Director, Financial Innovation at FINRA in Washington, Washington DC

Job Description:

The mission of FINRA’s Office of Financial Innovation (the “Office”) is to serve as a central point within FINRA for financial technology (fintech) innovation matters, to identify and analyze emerging trends in the securities industry, and to facilitate awareness of and responses to these issues. The Office contains two branches: a Financial Innovation branch designed to collaborate with teams across FINRA to promote engagement with the industry, regulators, investors, and other stakeholders on matters involving significant financial innovation; and an Emerging Trends branch, designed to collect and analyze information related to emerging risks and trends that may affect FINRA and its regulatory programs.

As a Director within the Financial Innovation Branch, they will perform both a procedural and substantive role in the Office by (1) managing various programs, projects and other initiatives coordinated by the Office, including various FINRA cross-departmental initiatives; and (2) participating in the formulation and implementation of the appropriate regulatory response to financial innovations and other emerging issues.

The Director also works independently to define the scope of applicable projects, as well as obtain expertise in relevant areas by engaging with relevant market participants, reviewing academic literature and other sources, and analyzing related data, in order to serve as resource on specific financial innovations and other emerging areas in the securities industry to various departments throughout FINRA.

Essential Job Functions:

• Research, analyze and report on new benefits and risks, market trends, and business practices, focusing on innovation issues that may influence investors or market participants or may impact FINRA and its regulatory programs, including the areas of products, business models, and market practices in the securities industry. For example, financial innovations and other emerging areas for analysis could include artificial intelligence, distributed ledger technology, big data analytics and associated developments in the swaps market, changes to securities market structure, and trends in certain securities product classes such as ETFs.


• Support examination and enforcement efforts by providing research and insight on market developments that may influence or inform their work.


• Facilitate the development of risk priorities for FINRA by providing contributions to the cross-department reports.


• Facilitate and coordinate outreach to industry participants, research analysts, academics, and other regulators on matters pertaining to emerging regulatory issues.


• Compile and provide analysis related to new products in conjunction with an independent industry survey and provide intelligence on certain firms.


• Develop presentations, publications, and other written work product related to emerging issues so as to facilitate awareness of and responses to those issues throughout FINRA.


• Regularly presents on financial innovations and other emerging areas of interest to FINRA’s CEO and other senior management.


• Represents FINRA in various forums such conference panels, leading discussion with regulators (such as the SEC and CFTC), and leading meetings with FINRA members to address various issues in the securities market representing FINRA.


• Responsible for keeping the Senior Director (“Head”) of the Office of Financial Innovation apprised of the progress of relevant initiatives.


• Draft publications on financial innovations and other emerging issues in the securities market that would be distributed to FINRA’s Board, senior management and staff, as well as reports that would be made available to outside groups.


• Train FINRA staff.

Other Responsibilities:

The Director also works with the Senior Director (“Head”) of the Office of Financial Innovation to:

• Identify and manage new programs for gathering regulatory intelligence.


• Formulate responses to address to emerging issues.

Education/Experience Requirements:

• Must have both project management and policy-related experience.


• Bachelor’s degree in a related field is required; an MBA, J.D. or Economics PhD is preferred.


• A minimum of nine (9) years of experience, including three (3) years of directly related experience and experience managing multiple projects, or similar, is required.


• Securities industry or regulatory experience is preferred.


• Competency with desktop computers, Microsoft Word and Excel required.


• Experience with Bloomberg, PowerPoint and SharePoint are a plus.


• Excellent writing, communication and interpersonal skills are required.

Working Conditions:

• Work is normally performed in an office environment.


• Occasional travel may be required.


• Extended hours may be required.

To be considered for this position, please submit an application.

The information provided above has been designed to indicate the general nature and level of work of the position. It is not a comprehensive inventory of all duties, responsibilities and qualifications required.

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In addition to a competitive salary, comprehensive health and welfare benefits, and incentive compensation, FINRA offers immediate participation and vesting in a 401(k) plan with company match. You will also be eligible for participation in an additional FINRA-funded retirement contribution, our tuition reimbursement program and many other benefits. If you would like to contribute to our important mission and work collegially in a professional organization that values intelligence, integrity and initiative, consider a career with FINRA.

Important Information

FINRA’s Code of Conduct imposes restrictions on employees’ investments and requires financial disclosures that are uniquely related to our role as a securities regulator. FINRA employees are required to disclose to FINRA all brokerage accounts that they maintain, and those in which they control trading or have a financial interest (including any trust account of which they are a trustee or beneficiary and all accounts of a spouse, domestic partner or minor child who lives with the employee) and to authorize their broker-dealers to provide FINRA with duplicate statements for all of those accounts. All of those accounts are subject to the Code’s investment and securities account restrictions, and new employees must comply with those investment restrictions—including disposing of any security issued by a company on FINRA’s Prohibited Company List or obtaining a written waiver from their Executive Vice President—by the date they begin employment with FINRA. Employees may only maintain securities accounts that must be disclosed to FINRA at one or more securities firms that provide an electronic feed (e-feed) of data to FINRA, and must move securities accounts from other securities firms to a firm that provides an e-feed within three months of beginning employment.

You can read more about these restrictions here.

As standard practice, employees must also execute FINRA’s Employee Confidentiality and Invention Assignment Agreement without qualification or modification and comply with the company’s policy on nepotism.

Search Firm Representatives

Please be advised that FINRA is not seeking assistance or accepting unsolicited resumes from search firms for this employment opportunity. Regardless of past practice, a valid written agreement and task order must be in place before any resumes are submitted to FINRA. All resumes submitted by search firms to any employee at FINRA without a valid written agreement and task order in place will be deemed the sole property of FINRA and no fee will be paid in the event that person is hired by FINRA.

FINRA is an Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action Employer

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, citizenship status, color, disability, marital status, national origin, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, veteran status or any other classification protected by federal state or local laws as appropriate, or upon the protected status of the person’s relatives, friends or associates.

FINRA abides by the requirements of 41 CFR 60-741.5(a). This regulation prohibits discrimination against qualified individuals on the basis of disability, and requires affirmative action by covered prime contractors and subcontractors to employ and advance in employment qualified individuals with disabilities.

FINRA abides by the requirements of 41 CFR 60-300.5(a). This regulation prohibits discrimination against qualified protected veterans, and requires affirmative action by covered prime contractors and subcontractors to employ and advance in employment qualified protected veterans.

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