Virtual Currency Manager (Director Financial Services Programs 1, SG-31)

Virtual Currency Manager

The New York State Department of Financial Services seeks to build an equitable, transparent, and resilient financial system that benefits individuals and supports business. Through engagement, data-driven regulation and policy, and operational excellence, the Department and its employees are responsible for empowering consumers and protecting them from financial harm; ensuring the health of the entities we regulate; driving economic growth in New York through responsible innovation; and preserving the stability of the global financial system.

The Department of Financial Services (DFS) is seeking candidates for the position of Virtual Currency Manager in the Virtual Currency Unit within the Research and Innovation Division. The Virtual Currency Manager serves as a commissioned examiner for regulated Virtual Currency entities, including companies holding licenses to engage in virtual currency business activities ("BitLicenses"). The successful candidate must be available to travel within and outside of New York State.

Duties will include, but not be limited to, some or all of the following:

• Conducts on-going, risk-based examination and monitoring activities, including desk-based and onsite exams, cadence meetings, and ad hoc supervisory engagements for the purpose of ensuring DFS-regulated Virtual Currency entities comply with relevant laws, regulations, guidance, and supervisory expectations.
• Reviews Licensees' coin listing procedures, anti-fraud and market-manipulation, BSA/AML, governance, compliance, risk management, etc. policies and procedures.
• Leads aspects of the examination and monitoring process and possibly supervises the work of colleagues in the Virtual Currency Unit.
• Reviews prior examination reports, and periodic reports submitted by institution(s) to become informed of specific problem areas, overall financial condition, management of institution(s) and to plan examination and monitoring activities.
• Meets with the management of Licensees to address ad hoc matters, discuss scope of examinations and findings, request information and materials, and to maintain an understanding of the institution's operations and the scale and scope of its business.
• Reviews examination report schedules and work papers prepared by other examiners to determine adherence of institutions to sound financial practices and legal requirements.
• Edits analyses of others and prepares comprehensive field examination reports, including general findings, specific comments on problem areas and management response.
• Discusses findings with management and obtains their responses to comments on the operation of their institution.
• Remains up to date with laws, regulations, policies, and examination procedures of federal or other regulatory authorities relevant to the Virtual Currency Unit, including serving as a DFS policy lead in such capacity as required.
• Leads and supports the build-out of or enhancements to internal policies and procedures related to the BitLicense examinations and monitoring processes, such as examination manuals and internal best-practices.
• Remains up-to-date on best practices in the examination and monitoring of financial institutions, including those that deal with Virtual Currency, including skills involving blockchain monitoring and blockchain analytics; transaction sampling for purposes including the validation of transaction monitoring and sanctions screening systems; the verification of claimed Virtual Currency holdings; validation of stablecoin backing assets; auditing of the self-certification of coin listings by regulated companies; and observation of the application of anti-fraud and market-manipulation policies and procedures.
• Leads and supports special projects and license application reviews.
• Communicates with and presents to senior and executive management, both orally and in written memoranda and presentations, concerning analyses of issues and/or recommending DFS action on any issues encountered in connection with the above.
• Supports the Virtual Currency Unit's ongoing supervisory relationships with BitLicense and limited purpose trust charter applicants, licensees, and key industry and public stakeholders.
• Supports strategy and policy initiatives relevant to the Virtual Currency Unit.
• Contributes to the development and maintenance of an effective annual supervisory plan.
• Coaches and mentors team members and contributes to the development of ongoing training plans.
• Travel may be required up to 25%.

Preferred Qualifications

Subject-matter expertise and/or experience in one or more of the following are not required, but are preferred:

• Virtual currency;
• BSA/AML, OFAC, and related laws, regulations, and best practices;
• Cybersecurity laws, regulations, and issues;
• Internal controls/governance;
• Financial analysis;
• Accounting; and
• The use of blockchain analytics software.

Appointment method:

Candidates must meet the minimum qualifications listed below in order to be eligible for appointment.

Non Competitive: Eleven years of financial services experience** with EITHER a regulated entity who has a regional, national, and/or international presence; OR a governmental regulatory entity. This experience must include practical and technical knowledge about State, federal and/or international financial services laws, rules and regulations. Two years of the experience must have been at a managerial level.

Substitutions: An associate degree may substitute for two years of experience; a bachelor's degree may substitute for four years of experience; a master's degree may substitute for five years of experience; and a doctorate may substitute for six years of experience.

*Acceptable Degrees: accounting, actuarial sciences, auditing, banking, business, business administration, business and technology, commerce, computer information systems, computer science, consumer sciences, criminal justice, cyber security, econometrics, economics, finance, financial administration, health, health administration, information systems, information systems engineering, information technology, internal controls, international or public affairs, law, market analysis, mathematics, public administration, public policy, risk management, statistics, taxation, or technology.

** Qualifying professional financial services experience is defined to include, but may not be limited to related experience gained with public accounting/auditing firms; cyber security and intrusion detection/mitigation firms; law firms, lobbying firms and consulting firms/companies; risk assessment, asset hedging and loss control firms; commodities markets, virtual currency and credit scoring; currency markets/exchanges, bond markets, stock markets and money markets; hedge funds, mutual funds, investment houses and rating firms; business valuation, stock valuation, and cash management; wealth management, wealth portfolio, and trust companies/corporations; firms with a nexus to corporate mergers, acquisitions, management and accounting; mortgage backed securities, swaps and swap valuation; underwriting, policyholder services and claims services; workers' compensation, income protection plans, gap insurance and liability coverage; property/casualty insurance, life insurance and health insurance; retirement/savings plans such as social security, pension plans, Roth IRA, 527 Plans, 401(k) Plans, 403(b) Plans, annuities and related income tax savings vehicles; fair lending practices and urban analysis; public finance/financial management and taxation, central bank, tax, tariff and trade; and monetary policy, monetary reform and investment theory.

Salary: The starting salary for this position is $131,256 with periodic increases up to $159,784. Positions located within the New York City metropolitan area, as well as Suffolk, Nassau, Rockland, and Westchester Counties, are also eligible to receive an additional $4,000 annual downstate adjustment. Appointment Status: Permanent. Appointment to this position is pending Governor Appointment's Office and Division of Budget approval.