Assistant General Counsel, Compliance at FINRA in Washington, Washington DC

Job Description:

The objectives of ECO are to help protect FINRA as “the second line of defense” in FINRA’s compliance responsibilities, to create policies and procedures to help ensure that the corporation’s employees act with integrity and in an ethical manner, and to help ensure that FINRA responds diligently to supervisory reviews and findings.

Essential Job Functions:

• Provide crucial thought-leadership and action in the creation and implementation of FINRA’s Compliance Program, to include development of various aspects of the program over time as the program evolves, which may including enterprise compliance, risk assessment and testing program, a policies, procedures and training program, an ad-hoc legal and compliance issues program, and a regulatory change management program, among others.


• Independently plan, prioritize, and implement strategies for building out the overall program, as well as its various sub-components; show a demonstrated facility for championing approaches, as well as resilience in the face of potential road-blocks.


• Invoke proven leadership skills to achieve consensus among disparate business lines and senior managers, working seamlessly across departmental divides to influence outcomes.


• Design, promote and implement appropriate consistency of approach to policies and procedures across the operating departments, as well as quality assurance testing of these policies and procedures.


• Working closely with senior management of all departments, design and implement both enterprise-wide and targeted training regarding legal and compliance topics based on trends across the company and SROs generally.


• Actively guide FINRA’s operational departments in responding to legal and compliance issues that are escalated to ECO.


• Initiate and maintain close contact with the other offices within ECO, with other second-line offices, such as Enterprise Risk Management, and with FINRA’s third-line Internal Audit Office.


• Develop strong and productive relationships with SEC staff, acting as a trusted point of contact for compliance-related questions; lead and facilitate compliance-related meetings with SEC staff; and


• Produce reports to the CCO, the Office of the Chief Legal Officer, the Office of the CEO, FINRA’s senior management committees and the Audit Committee of the Board of Governors on FINRA’s annual compliance priorities and the effectiveness of FINRA’s compliance program. 


• Serve as a source of legal and compliance expertise within FINRA in subject areas and provide advice on questions in these subject areas


• Manage and conduct legal and compliance research into matters of regulatory policy and compliance as necessary to, among other things (1) develop compliance plans, and (2) respond to compliance issues and concerns.


• Manage a team of professionals who identify and analyze compliance issues and support the development of mitigation strategies.


• Directs teams and individuals focused on delivering high quality results within one or more major compliance functions


• Coordinates assignment of staff; mentors and develops staff; responsible for staff performance management and training.

Other Responsibilities:

• Develop communications for ECO.


• Oversee, lead or participate in ad hoc special projects and initiatives, as requested.


• Directly supervise compliance officers and other compliance staff, as directed by the CCO or DCCO.

Education/Experience Requirements:

• Law degree from an accredited law school, admission to a bar, and a minimum of 10 years of the following types of experience:  compliance specializing in financial institution regulation, overseeing compliance functions in a registered broker-dealer, supervision of compliance functions with a government agency or self-regulatory organization, providing detailed compliance guidance in a consulting role to financial institutions, or a combination of these functions or similar experience.


• Supervisory experience strongly preferred.


• Advanced knowledge of securities industry rules and regulations, financial markets, and brokerage firm operations is desirable.


• Excellent oral and written communication skills.  


• Excellent leadership and interpersonal skills.

Working Conditions:

• Work is normally performed in an office environment.


• Some travel is required.


• Extended hours may also 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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Employees may be eligible for a discretionary bonus in addition to base pay. FINRA also provides a variety of benefits including comprehensive health and welfare benefits, life and disability insurance, paid holidays, vacation, personal, and sick leave. 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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