Send Us Your Brief

Use the form below, email us or call. A few lines is enough to start. We’ll ask for anything else we need when we speak.

What Helps Us Most

You don’t need a formal job description to get started. If you can tell us the following, we’ll be able to give you a useful view straight away. If you don’t know some of the answers yet, that’s fine; working them out is part of what we do.

About Your Firm

• The firm’s name, or a description if you’d prefer to stay anonymous at first.
• What the firm does and who its customers are.
• Whether it’s already authorised, applying for authorisation or changing its permissions.
• Its tier under the regime (Limited Scope, Core or Enhanced), and whether it’s solo-regulated or dual-regulated by the FCA and PRA. Our guide to which SMFs apply at each firm tier can help if you’re not sure.

About the Role

• The Senior Manager Function or functions involved, such as SMF1 Chief Executive, SMF9 Chair, SMF4 Chief Risk, SMF16 and SMF17 or SMF24 Chief Operations.
• Any Prescribed Responsibilities that will come with it.
• Whether the role is permanent, interim or fractional, and the time commitment for a part-time role.
• Where the role is based and your expectations on office attendance.
• The package you have in mind, even as a range.

About Your Timing

• Why the role is open: a new position, a planned succession, an unexpected departure or an authorisation deadline.
• When you need someone in post, and whether the current holder is working their notice.
• Whether you need interim cover while the permanent search runs.

If the role isn’t a Senior Manager Function, or you’re not sure whether it should be, tell us anyway. We’ll give you a straight answer and, where another practice in our network is better placed to help, we’ll make the introduction ourselves.

What Happens Next

1. We respond the same working day. Adrian Lawrence FCA or a member of the team will come back to you to arrange a call at a time that suits you.
2. An initial conversation. Usually 20 to 30 minutes. We’ll talk through the role, your firm, the regulatory context and your timing, and give you an honest view of the candidate market.
3. A clear proposal. We’ll confirm how we’d approach the search, the likely timetable, and our terms, in writing and before any work begins.
4. Brief against the Statement of Responsibilities. Once you’re happy to proceed, we build the specification around what the new Senior Manager will actually be accountable for, not just the job title.
5. Search and fit and proper pre-assessment. We approach candidates directly and in confidence, and test each one against the fit and proper test before they reach your shortlist.
6. Through to approval and day one. We support regulatory references and the application, and stay involved until your new Senior Manager is approved and in post.

For a realistic view of how long each stage takes, see our guide to how long an SMF appointment actually takes.

Common Situations We Help With

A Senior Manager Has Just Resigned

If a Senior Manager has handed in their notice, time matters. Responsibilities need to be reallocated, the regulator notified, and the search started quickly enough to avoid a long gap. We can often arrange interim or fractional cover within days while the permanent search runs. Our article on the first 30 days after a Senior Manager resigns sets out what needs to happen.

You’re Applying for FCA Authorisation

The people named in an authorisation application can make or break it. We help founders assemble a Senior Manager team the regulator can rely on, planned around the submission date. See SMF authorisation support.

You’re Building a Board or a Larger Senior Team

Firms moving from Core to Enhanced status, or refreshing their board after investment or acquisition, often need several Senior Managers at once. We coordinate those searches so the appointments and approvals fit together. See our multi-SMF team build service.

You Need Part-Time Oversight

Smaller firms often don’t need a full-time compliance officer, MLRO or risk lead. A fractional Senior Manager can give the right level of oversight at a proportionate cost, provided the arrangement genuinely works for the firm’s size and risks. We’ll tell you honestly whether it’s the right answer.

You’re an Overseas Firm Opening a UK Branch

Overseas firms need an SMF19 Head of Third Country Branch the regulators can rely on from day one. See our overseas firms page.

You’re Not Sure What You Need

Sometimes the right first step is to check whether responsibilities are allocated correctly before recruiting at all. A governance and SMF structure review can clarify who should hold what, and whether a new appointment is needed.

Confidentiality

Many Senior Manager searches are sensitive. The incumbent may not yet know they’re being replaced, the firm may not want competitors or its own staff to know about a vacancy, or the role may be linked to a transaction or a regulatory matter. We treat every brief in confidence. We approach candidates without naming your firm until the right point in the process, and only with your agreement. If you’d prefer to discuss the role without naming the firm at first, that’s fine.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is there a charge for the initial conversation?

No. The first conversation is free and without obligation. If you decide to go ahead, we’ll set out our terms in writing before starting any work.

How quickly can you start?

Usually straight away. For urgent situations, such as an unexpected departure, we can often begin approaching candidates within a day or two of agreeing the brief.

Do you work outside London?

Yes. We work with regulated firms across the UK, with particular focus on London, Birmingham and Bristol, and with overseas firms hiring into the UK.

Can you help with roles that aren’t Senior Manager Functions?

Yes, through our network. FD Capital covers finance directors and CFOs, Exec Capital covers C-suite search, NED Capital covers non-executive appointments and Accountancy Capital covers qualified finance professionals below director level.

Will you tell us if the role won’t get approved?

Yes. If we think a candidate, or the role as designed, is likely to face difficulty with the regulator, we’ll say so early, while there’s still time to address it.