SMCR Lead/Manager

Description

Hello, we’re Starling.

Banking was broken – so we decided to fix it. The vision? Fast technology, fair service and honest values. All at the tap of a phone, all the time. We built Britain’s first digital bank. One hard-won banking licence later, we set about giving people a new way to spend, save and manage their money (and take better care of the planet, too). We’re changing banking for good. Back then, we were obsessed with unravelling the knotty world of finance and solving people’s problems rather than selling them stuff. We still are.

Since then, we’ve grown. A lot. Over four million accounts (and four account types!). A team of thousands. Headquartered in London with offices in Cardiff, Dublin, Manchester and Southampton. Seven years voted Which? Recommended Provider and Britain's Best Banking Brand. Still zero branches. Our culture is open, inclusive and focused on solving real customer problems, with an emphasis on doing the right thing, even when it’s not always the easy thing. From our approach to working together and sustainability to how we build our products, our decisions need to make the world – and Starling – a better place to be. Everyone at Starling is essential to our mission, which is really quite simple: to solve our customer’s problems – and build the best bank in the world!

And now we're providing Starling to other banks, via a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) proposition through our subsidiary Engine, using the proprietary technology platform that it uses to power our own bank.

Your new role

Are you a regulatory expert who thrives at the intersection of governance, culture, and people? We are looking for an SMCR Lead / Manager to take ownership of the Senior Managers and Certification Regime (SMCR) across Starling.

In this pivotal role, you will act as our ultimate subject matter expert, ensuring robust regulatory compliance while fostering a strong culture of individual accountability. You will partner closely with Senior Management Functions (SMFs), the wider People Team, Legal, and Compliance to seamlessly embed the regime into our day-to-day business-as-usual processes.

Your work will include:

As the driving force behind our SMCR framework, your daily focus will involve:

• Framework Management: Maintaining and overseeing the Management Responsibilities Map (MRM), Statements of Responsibilities (SORs), Delegations, and Handover processes to ensure total accuracy and compliance.
• Fitness & Propriety (F&P): Coordinating the annual F&P reviews for SMFs, Non-Executive Directors (NEDs), and Certified employees.
• Executive Support: Overseeing the "reasonable steps" framework, guiding and supporting SMFs to effectively evidence their oversight and decision-making.
• Lifecycle Oversight: Managing all SMCR-related processes for joiners, internal role moves, and leavers.
• Regulatory Liaison: Preparing and submitting regulatory forms and notifications to Compliance for submission via FCA Connect.
• Integration & Training: Collaborating with the People Team to embed SMCR into onboarding, performance management, and disciplinary processes, while delivering engaging training sessions across the business.
• Audit & Horizon Scanning: Maintaining a flawless audit trail for internal/external reviews and keeping a pulse on evolving regulatory developments to advise key stakeholders.

Requirements

Skills & Experience

• Financial Services Expertise: Deep, hands-on experience managing the FCA and PRA SMCR frameworks within a banking or financial services environment.
• Executive Presence: Proven track record working directly with, and supporting, Board-level executives and SMFs.
• Technical Knowledge: Highly familiar with FCA Connect, the FCA Handbook, and the PRA Rulebook.
• Sensitivity & Discretion: Experience handling sensitive matters calmly and professionally, such as conduct rule breaches or complex issues arising from F&P assessments.
• Process Mastery: Experience managing entire certification lifecycles, tracking individuals in scope, and delivering impactful SMCR training.

Behaviours & Competencies

• Influential Communicator: Outstanding written and verbal communication skills, with the natural ability to influence and guide senior stakeholders.
• Resilient & Proactive: A solutions-oriented professional who stays calm under pressure and is comfortable navigating ambiguity or evolving regulations.
• Collaborative Mindset: A team player who looks at the bigger picture and works seamlessly cross-functionally.
• Detail-Oriented: Exceptional organizational, project management, and time management skills, with an unwavering eye for detail.

Benefits

• 25 days holiday (plus take your public holiday allowance whenever works best for you)
• An extra day’s holiday for your birthday
• Annual leave is increased with length of service, and you can choose to buy or sell up to five extra days off
• 16 hours paid volunteering time a year
• Salary sacrifice, company enhanced pension scheme
• Life insurance at 4x your salary
• Private Medical Insurance with VitalityHealth including mental health support and cancer care. Partner benefits include discounts with Waitrose, Mr&Mrs Smith and Peloton
• Generous family-friendly policies
• Perkbox membership giving access to retail discounts, a wellness platform for physical and mental health, and weekly free and boosted perks
• Access to initiatives like Cycle to Work and Salary Sacrificed Gym partnerships

About Us

You may be put off applying for a role because you don't tick every box. Forget that! While we can’t accommodate every flexible working request, we're always open to discussion. So, if you're excited about working with us, but aren’t sure if you're 100% there yet, get in touch anyway.

We’re on a mission to radically reshape banking – and that starts with our brilliant team. Whatever came before, we’re proud to bring together people of all backgrounds and experiences who love working together to solve problems.

Starling Bank is an equal opportunity employer, and we’re proud of our ongoing efforts to foster diversity & inclusion in the workplace. Individuals seeking employment at Starling Bank are considered without regard to race, religion, national origin, age, sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, marital status, medical condition, ancestry, physical or mental disability, military or veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.

By submitting your application, you agree that Starling Bank may collect your personal data for recruiting and related purposes. Our Privacy Notice explains what personal information we may process, where we may process your personal information, its purposes for processing your personal information, and the rights you can exercise over our use of your personal information.