Finance Recruitment for FCA Regulated Firms

Accountancy Capital places qualified finance professionals at £50,000 and above within FCA-regulated businesses across the UK. We cover the finance function that sits beneath and supports the regulated CFO — the Financial Controllers, Finance Managers, Finance Business Partners, FP&A Managers, Regulatory Reporting specialists and CASS-experienced accountants who run the day-to-day finance operation inside asset managers, wealth managers, investment firms, fintechs, insurance businesses and other FCA-regulated entities.

This is a genuinely specialist market. Finance professionals at FCA-regulated firms need the same ACA, ACCA or CIMA qualification depth as their equivalents at non-regulated businesses, plus familiarity with the specific reporting obligations, regulatory capital frameworks and client money rules that FCA regulation imposes on the finance function. Finding candidates who combine both dimensions — and who are available at the right salary level for the specific type and size of regulated firm — requires a recruiter with active relationships in this specific candidate pool. That is what Accountancy Capital provides.

The Finance Function Inside FCA-Regulated Firms

The finance function inside an FCA-regulated business has two layers. The upper layer — the CFO, Finance Director or Chief Financial Officer designated as SMF2 under the Senior Managers & Certification Regime — carries personal regulatory accountability for the firm’s financial affairs and is placed by our sister business FD Capital. The lower layer — the Financial Controller, Finance Manager, FP&A Manager, Financial Accountant, Regulatory Reporting Manager and specialist finance professionals who carry out the actual financial management of the regulated business — is placed by Accountancy Capital.

Both layers need to be well-staffed for a regulated finance function to work. An excellent SMF2 CFO who does not have a capable FC or Finance Manager beneath them will spend their time on month-end accounting rather than on the investor relationships, regulatory capital management and strategic financial planning that SMF2 accountability demands. Getting the finance team right below the CFO is not a secondary consideration — it is what allows the CFO to perform the senior function effectively.

Finance Roles We Place at FCA-Regulated Firms

Finance Recruitment by FCA-Regulated Sector

The FCA-regulated market is not homogeneous. The finance team at a boutique asset manager of £500m AUM, a fast-growing payments fintech, a regional IFA network, and a Lloyd’s of London syndicate all operate in different financial contexts, use different reporting frameworks and have different qualification and experience requirements. The pages below cover the most significant regulated sectors where Accountancy Capital has active candidate relationships and a track record of placements.

What Makes Finance Recruitment at FCA-Regulated Firms Different

Finance professionals at FCA-regulated businesses work in an environment with specific reporting obligations, capital frameworks and client protection rules that have no equivalent outside the regulated sector. Understanding these is not a nice-to-have for the FC or FM at a regulated firm — it is essential. The management accounts need to reflect the correct treatment of regulatory capital deductions. The monthly close needs to include the CASS reconciliation. The board pack needs to include the ICARA capital adequacy position alongside the standard P&L and balance sheet. A Finance Manager who has only ever worked in non-regulated businesses will need a significant period of on-the-job learning before they can take full independent ownership of these elements.

This creates a genuine and persistent supply shortage for finance professionals with regulated sector experience at FC and FM level. The demand from FCA-regulated businesses — particularly the growing fintech, payments and asset management sectors — consistently exceeds the number of qualified candidates with relevant in-sector experience. Salaries at FCA-regulated firms typically sit 15–25% above the equivalent role at a non-regulated business of comparable size, reflecting this supply constraint. Accountancy Capital’s network in this specific candidate pool is what makes our searches at regulated firms faster and more effective than those run through generalist finance recruiters.

The CFO Level: FD Capital

Accountancy Capital covers the finance team below SMF2 level. The CFO or Finance Director designated as SMF2 — the regulated senior manager who holds personal FCA accountability for the firm’s financial affairs — is placed by our sister practice FD Capital. FD Capital has a dedicated SMF2 practice covering permanent, interim and fractional CFO appointments at FCA-regulated firms, alongside SMF16 (Head of Compliance) and SMF17 (MLRO) placements. For board and governance-level appointments at regulated firms — including SMF9 (Chair), SMF10/11 (Risk and Audit Committee Chairs) and SMF14 (Senior Independent Director) — see NED Capital.

When a regulated firm needs to build or replace its entire finance function — from the SMF2 CFO down to the Management Accountant — the most effective approach is to brief FD Capital on the CFO appointment and Accountancy Capital on the finance team simultaneously, so both searches run in parallel and the team is built around the incoming CFO’s preferences rather than inherited from a previous appointment.