2-5+ years in trade or market surveillance at an exchange or regulator preferred
Hands-on experience with surveillance alert investigation, ideally in Nasdaq SMARTS or similar platforms
Knowledge of manipulative trading patterns and evidence collection
Experience with digital assets and traditional financial instruments, including on-chain analysis
Strong written and verbal communication skills for external interactions
Attention to detail and disciplined documentation habits
Ability to navigate ambiguity and build processes from scratch
Responsibilities
Monitor real-time and post-trade activity for potential trading violations
Investigate alerts in the surveillance platform and document findings
Run participant inquiry workflows and collaborate with FCMs and clearing members
Escalate potential rule violations and prepare case files for review
Design case-management flow and automate alert tuning
Contribute to surveillance procedures and DCM Core Principle readiness
Participate in 24/7 market coverage, including off-hours rotations
Benefits
Opportunity to shape the surveillance program from the ground up
Clear path for career advancement into complex investigations and team leadership
Hands-on role with immediate impact on market regulation
Engagement with a diverse range of trading practices and instruments
Collaboration with external financial institutions and regulatory bodies
Full Job Description
About the role
As our first trading Surveillance Analyst, you will be a founding member of the DCM's market regulation function. You will monitor trading activity on the exchange, investigate alerts, and help build the surveillance program, procedures and tooling we launch with. This role starts hands-on and detail-heavy. As the exchange goes live and the team grows, there is a clear path to more complex investigations and team leadership. What you'll do
Monitor real-time and post-trade activity for potential manipulation, fraud and disruptive trading practices (spoofing, layering, wash trading, pre-arranged trading, position-limit breaches and similar).
Triage and investigate alerts in our surveillance platform: reconstruct orders and trades, decide whether an alert is an error, a false positive or a potential violation, and document the reasoning clearly.
Run participant inquiry workflows, including broker explanation requests, and work directly with FCMs and clearing members to gather information and resolve cases.
Escalate potential rule violations and prepare well-documented case files for review, enforcement and regulatory inquiries, under the direction of the head of trade surveillance and/or market regulation.
Help design our case-management flow, alert tuning and automation so the program scales as volume grows.
Contribute to written surveillance procedures and DCM Core Principle readiness ahead of launch.
Ownhigh-volume first-line alert review, and earn broader investigative ownership as the function grows.
Participate in coverage for a 24/7 market, which may include scheduled weekend or off-hours rotations.
What you bring
2-5+ years in trade or market surveillance at an exchange or regulator (e.g., DCM, national securities exchage, CFTC, SEC, NFA, or FINRA) strongly preferred; trading compliance experience at an FCM, broker-dealer, or trading firm strongly considered.
Hands-on experience investigating surveillance alerts, ideally in Nasdaq SMARTS or a comparable platform (Eventus Validus, TT Score, NICE Actimize, Solidus, b-next).
Working knowledge of manipulative and disruptive trading patterns and how to evidence them.
Experience with digital assets and digital assets investigations, as well as traditional financial instruments and futures or other derivatives, including on-chain analysis and forensic tracing of wallets and fund flows using tools such as Chainalysis, TRM Labs, or Elliptic..
Clear, professional written and verbal communication. You will deal directly with external FCMs and clearing members.
Strong attention to detail and disciplined documentation habits.
Comfort with ambiguity, shifting priorities and building process where none exists yet.
Ability to work from approved security devices and environments, and to comply with information barrier, conflict-of-interest, and personal trading policies, including restrictions on trading in markets we surveil.
Nice to have
SQL, Python or other data tooling for analysis and automating repetitive surveillance work.
Experience with 24/7 markets, or crypto derivatives.
Exposure to CFTC/NFA regulation, DCM Core Principles or rule-enforcement reviews.
Interest in growing into a team lead or manager role as the function scales.
#LI-CG1
About Whatnot
Whatnot is a Los Angeles-based startup that creates a place where avid collectors could come together over shared interests. Whatnot is a marketplace to buy and sell authentic collectible items.
Whatnot was founded in 2019, in California.
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Joining Whatnot presents an unparalleled opportunity to become part of a leading team in the marketplace, where innovation meets diversity and professional growth. Whatnot is renowned for its unique culture that fosters leadership and promotes career advancement through continuous learning and development.
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Whatnot invites you to explore the exciting and rewarding opportunities that await. Join a team where your career aspirations can be realized through dedication, hard work, and a commitment to excellence.
