Start your search to find your closest local or specialist agency
Reed's banking recruitment specialists have extensive experience in assisting Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) regulated financial services companies to recruit for a broad range of roles. Whether you need staff for compliance functions, fund management, credit, market and operational risk, trade finance, anti-money laundering (AML), asset management or brokerage roles, we can support you.
Ardmore House, 40 George Street, Edinburgh, Midlothian, EH2 2LE
+ 62 other offices
Office Angels has been providing Office personnel for a broad range of temporary and permanent roles, including Administrators, Executive Assistants, Office Managers, PAs, and Secretaries, since its establishment in 1986. The talent firm caters to a diverse client group in various sectors, such as Accountancy & Finance, Engineering, IT, Legal, Marketing, Sales & Retail. With teams based across 60 locations, they operate nationwide.
Suite 5, Michaelson Square, Livingston, West Lothian, EH54 7DP
+ 20 other offices
Established in 2010, Lutine Bell is a recruitment firm in the UK that provides professionals across the Financial Services sectors. They specialise in Governance, Risk and Compliance. The agency also offers executive search and interim consulting services. They have worked with companies like Bupa, Janus Henderson Investors, Hargreaves Lansdown, and Aviva Investors. The firm has offices in London, Dublin, Edinburgh, and Haywards Heath.
Hudson House 8 Albany Street, Edinburgh, Midlothian, EH1 3QB
+ 3 other offices
Aspire Search Consultants is a trusted recruitment provider of staffing solutions to a broad range of clients across the UK. These include Accountancy & Finance, Legal, and Wealth Management markets. From its office based in Edinburgh, the company selects professionals for a plethora of assignments. Aspire Search also covers the Baking and Mergers & Acquisitions divisions and offers Search & Selection services.
83 Craigleith Hill Avenue, Edinburgh, Midlothian, EH4 2JL
Employers in Lothian will find pay levels influenced by Edinburgh city demand and commuter reach into West, East, and Midlothian. Entry banking assistants and contact centre staff often sit around £23,000 to £28,000, KYC and AML analysts tend to run between £30,000 and £45,000, risk or change analysts can land near £35,000 to £55,000, and compliance officers or managers typically range from £45,000 to £70,000. Contractor day rates vary by programme size and controls exposure, with many projects paying £300 to £600. Temp agencies quote hourly pay for service roles from £13 to £20, depending on shift and weekend coverage. Recruitment fees in the region often fall between 15 percent and 25 percent of starting salary, senior search can be higher, and volume temp supply is usually charged on a margin or uplift on pay rates, so budget planning should factor in agency costs and potential rebates for retention.
Banking recruiters in Lothian commonly look for CISI, ICA, or ACAMS for compliance and financial crime, PRINCE2 or Agile project badges for change, and degree or HNC routes in business, economics, or computing. For retail and business banking, strong customer service credentials, call handling training, and credit risk exposure matter, with onboarding checks for KYC and screening always part of pre start. Candidates who keep CPD current and can evidence recent audit findings or remediation work tend to move faster through recruitment consultants and employment firms.
Lothian benefits from a deep talent pool, yet competition tightens around large programmes in risk, conduct, and payments. When multiple banks and service centres scale at once, recruitment agencies report short supply of mid tier analysts who handle quality assurance, transaction monitoring, and controls testing. Contact centre ramp ups around the A720 and Edinburgh Park can pull candidates from the same catchment, so employers should decide early on shift patterns, hybrid rules, and parking or tram access, which helps retention and hiring speed.
Retail and commercial banking remain the anchor, asset servicing and fund administration add steady demand, and payments, cards, and fintech operations give further lift around city centre clusters. The Exchange District, St Andrew Square, Quartermile, and the wider Edinburgh Park zone shape much of the weekday flow, with operations and support hubs stretching toward Livingston and Bathgate. Recruiters know these pockets well, which helps local employers find employees quickly for both front office and back office needs.
Staffing agencies and recruitment consultants in Lothian handle customer advisors, business banking officers, and mortgage specialists, plus AML analysts, KYC remediation teams, sanctions screening, quality assurance, and fraud operations. They cover risk analysts across credit, operational, and model validation, compliance monitoring, conduct, financial control, reconciliations, and treasury administration. Executive search teams focus on heads of function, SMF holders, and programme leadership for change and regulatory delivery, permanent and contract work both remain active.
Sanctions specialists with strong tooling knowledge, financial crime advisory with policy writing experience, model risk and validation analysts, and payment scheme compliance roles are frequent pinch points. In retail banking, mortgage underwriting with complex income assessment, and complaint resolution leads who can coach teams on vulnerable customer handling, can be slow to hire. Employment firms advise that clear salary bands, training plans, and interview availability cut time to hire and reduce dropouts.
Lothian employers often blend temporary, permanent, and fixed term contracts to meet peaks in remediation or migrations. Temp agencies can stand up teams for transaction look backs and KYC refresh, then taper as milestones pass. For contractors, day rates rise when programme timelines are tight, and drop once steady state returns. Candidates who register with an agency early, bring verified right to work and references, and are open to shifts near tram or rail links, secure faster starts.
Edinburgh city centre draws graduates and experienced hires via Waverley and Haymarket, with strong tram links to Edinburgh Park and the airport corridor. West Lothian hubs near Livingston attract operations talent, with good access via the M8 and the A71. East Lothian towns such as Musselburgh link quickly into the city for early shifts, while Midlothian sites near the A720 make parking a draw. Agencies factor these commuter links into shortlists, which helps reduce early attrition and supports workforce planning.
Banking roles in Lothian range from school leaver service positions to graduate schemes and specialist analyst tracks. Contact centre entrants build toward lending, fraud, or complaints, branch and business banking roles can move into relationship management, and operations analysts can step toward risk, QA, or team lead posts. Candidates who take ICA or CISI modules, and log cross training in payments, lending, or reconciliations, tend to progress faster and hold pay gains over time.
What are typical recruitment fees for banking hires in Lothian.
Many agencies quote 15 percent to 25 percent, senior mandates can be higher.
What notice helps agencies fill roles quickly.
Clear briefs, interview slots, and decision timelines help recruitment agencies move fast.
Can jobseekers register for temp and contract banking work in Lothian.
Yes, register with an agency, bring ID, right to work, and recent references.
Are salaries in Lothian lower than London.
Yes in most cases, yet strong programmes in the city lift pay for risk, AML, and change.
Which parts of Lothian see the most banking roles.
City centre zones, Edinburgh Park, and commuter linked hubs near Livingston draw the most demand.