Senior Director, Market Strategy & Research

The Senior Director, Market Strategy & Research provides critical leadership in proactive regulatory risk assessment and the development of regulatory strategy. This role is essential to enabling Surveillance to effectively develop regulatory strategy informed by market conditions and developments, as well as achieving the goals and priorities of the department.

Essential Job Functions (5-8 key functions)

• Work closely with the head of Surveillance Operations and the senior management team to effectively conduct continuous qualitative research into market conditions and developments.
• Manage an analyst to develop and deliver highly specialized reports on a regular basis concerning critical regulatory issues and trends for the senior management team and Regulatory Ops business lines.
• Assess issues that impact the department and determine the proper course of action. Identify, assess, and analyze high risk and urgent issues requiring the attention of senior leadership and present such issues in an organized and succinct manner.
• Develop and maintain effective relationships with senior leaders throughout the organization and with external FINRA constituents including the SEC, other regulators, and market participants as needed.
• Develop and manage Surveillance environmental SWOT analysis and provide corresponding support to strategic goal development.
• Identify, develop, and respond to rule change management issues to include rules impact analysis, for key stakeholders in Regulatory Programs and within department.
• Evaluate business unit structures and processes and assess issues that serve as barriers to operational effectiveness and efficiency. Drive decisions and steer implementation involving the creation of new programs and improvements or streamlining of existing programs.
• Work with the senior management team on SEC oversight inspections and FINRA internal audits.
• Develop presentations and reports as needed, including for the board and Management Committee.
• Represent senior leadership at meetings and events with internal and external stakeholders when necessary.
• Work with counterparts across the organization to help prepare for and respond to significant market events.
• Work with other FINRA departments including Investor Education and Corporate Communications to formulate FINRA’s response to issues and trends that pose a risk of ongoing investor harm.
• Lead Surveillance’s engagement with Enterprise Risk Management, providing senior-level input on enterprise risk assessments concerning Regulatory Ops.
• Demonstration of FINRA’s values.
• Collaboration, both in-person and virtually, in furtherance of FINRA’s mission of investor protection and market integrity.

Education/Experience Requirements:

• Bachelor's Degree and a minimum of ten (10) years of experience in securities, compliance or financial regulation required, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
• MBA, JD, other graduate degree and/or relevant industry certification(s) preferred.
• Functional knowledge of FINRA's risk hierarchy and how it relates to Regulatory Ops strategic goals and operations.
• Advanced knowledge of rule changes and interpretations and how they relate to regulatory operations.
• Advanced knowledge of industry wide events and trends.
• Proven record of creating and providing executive level reporting using metrics, analysis, and data analytics.
• Experience making internal and external presentations as a subject matter expert.
• Substantial knowledge of, and experience with, the regulation and operation of U.S. broker-dealers, as well as familiarity with the broader landscape of financial regulation. Experience with securities market structure issues, associated data, regulations and/or market surveillance business processes is strongly preferred.
• Proven record of acting independently in an unstructured environment to identify and address challenges, make risk-based decisions, develop new initiatives, and strengthen existing programs.
• Strong collaborator and team builder, with excellent written and verbal communication, interpersonal, and presentation skills.
• Exceptional organizational skills, with attention to detail and an ability to administer multiple complex assignments concurrently and execute against tight deadlines.
• Excellent leadership skills, including the ability to interact effectively and in a positive manner with people from a variety of backgrounds in order to reach timely, informed decisions.
• Proven record of project management, process improvement and goal attainment skills, as well as producing high quality written work products.

Work Conditions:

• Hybrid work environment, with defined in-person presence requirements.

For work that is performed in Los Angeles and San Francisco, CA, CO, FL, TX, IL, PA, MA, MD, VA, Washington, DC, NY and NJ, please refer to the chart below for the salary range for the corresponding location. FINRA complies with all state and local pay transparency laws and regulations requiring the disclosure of salary ranges for the position. In addition to location, actual compensation is based on various factors, including but not limited to, the candidate’s skill set, level of experience, education, and market considerations.

Los Angeles, CA: Minimum Salary $225,000, Maximum Salary $338,000

San Francisco, CA: Minimum Salary $235,00, Maximum Salary $353,000

CO/FL/TX: Minimum Salary $158,000, Maximum Salary $308,900

IL/PA: Minimum Salary $173,600, Maximum Salary $340,200

MA/MD/VA/Washington, DC: Minimum Salary $181,500, Maximum Salary $355,400

NY/NJ: Minimum Salary $181,500, Maximum Salary $370,700

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