Would you like to join a small but mighty charity, working as part of an inspirational team delivering real change for women and girls? We are looking for a brilliant Financial Services Specialist whose knowledge and insight will help transform the finance sector’s response to victim-survivors of economic abuse.

Reporting to:           Financial Services Manager

Location:                  Home-based, with travel as required

Salary:                      £37,000 per annum

Contract:                  Fixed term 1 year contract. Full time (35 hrs per week)

About SEA

Surviving Economic Abuse (SEA) is the only UK charity dedicated to raising awareness of economic abuse and transforming responses to it. Our vision is a world in which all women and girls are economically equal and live their lives free from abuse and exploitation. Economic abuse is a form of coercive and controlling behaviour. 4.1 million UK women experienced economic abuse from a current or former partner in the last year. Not only does it limit their choices and ability to access safety, but it has an ongoing impact. It damages future dreams and aspirations, and, in some cases, it takes lives.

About the role

We are looking for an exceptional candidate to join our financial services team who will support SEA in its mission to raise awareness of economic abuse and transform responses to it, within the financial services sector. You will be a subject matter expert on customer vulnerability and financial services firms’ regulatory requirements to support them, as well as having a thorough understanding of industry rules and best practice. You will combine this with SEA’s expertise on economic abuse to ensure this is embedded within financial services’ firms’ responses to victim-survivors.

Key responsibilities

Supporting best practice

You will work directly with financial services firms and sector bodies to raise awareness of economic abuse and transform their responses to victim-survivors. You will:

• Work with firms to create innovative solutions to economic abuse, ensuring their products and services do not inadvertently facilitate abuse and they are providing support to survivors in line with SEA’s interpretation of regulatory guidance and best practice.
• Provide consultancy services to financial services firms ensuring they can recognise and respond safely to victim-survivors of domestic, including economic abuse.
• Work with firms to embed responses to economic abuse in their strategies and processes.
• Use latest research, evidence and cutting-edge policy and practice across the women’s sector and financial services sector to provide high-quality advice, problem-solving and practical support to firms.
• Support the development of high-quality training content on economic abuse for financial services firms.
• Hold workshops, create customer journeys and conduct gap analyses, seeking opportunities for firms to improve outcomes for victim-survivors.
• Write reports, create presentations and provide feedback on key findings.
• Support financial services firms with the implementation of the Economic Abuse Evidence Form and provide tailored guidance and support on individual cases.

Influencing industry policy

Your knowledge and insight will support SEA’s broader industry policy influencing. You will:

• Work with the Financial Services Manager to contribute to briefing papers and best practice guides from insight gained working closely with financial services firms.
• Support Financial Services Manager to hold a range of relationships with key industry stakeholders, such as sector bodies, and regularly liaise with them to encourage and seek opportunities for innovative solutions for victim-survivors.
• Act as a representative for SEA at external meetings, conferences and workshops.
• Support the work of the Advocacy & Comms team in influencing national policy on economic abuse when required, providing insights and opportunities as they arise.
• Actively stay abreast of financial services policy and regulation as it develops and evolves.

General Duties

As a member of the SEA team, you will:

• Ensure SEA’s consultancy is delivered on time and to a high professional standard.
• Seek opportunities to develop and grow SEA’s consultancy offering, working closely with the Financial Services Manager and the Corporate Development Manager to secure client contracts, maintain relationships and provide content for proposals as required.
• Work alongside SEA’s Survivor Engagement Specialist and the Expert by Experience group to deliver inclusive design workshops when required.
• Take on additional tasks from the Financial Services manager as required.
• Contribute to the promotion of SEA and its work. Be a champion who seeks to encourage and motivate financial services firms to adapt strategies, undertake training and develop policies which transform responses to economic abuse.
• Utilise Salesforce Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system (training will be provided) to record all activity with financial services firms’ contacts accurately and keeping information up to date.
• Participate in and contribute to team meetings and organisational development.
• Engage in learning, stay up to date on relevant news and publications and take responsibility for personal development; and
• Comply with SEAs policies and procedures and legal requirements, such as provisions set out in the GDPR, Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and Equality Act 2010.

This role description is not exhaustive. The postholder may be required to take on additional duties which are not specified here but which are in scope of the role.

Skills and Experience

Essential experience

• Previous experience of working in financial services, focusing on vulnerable customer strategy, policy, customer experience, or customer risk.
• Previous experience of providing advice and support on complex issues, such as safeguarding, risk and compliance.
• Experience engaging with and influencing senior stakeholders, managing client relationships and/or delivering consultancy.
• Commitment to SEA’s values, feminist ethos, and to Equity, Diversity and Inclusion.
• A collaborator and strong team player.

Essential skills and abilities

• A demonstrable commitment to the values and feminist ethos of SEA, ensuring victim-survivors are at the centre of our work.
• Excellent understanding of the financial services sector and the customer vulnerability agenda, including an understanding of financial services products and services.
• Strong analytical skills to identify gaps and opportunities for improvement in firms’ processes.
• Strong interpersonal skills for developing effective relationships with stakeholders.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills with attention to detail.
• Strong organisational, multi-tasking and administrative skills to meet tight deadlines.
• Self-motivated, able to work independently, within a remote team and flexibly.
• Proficient in IT skills, including Word, Excel, data management, and virtual meeting software.

Desirable

• Experience working with external regulators and sector bodies.
• Experience of conducting gap analyses on key vulnerability metrics such as product service and design, customer service and colleague skills and capabilities, either as a consultant or within a financial services firm.
• A strong understanding of domestic including economic abuse and the ability to consider financial services and products through this lens.

What we offer

• 25 days annual leave, plus 5 Wellbeing Days and Statutory Bank Holidays
• Home based
• Flexible working
• 5% Employer Pension Contribution
• Reflective practice
• Health Cash Plan, including Employee Assistance Programme
• Enhanced sick pay, family leave and carer’s leave
• The chance to be part of our highly professional, supportive team

To apply

Please apply via our online application system. Please also complete our equality and diversity monitoring form.

Closing date for applications: 11.59pm 20 April 2025 (extended from original deadline of 6 April)

Task: Longlisted candidates will be asked to complete a task to assist with further evaluation. This will be a home based task, at a time of your choosing, 26 – 27 April 2025.

Interviews: Interviews will take place, via Teams, 13 – 15 May 2025.

Surviving Economic Abuse (SEA) is committed to developing an inclusive team which reflects the diversity of the communities we support. Our culture celebrates diverse voices, and we particularly encourage applications from Black and global majority applicants and disabled applicants who are under-represented at SEA.