Hello, were 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 Britains 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). Were changing banking for good. Back then, we were obsessed with unravelling the knotty world of finance and solving peoples problems rather than selling them stuff. We still are.

Since then, weve 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 its 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 customers 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.