Principal Adviser, Financial Markets, Market Infrastructure

Mō tēnei tūranga mahi | About this role

• Senior technical specialist role with Capital Markets focus
• Meaningful work within a well-respected team
• Can be based in Auckland CBD or Wellington CBD locations.

The Financial Markets Authority (FMA) plays a critical role in regulating capital markets and financial services in New Zealand, ultimately providing better outcomes for investors, customers, participants, and for the New Zealand economy.

Our purpose is to foster the fairest financial sector in the world. 

The team you would be joining, promote and facilitate the integrity of, and confident participation in the capital markets eco-system. We do this by ensuring key infrastructure providers are fit for purpose and comply with their obligations, from designated clearing and settlement systems (such as NZClear and NZX Clearing), to financial product market operators (such as NZX, Catalist and ASX24).

He angitūtanga: The opportunity 

As our Principal Adviser, you'll be providing deep expert advice for the Market Infrastructure team to provide guidance and expectations of licensing, develop best practice assurance programmes to monitor the compliance of the regulated populations, and to respond to regulatory requests and remit changes.  This expands beyond the parameters of the current regime where, as a technical expert, you will bring a strong understanding of capital markets, follow trends and developments (domestic and international) and consider market settings, in assessing new applications, rule change requests and continually assessing whether the regulatory approach remains fit for purpose. You'll get the opportunity to lead complex and unique/novel work, mentor and train wider team members, and provide subject matter expertise to the wider FMA. 

Our work is interesting, complex at times and plays an important role in ensuring resilience of key financial market infrastructures.

Focus for this role would be on:

• Licensing and exemption assessments of financial product market operators, and providing advice.
• Monitoring licensed market operators, undertaking and publishing reviews of compliance with obligations and approving/declining rule change requests. An example of such work can be found here, being the reviews of NZX as New Zealand's largest market operator.
• Monitoring of designated clearing and settlement systems (joint with RBNZ).
• Wider research and landscape scanning, and monitoring market trends and developments.
• Implementing and/or driving regulatory change.
• Continually monitoring and enhancing monitoring frameworks and protocols, and how our approach may need to evolve with respect to ever changing landscapes.
• Providing subject matter expertise to the team and wider FMA, being experienced to make assessments and judgements on compliance, rule change requests, applications, balancing various perspectives in ensuring we support fairness, transparency and robustness.
• Facilitating innovation and growth.

About you - Ō pūkenga

This is a great opportunity for a technically excellent individual with a good knowledge of laws and regulations relevant to Capital Markets. You could be an experienced regulator, lawyer, have worked within the relevant industry, or have developed and implemented assurance/compliance monitoring programmes, systems and practices. Here are some of the transferable skills you'd likely need to succeed in the role: 

• A drive, enthusiasm, self-motivation, with the confidence and initiative to operate without direction from others. 
• A desire to lead, coach, and encourage others to extend themselves and exercise their thinking and decision-making skills.
• Strong understanding of regulation, capital markets, market trends and developments.
• An ability to quickly and efficiently learn new content and processes.
• Strong analytical, critical thinking and reasoning skills.
• Well-developed interpersonal, communication and influencing skills.
• A genuine motivation for ensuring that key financial market infrastructure providers are fit for purpose.

Ngā āhuatanga kei a mātou: What we offer  

Here at the FMA, we are passionate about providing our employees with the opportunity to make an impact in a place where the quality of our work and the measure of our influence is second to none.  We are committed to providing a dynamic, well-balanced and inspiring work environment to see you develop and succeed.  

We offer flexible working arrangements and a variety of wellness activities. A strong emphasis is placed on your life outside the workplace, and diversity and inclusion are championed in an environment where we all have the opportunity to reach our full potential. 

Keen to learn more?  

The position description is available by clicking the links in "more details" below or visiting our careers site: https://careers.fma.govt.nz/home.  For further information please contact Cath Scott on cath.scott@fma.govt.nz

Applications close Sunday 12 May 2024