matters.
• Support company executives, particularly leadership of the Investment Management function with understanding emerging regulatory horizon risks and in developing advocacy strategies.
• Represent SJP at industry working groups and directly to policymakers in regulators and Government.
• Provide initial and timely analysis on the implications of regulatory and/or government policy changes on the St. James’s Place business.
• You’ll be a credible subject matter expert, able to present with authority on relevant technical issues to senior leaders, Partners (SJP financial adviser network), and, potentially, directly to clients.

Essential Criteria:

• Strong, demonstrable experience of UK public policy and regulatory matters from within the financial services industry.
• Good understanding of the UK policy making process.
• Experience gained from Public Policy teams of Asset Management companies, HM Government/Treasury, FCA, or trade associations would be suitable.
• High quality of judgement around policy, and potentially reputational issues.
• Strong interpersonal skills, with a strong capability to influence.
• An effective communicator, able to confidently represent SJP externally at industry working groups and directly to policymakers in regulators and Government

Proven experience of advocacy in the financial services sector with direct knowledge of some of the following issues particularly welcome:

• asset management
• operational resilience
• pensions policy
• consumer and/or corporate tax policy
• investment product regulation
• retail investing
• insurance
• digital and crypto assets and wider alternatives
• ESG policy
• macro-economics and fiscal policy
• AI policy

Desirable:

• The candidate will likely have strong understanding of risk assessment and management.

Flexible Working

We know that everyone works best in different ways, at different times and in different environments. We value all of our employees and appreciate that everyone is different, and at different stages within their career. Recognising this, we have introduced a hybrid working policy to provide greater flexibility for part-time work, job-sharing, remote working, and flexibility on hours. Our people are encouraged to work in a flexible way that suits their lifestyle, so please ask the question and start a conversation!

Why work for us?

Our Rewards

In addition to an attractive salary and eligibility to participate in the discretionary annual bonus opportunities, you will also receive an excellent benefit package including:

• Non-Contributory Pension – 10% (increasing with length of service) with further pension matching
• Meaningful protection benefits with real value, such as 10X life cover, PHI, and critical illness.
• Best in class terms and conditions including 6 months paid maternity and paternity leave.
• Private Medical and Dental Insurance
• 28 days holiday entitlement plus bank holidays (based on full-time equivalent) with the option to buy an additional up to 5 days
• Discretionary bonus scheme dependent on company and personal performance, varied by level
• Not applicable to fixed term contracts (standard uplift applies in lieu of the protection benefits)

Our Culture

Our culture is the glue that binds us together - It’s one of our biggest assets and one of the biggest reasons for our success. It’s underpinned by core values of doing the right thing, being the best version of ourselves and investing in long term relationships.

We want to embrace diverse backgrounds and experiences to connect with clients, solve problems and innovate. We raise our voice on the things that matter to us and drive change from the front. Contributing to our inclusive culture is vital, ensuring a space for everyone to be their authentic self, no compromises.

In all we do, we consider how our work affects the communities in which we belong. Over 96% of our group employees are involved in supporting our communities through financial education, charitable giving and volunteering. Over 80% of all our employees and Partners donate each month to our Charitable Foundation, which is now the 3rd largest corporate charity in UK.

SJP are delighted to have signed The Armed Forces Covenant, and we are active members of LGBT Great, 30% club, The Diversity Project, Disability Confident and more! Find out more: https://www.sjp.co.uk/careers/life-at-sjp

Our Awards:

We understand it’s important to be proud of the company you work for, that’s why we’re proud to share with you some of our recent awards:

• Wealth Manager of the Year – Growth Investor Awards 2021
• Best Wealth Manager – Shares Awards 2021
• Championing LGBTQ Inclusion - Financial Adviser Diversity in Finance Awards 2020
• Top 75 Employer - Social Mobility Foundation Employer Index 2021

To find out more visit: https://www.sjp.co.uk/about-us/our-awards-and-recognition

How To Apply

To apply for this role please click on the Apply button below.

We occasionally close vacancies early due to high volumes of applications. We would therefore recommend you complete your application prior to the closing date which is for guidance only.

Careers at SJP | St. James’s Place Careers

What's in it for you?

We reward you for the work you do, whether that’s through our discretionary annual bonus scheme that reflects both personal and company performance, competitive annual leave allowance (28 days plus bank holidays, with the option to purchase an additional 5 days), or online rewards platform with a variety of discounts.

We also have benefits to support whatever stage of life you are in, including:

• Competitive parental leave (26 weeks full pay)
• Private medical insurance (optional taxable benefit)
• 10% non-contributory pension (increasing with length of service)

Reasonable Adjustments We're an equal opportunities employer and want to ensure our recruitment process is accessible and inclusive for all, if you require reasonable adjustment(s) at any stage please let us know by emailing us at [email protected]

Research tells us that applicants (especially those from underrepresented groups) can be put off from applying for a role if they do not meet all the criteria or have been on an extended career-break. If you think you would be a good match for this role and can demonstrate some transferable experience please apply, regardless of whether you tick every box.

What's next?

If you're excited about this role and believe you have the skills and experience we're looking for, we'd love to hear from you! Please submit an application by clicking ‘apply’ below and our team will be in touch.

As a business regulated by the FCA we would advise you to familiarise yourself with the conduct regulations and in particular consumer duty obligations prior to an interview with SJP.