Principal Counsel, Regulatory

The Principal Counsel in Office of General Counsel (OGC), Regulatory Policy renders legal advice and support in connection with the complete life cycle of new regulatory initiatives and serves as subject matter resource in one or more areas of legal expertise. This position is an experienced individual contributor who demonstrates increasing subject matter expertise and independence.

Essential Job Functions:

• Assists in providing advice to the Board of Governors and FINRA advisory committees with respect to regulatory initiatives and rule changes under consideration by the Board.
• Assists in briefing and communicating regulatory initiatives to senior executives of FINRA. Must be able to provide such analysis under urgent deadlines.
• Serves as a source of legal expertise within FINRA in subject areas and provides advice on questions in these subject areas.
• Prepares Board materials that contain sophisticated analyses and discussions of competing policy or political considerations necessary for the informed judgment of the issues by the Board.
• Reviews and drafts new rule proposals, with increased independence; gathers and incorporates views of industry participants, other regulators, senior staff and other interested parties; and prepares rule filings to the SEC.
• Works with Regulatory Economics and Market Analysis (REMA) in conducting economic impact assessments of rulemakings.
• Participates in meetings with senior staff of SEC, industry groups and other interested parties concerning regulatory initiatives.
• Presents at regulatory policy public conferences and meetings of FINRA advisory committees on areas of subject matter expertise, as required.
• Prepares Regulatory Notices, rule guidance and other correspondence with member firms, their outside counsel and other interested parties.
• Conducts legal and other research into matters of regulatory policy as necessary to (1) develop rule proposals and to respond to internal and external comments, and (2) respond to interpretive and exemptive requests.
• Collaborates across OGC to identify and present original, creative, innovative and sophisticated solutions and proposals for changes to existing rules, including the elimination or reduction of unnecessary regulation and the adoption of new rules.
• Keeps abreast of and analyzes SEC, industry and other self-regulatory organization initiatives, and develops and maintains strong working relationships with SEC staff and other regulators.
• Demonstrates FINRA’s values.
• Collaborates, both in-person and virtually, in furtherance of FINRA’s mission of investor protection and market integrity.

Education/Experience Requirements:

• A law degree and appropriately licensed to practice law in all applicable jurisdictions based on the relevant licensing requirements.

• A minimum of six (6) years of directly related legal experience.

• Advanced working knowledge of laws, rules, and regulations governing the securities industry.

• Strong organizational skills.

• Excellent oral and written communication skills.

• Excellent judgment, analytical, and interpersonal skills.

Work Conditions:

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

• Occasional travel and extended hours may be required.

For work that is performed in 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. 

CO/FL/TX: Minimum Salary $114,200, Maximum Salary $207,200

IL/PA: Minimum Salary $125,900, Maximum Salary $228,000
MA/MD/VA/Washington, DC: Minimum Salary $131,200, Maximum Salary $238,300

NY/NJ: Minimum Salary $131,200, Maximum Salary $248,700

#LI-Hybrid

To be considered for this position, please submit an application. Applications are accepted on an ongoing basis.

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.

Please note: If the “Apply Now” button on a job board posting does not take you directly to the FINRA Careers site, enter www.finra.org/careers into your browser to reach our site directly.

Employees may be eligible for a discretionary bonus in addition to base pay. Non-exempt employees are also eligible for overtime pay in accordance with federal, state, or local law. As part of its dedication to employee wellness, FINRA provides comprehensive health, dental and vision insurance. Additional insurance includes basic life, accidental death and dismemberment, supplemental life, spouse/domestic partner and dependent life, and spouse/domestic partner and dependent accidental death and dismemberment, short- and long-term disability, long-term care, business travel accident, disability and legal. FINRA offers immediate participation and vesting in a 401(k) plan with company match and eligibility for participation in an additional FINRA-funded retirement contribution, tuition reimbursement, commuter benefits, and other benefits that support employee wellness, such as adoption assistance, backup family care, surrogacy benefits, employee assistance, and wellness programs.

Time Off and Paid Leave*

FINRA encourages its employees to focus on their health and wellness in many ways, including through a generous time-off program of 15 days of paid time off, 5 personal days and 9 sick days, unless otherwise required by law (all pro-rated in the first year). Additionally, we are proud to support our communities by providing two volunteer service days (based on full-time schedule). Other paid leave includes military leave, jury duty leave, bereavement leave, voting and election official leave for federal, state or local primary and general elections, care of a family member leave (available after 90 days of employment); and childbirth and parental leave (available after 90 days of employment). Full-time employees receive nine paid holidays.

*Based on full-time schedule

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 Employer

All qualified applicants receive consideration for employment without regard to any legally protected category, including race, color, age, national origin, ethnicity, religion, disability, genetic information, military or veteran status, sex, or any other status or classification protected by state or local law.

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