Director, Enforcement

Legal & Accounting
8 - 10 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • Bachelor's degree with a minimum of 10 years' experience in securities regulation, compliance, or litigation.
  • Law degree and licensed to practice law in relevant jurisdictions.
  • Proven ability to handle complex investigations involving securities law violations.
  • Demonstrated experience in managing and leading a team environment.
  • Knowledge of federal securities laws, particularly the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 is advantageous.
  • Certification such as FINRA Securities Industry Essentials (SIE) required within specified timeframe.

Responsibilities

  • Oversee and manage Enforcement attorneys to ensure high-quality, timely outcomes.
  • Monitor and assess case progression and resource needs for rapid resolution.
  • Facilitate teamwork between attorneys and other FINRA departments, ensuring effective information sharing.
  • Prioritize staff assignments and resolve conflicts within staff dockets in a collaborative manner.
  • Provide guidance on proposed regulatory outcomes, ensuring consistency in decision-making.
  • Supervise litigated matters, including trial preparation and strategy development.
  • Communicate effectively with senior management about potential legal and policy issues.

Benefits

  • Comprehensive health, dental, and vision insurance, with additional insurance offerings.
  • 401(k) plan with immediate participation and company match.
  • Generous paid time off including 15 vacation days, personal days, and sick days.
  • Support for employee wellness, including a variety of supplemental benefits.
  • Paid volunteer service days and holidays, promoting community involvement.
Full Job Description
The Enforcement Director manages a team of 5-8 Enforcement attorneys developing and resolving Enforcement cases through all stages, from inception to completion. The Director is the day-to-day manager of a large and diverse docket of cases, responsible for ensuring that the outcome in every matter is supported by complete, accurate and well-supported factual findings applied to a clear legal framework. The Director is also responsible for monitoring the aging and progress of cases to ensure that matters are resolved promptly and prioritized appropriately using FINRA’s risk-based approach. The Director works closely with the Chief Counsel and other Enforcement managers to achieve consistent and foreseeable Enforcement outcomes, including by identifying and escalating interpretive issues. The Director also facilitates active and effective collaboration between Enforcement attorneys and FINRA investigative staff. Finally, the Director manages staff performance and development by working with the Chief Counsel to achieve appropriate staff assignments and development opportunities. Essential skills include the ability to communicate effectively with team members in different geographic locations, to assess the quality of cases by applying a rigorous analytical framework, to effectively prioritize and progress matters in a timely fashion, to successfully collaborate with senior management in Enforcement and other departments, and to manage personnel effectively. Essential Job Functions: Enforcement Directors are responsible for ensuring that Enforcement attorneys conduct thorough and thoughtful factual and legal analysis to achieve optimal outcomes in every Enforcement matter. The Director manages a team of attorneys, who may be located in different locations, handling a docket of cases covering a number of subject matter areas. The Director works closely with their team to achieve high quality legal work, including monitoring investigations to ensure they are adequate and strategic, and reviewing legal analysis to ensure that conclusions of law are based on clear and well-supported legal principles. Directors are also responsible for monitoring case progress to ensure timely progression and appropriate prioritization of high-risk matters. Directors are required to closely collaborate with investigative staff to jointly develop an accurate and complete factual record governed by a legal framework. The Director also works with the Chief Counsel to identify interpretive questions and potential policy issues that arise during the course of an Enforcement matter and provide guidance to teams regarding FINRA’s position and response on such issues. In addition, Directors work closely with Chief Counsels on staffing assignments and staff development to efficiently leverage attorneys’ skills and expertise and maximize each attorney’s contributions and growth. Specific responsibilities include: Provide oversight, direction and active management to Enforcement attorneys to achieve timely and foreseeable high-quality Enforcement outcomes. This includes working closely with attorneys to assess how the record supports each charge in a matter, and whether the basis for each charge an clear based on existing rules, case law and guidance. Monitor case progress and continually assess whether additional staffing or other resources are needed to forward cases in a more timely manner, with an emphasis on rapid resolution of high-risk and other high-priority matters. Actively manage and support the attorneys’ working relationships and teamwork with investigators and with other FINRA departments, including Examinations, Surveillance, Office of General Counsel and Office of Disciplinary Affairs. Work closely with peers within and outside of Enforcement to achieve effective information-sharing and a strategic partnership in developing a factual record supported by a well-reasoned legal framework. Work closely with other managers to prioritize assignments and resolve conflicts on staff members’ dockets. Actively manage teams handling matters throughout the lifecycle of the matter, including providing updates as needed to Enforcement senior management and business partners throughout FINRA. Provide guidance to attorneys regarding proposed Enforcement outcomes and other regulatory responses to achieve consistent decision-making based on risk. Work with Chief Counsel to achieve foreseeable charges and sanctions in Enforcement matters under management, including adherence to FINRA’s priorities and principles. Work with Chief Counsel and attorneys to achieve transparency in Enforcement outcomes and documents, such as settlement agreements and Complaints. Oversee staff members in litigated matters, including managing discovery, trial preparation and trial performance; provide guidance on litigation strategy and participate in trials as needed. Ensure written work product is high-quality, professional and persuasive. Identify and escalate potential issues of legal interpretation, policy and risk in Enforcement matters on the team’s docket. Effectively and frequently communicate with Enforcement senior management about potential issues and questions. Identify and escalate matters involving complex and novel legal theories in order to coordinate as needed, including monitoring developments and advising on risks and outcomes. Identify opportunities to enhance effectiveness through cross-staffing and specialized assignments, and solicit and provide feedback to staff based on observations from other managers. Continuously provide performance feedback to direct reports. Provide performance feedback to other managers regarding their staff’s work and collaboration. Review dockets and reports, and meet regularly with staff to monitor quality and timeliness of case progression. 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: Position requires a Bachelor's degree and a minimum of ten years experience in securities regulation, compliance or litigation. A law degree and appropriately licensed to practice law in all applicable jurisdictions based on the relevant licensing requirements. General Requirements: Demonstrated excellent oral and written communications ability. Demonstrated ability to simultaneously handle numerous and potentially, complex investigations related to securities laws violations. Knowledge of federal securities laws and specific knowledge of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 is a plus. Experience managing, leading, and evaluating employees in a team environment a strong plus. FINRA Securities Industry Essentials (SIE) certification or acceptable industry equivalent certification is required upon hire or within 16 months of the start date of the assigned SIE training cohort. 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 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  $207,395, Maximum Salary $311,093 San Francisco, CA: Minimum Salary  $217,765, Maximum Salary $326,648 CO/FL/TX: Minimum Salary $134,400, Maximum Salary $260,400 IL/PA: Minimum Salary $147,600, Maximum Salary $286,500 MA/MD/VA/Washington, DC: Minimum Salary $154,400, Maximum Salary $299,600 NY/NJ: Minimum Salary $154,400, Maximum Salary $312,600 #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 . 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.

About Financial Industry Regulatory Authority

Financial Industry Regulatory Authority Careers

Joining the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) presents a unique opportunity to become part of a dedicated team of professionals committed to fostering fair and honest financial markets. As the largest independent regulator for all securities firms doing business in the United States, FINRA is at the forefront of the financial industry, offering unparalleled job opportunities in a dynamic environment.

Work You’ll Do

At FINRA, professionals work to protect investors and ensure the market's integrity through effective and efficient regulation of broker-dealers. Team members are engaged in a wide range of critical functions from market regulation to enforcement, and from legal compliance to dispute resolution. This variety ensures that employment at FINRA is not just a job, but a pathway to meaningful professional growth and career advancement.

Join a Leading Team

FINRA’s team is composed of highly skilled professionals who lead through innovation and steadfast leadership in the financial sector. With a commitment to diversity and inclusive culture, FINRA fosters an environment where every team member’s contribution is valued. Joining this team means collaborating on projects that enhance the security and integrity of the financial marketplace.

Innovative Work and Career Development

Professionals at FINRA are encouraged to take initiative and innovate within their roles. The authority offers a robust career development program that supports professional growth through training, workshops, and continued learning opportunities. This focus on professional development ensures that every employee has the tools and knowledge to advance their career.

Internship and Employment Opportunities

For those starting their career, FINRA offers a range of internship and entry-level positions that provide a solid foundation in financial regulation. Interns and new employees work alongside industry experts and gain invaluable hands-on experience. These positions are crucial stepping stones for building a career filled with leadership opportunities and professional advancement.

Benefits and Culture

FINRA is committed to supporting its employees’ well-being both inside and outside of the workplace. The company offers a competitive package of benefits that promote a healthy work-life balance. Employees enjoy comprehensive health benefits, retirement plans, and generous paid time off. Moreover, FINRA’s culture of ethics and leadership is reflected in its daily operations, making it a prime environment for personal and professional growth.

Explore Job Opportunities

The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority is continuously seeking passionate, curious, and skilled individuals to join its team. Explore open positions that match your skills and interests in the financial regulatory field. FINRA is hiring individuals who are driven to excel and ready to contribute to a team that values integrity, competence, and dedication.

Stay Connected

Keep up to date with the latest from FINRA by following the careers blog. Gain insights from insiders, and stay informed about new job opportunities, networking events, and industry news that can help shape your career path.

Apply Now

Ready to take the next step in your career? Review open positions, prepare your resume, and apply through the FINRA Careers portal. Tailor your application to highlight your unique skills and experiences that align with the position you are interested in. The interview process at FINRA is designed to identify and recruit the most talented professionals in the industry.

Job Alert Emails

Personalize your subscription to receive job alerts and insider tips directly to your inbox. Discover the exciting and rewarding career opportunities that await at the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority.
Learn more about Financial Industry Regulatory Authority

Similar Jobs

More Jobs at Financial Industry Regulatory Authority

More Legal & Accounting Jobs

Find similar Director, Enforcement jobs: