Head of Department: AI & Technology Security Operations

Head of Department: AI & Technology Security Operations - FCA - Hybrid - London, Leeds or Edinburgh
Salary - London - 129,400 - 194,100 and National - 117,700 - 176,500
The Financial Conduct Authority is looking for a Head of AI & Technology Security Operations to lead the protection, resilience and live operation of critical technology and AI-enabled services. This is a high-profile, enterprise-scale leadership position at the intersection of AI, cyber security, operational resilience, supplier management and technology risk.
As the FCA expands its use of AI, including emerging agentic capabilities, it needs a leader who can ensure its systems remain robust under stress; detect and respond to threats; manage critical dependencies; and recover effectively from disruption, failure or exploitation.
Reporting to the Chief Information Officer and sitting on the senior leadership team in Data, Technology and Innovation, you will lead a multidisciplinary department of around 70 colleagues across London, Leeds and Edinburgh. You will oversee critical digital and AI services, including AI live service, Service Desk, Incident Management, Cyber Security Operations and Supplier Management, while managing technology supplier spend of approximately 80 million.
What you will drive:

• Secure AI at scale: Lead the FCA’s AI vulnerability and threat-management capability, identifying and mitigating risks associated with model vulnerabilities, adversarial attacks, data poisoning, automation, agentic systems and upstream dependencies.
• Resilience for critical services: Ensure the FCA’s technology estate, including its digital, data and AI-enabled services, can withstand disruption, degrade safely and recover effectively when incidents occur.
• Practical AI controls: Establish clear operational frameworks for safe AI deployment, including human oversight, monitoring, explainability, version control, containment and safe shutdown mechanisms.
• Technology and AI risk leadership: Act as the accountable owner for technology and AI risk, overseeing control design, testing, assurance activity and risk-acceptance decisions.
• Board-level visibility: Provide clear, metrics-led reporting to senior committees and Board-level forums on operational resilience, emerging threats, control effectiveness, material gaps and risk posture.
• Supplier and third-party assurance: Oversee critical dependencies across cloud platforms, AI model providers, managed-service partners and data suppliers, ensuring concentration, substitution and supply-chain risks are properly understood and managed.
• Strong live operations: Lead core operational disciplines including incident, problem and change management, scenario testing, failover design and recovery validation.
• A high-performing multidisciplinary function: Develop capability and clear accountability across technology risk, AI operations, cyber security, continuity, supplier management and live-service operations.
• Value, innovation and continuous improvement: Manage significant budgets, headcount and supplier spend while improving efficiency, strengthening resilience and ensuring value for money.
• External credibility: Represent the FCA with government, regulators, industry bodies and standards organisations on technology, AI and operational resilience.

We are looking for someone with:

• Hands on experience with AI or agentic AI technologies.
• Familiarity with UK regulatory frameworks relating to operational resilience, critical third parties, cyber resilience, and AI governance.
• Experience within financial services, government, regulatory, or other highly regulated environments
• Strong stakeholder management, capable of engaging with and developing strong trusting relationships with stakeholders from across a business organisation and at senior levels, as well as third parties.
• Evidence of managing supplier relationships across a complex supplier and contract environment
• Knowledge of NIST AI RMF, ISO 42001, ISO 27001, DORA, or similar frameworks.
• An ability to manage and control risk, embed good practice, and drive change where necessary.
• In-depth working knowledge of multiple domains, including Engineering, DevOps, AI, Cyber Security and Cloud technology platforms.
• Experience of driving change and process efficiency/improvements, delivering value for money and innovation.
• Ability to inclusively lead a large group of talented individuals with a wide variety of professional expertise, experience, and backgrounds.

The FCA’s technology and AI capabilities will be increasingly important to how it regulates, protects consumers and supports the integrity of UK financial markets. This role will ensure those capabilities remain secure, resilient and worthy of the public trust placed in them.
If you are ready to lead the operational foundations for a more AI-enabled regulator, and to shape how critical services withstand the risks of a changing technology landscape, this is your opportunity.
If you are interested in this vacancy, register your interest and join the distribution list for the dedicated microsite. For further information, please contact Mercedes Lane or Daniel White on , or via email at
Closing date: Monday 5th October at 23:55