Reports to: Chief Executive
Line manages: Head of Performance & Oversight Statutory Decisions Lead
Role Purpose
The Director of Regulatory Oversight is a new post of critical importance to the LSB’s mission and new organisational structure. This postholder will lead a new directorate, which will bring together different teams into a single functional area, to discharge the Legal Services Board’s statutory regulatory oversight function during a critical period for the legal services sector.
The role is vital to delivering the LSB’s ambition to operate a more risk‑based, evidence‑led and outcomes‑focused approach to regulatory oversight, enabling effective and timely intervention where necessary. The successful candidate will help build and sustain a high performing team with deep insight into the activity of the regulators we oversee, to help support proportionate and effective oversight.
The postholder will lead the newly established Regulatory Oversight Directorate, providing senior leadership, accountability, and strategic direction. This role is central to securing better outcomes for consumers by improving regulator performance, including where enforcement action is required, and to achieving the Board’s priorities.
Challenges and Opportunities
In the coming year, the Director, Regulatory Oversight will address several interconnected challenges, including:
- Maintaining oversight of regulators under enforcement action to drive rapid and sustained performance improvements.
- Meeting rising public and stakeholder expectations that oversight regulation is effective in protecting consumers, while enabling sustainable economic growth of the sector.
- Embedding a more proactive, intelligence led approach to oversight regulation, enabling earlier identification of potential issues and proactive steps to address them.
- Strengthening organisational resilience, continuity, and capability in this key area of our operations.
Key Responsibilities
Strategic Leadership
- Provide strategic leadership for regulatory oversight, reflecting its status as a top organisational priority.
- Serve as a senior leader, contributing to corporate leadership, risk management, and decision-making.
- Lead and embed the LSB’s revised approach to regulatory oversight, ensuring consistent, proportionate, and effective application.
Regulatory Oversight and Decision‑Making
- Oversee regulatory reviews, monitoring, and statutory decision-making to ensure processes are robust, timely, legally sound, and focused on improving outcomes for consumers and the public.
- Maintain ongoing scrutiny of regulators under enforcement to support rapid and tangible performance improvements.
- Ensuring our approach to regulatory oversight is intelligence-led and risk-based, to ensure scrutiny is placed where it is most needed, while lifting burdens on regulators who perform well.
Delivery and Coordination
- Ensure regulatory oversight is well coordinated across the organisation and aligned with Board priorities and statutory obligations.
- Lead a review of the LSB’s Regulatory Performance Assessment framework in 2027/28 to ensure that it remains fit for purpose.
- Provide assurance to the Board on the effectiveness, consistency, and impact of regulatory oversight.
- Ensure that the LSB’s approach to statutory decisions is outcomes-focused and risk-based.
Leadership and People Management
- Lead and develop the Regulatory Oversight Directorate, building capability, resilience and institutional knowledge.
- Provide clear direction, support, and challenge to senior managers and teams to ensure high performance and effective prioritisation.
- Foster an inclusive, supportive, and high-performing culture aligned with LSB values.
Stakeholder Engagement
- Lead senior-level engagement with approved regulators, representative bodies, and other key stakeholders on matters relating to regulatory oversight.
- Serve as a credible and authoritative voice for the LSB on regulatory oversight matters.