FCA Authorisation Consultant for Debt Collection

Quidchase is a newly formed UK debt collection company. We need to apply for FCA authorisation (full permission) to carry out debt collecting activities, and we're looking for an experienced consultant to guide us through the application from start to finish.

Scope of work:

Confirm the exact regulated activities and permissions we need (debt collecting, and debt administration if applicable)
Draft or review our Regulatory Business Plan (RBP), covering target market, customer journey, contact strategy, and conduct risk framework
Advise on and help draft required policies: affordability assessment, treating customers fairly/vulnerable customers, complaints handling, financial crime controls
Support with Form A submissions for Senior Managers (SM&CR)
Review our 3–5 year financial forecasts for FCA compliance
Guide us through submission on the FCA's Connect system
Handle or advise on responses to FCA follow-up queries during review

Deliverables:

Completed, submission-ready RBP and supporting policy documents
Guidance notes on SM&CR roles and Form A completion
Ongoing advisory support until authorisation is granted or the application is finalised

Ideal background:

Prior experience with FCA consumer credit authorisation, ideally specifically debt collection/debt purchase firms
Familiarity with CONC, DISP, Consumer Duty, and SM&CR
Former FCA case officer or in-house compliance experience is a strong plus