Associate Director, ERM at FINRA in Rockville, Maryland

Job Description:

The Associate Director, Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) plays a lead role in the organization’s ERM program efforts to identify, assess, prioritize, monitor, manage and report to management and the Board on enterprise-level risks and opportunities which can have a significant impact on FINRA’s ability to meet its strategic goals and key business objectives. This position works closely with FINRA executive and supporting risk owners as well as other program participants across the organization, including Strategy and Finance staff, to ensure alignment of the ERM, strategic planning and budgeting processes.

Essential Job Functions:

Key ERM activities:

• Facilitate the ongoing identification of risks through ongoing monitoring of significant developments and emerging issues, both internal and external, and collaborate with FINRA executive and supporting risk owners as well as other program participants on the resulting implications and evaluate management’s response. Provide insights on risk response and potential issues and risk exposures that need follow up, as appropriate.


• Lead the periodic update of key risk tolerance metrics for each enterprise risk to facilitate monitoring within defined limits and escalate to management, where appropriate, to assist in the early identification or risk trends.


• Identify new and enhanced risk tolerance metrics and other relevant risk measurements and facilitate the development of the underlying data and analytics with the supporting risk owners/other program participants and review and approval with the executive risk owner(s).


• Facilitate the annual self-assessment process whereby risk owners evaluate the overall risk management effectiveness for designated enterprise risks. Prepare draft self-assessments for designated enterprise risks and facilitate reviews by supporting and executive owners. Identify and reference supporting materials such as internal analyses (e.g., scenario analysis), results of Internal Audit, reviews by independent third-party experts, etc.). Provide objective view on the overall risk management effectiveness. Identify potential risk exposures for close monitoring and escalate, where appropriate. Participate in reviews of self-assessments by ERM governance management bodies, including the ERM Leadership Team and Executive Risk Council.


• Analyze the enterprise risks as a portfolio to identify and better understand risk concentrations, interdependencies, etc.


• Collaborate with ERM management and risk owners on analysis to identify, validate, and prioritize existing and emerging risks on an annual basis or as significant developments arise.


• Perform ongoing monitoring of internal and external pipelines including daily news reports, for significant developments, trends and challenges that could impact the organization, determine relevance and implications, and communicate and escalate, as appropriate.


• Prepare synopses of relevant external research / white papers from other regulators, consulting firms and other firms to provide timely information for risk-based decision making. Coordinate dissemination with the Emerging Regulatory Issues group.


• Facilitate efforts to further integrate ERM, strategic planning and budgeting processes and to embed risk management within and across functions, processes, and business activities.


• Play a hands-on role in structuring and preparing reporting for senior management and the Board, including annual self-assessment results and interim reporting, incorporating insights on risk exposures and risk response. Facilitate reviews of ERM reporting by executive risk owners and ERM governance management bodies.


• Provide guidance and assistance to business units with the identification, evaluation, monitoring, management, and communication of enterprise risks.


• Maintain a trusted, collaborative relationship with management across the organization to promote an appropriate level of engagement in ERM activities.


• Build strong alliances inside and outside work units to positively influence identification and resolution of significant risks/opportunities.


• Collaborate with ERM management and provide insights on program vision, roadmap, strategies, and approaches.


• Manage and coordinate requests for information from external constituents (e.g., regulatory oversight reviews, independent annual financial statement audit, independent consultant reviews).


• Update and maintain FINRA’s ERM framework, policies and procedures, governance charters and membership listings, etc.


• Evaluate and recommend system solutions considering ERM program requirements. Provide analysis/design of analytical and performance management tools that can be used by the business to help better monitor key aspects of operation.


• Perform other responsibilities, as requested.

Environment insights:

• Develop risk insights for senior management through industry, regulatory, and business analysis supported by research, stakeholder interviews, and brainstorming sessions.


• Keep abreast of financial services industry trends, emerging regulatory issues, legislative and political landscape affecting the industry, technologies and innovations and competitive landscape that impact FINRA.

ERM initiatives:

• Advise senior management of potential areas for new ERM initiatives (i.e., special topic reviews or “deep dive” areas) by identifying and articulating business challenges and enterprise risks facing the organization requiring further review, data compilation, analysis, interpretation of results. Identify and engage key resources from across FINRA on the relevant risk initiatives.


• Respond to ERM questions posed by senior management by necessary analysis, presentation of findings, and recommendations.


• Working closely with the risk owners, contribute to the development of ERM tools to facilitate the identification, assessment, prioritization, monitoring, managing, and reporting of enterprise risks across FINRA (e.g., data analysis, scenario analysis).

Education/Experience Requirements:

• Bachelor’s Degree or equivalent combination of education and relevant work experience. Graduate or advanced degree preferred. Degree in Enterprise Risk Management or equivalent preferred.


• A minimum of eight (8) years business experience with at least five (5) years of experience in enterprise risk management or operational risk management, and relevant experience in the regulatory/financial services industry.


• Strong knowledge of FINRA and its operations preferred.


• Demonstrated knowledge of business process/systems, internal controls, and risk management practices.


• Strong judgment, problem solving, analytical, and quantitative skills.


• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.


• Ability to manage multiple assignments simultaneously in a deadline-driven environment.


• Proficiency with common software packages, particularly Excel and PowerPoint.

Work Conditions

• Hybrid work environment.


• Extended hours and some travel may be required.

For work that is performed in CA, CO, HI, MN, VT, IL, Jersey City, NJ, NY, NY, MD, Washington DC, and WA the chart below outlines the proposed salary range for the corresponding location. 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 internal peer compensation comparisons.

CA: Minimum Salary $124,300, Maximum Salary $235,500

CO/HI/MN/VT*: Minimum Salary $108,200, Maximum Salary $196,200

IL*: Minimum Salary $119,200, Maximum Salary $215,900
Jersey City, NJ/NY, NY: Minimum Salary $129,800, Maximum Salary $235,500

MD/Washington, DC: Minimum Salary $124,300, Maximum Salary $225,700

WA: Minimum Salary $108,200, Maximum Salary $225,700

*Including positions performed outside the state but reporting to an office or manager in that state.

Candidates can expect salary offers that range from the minimum to the mid-point of the salary range. FINRA provides full pay ranges so that the candidate can consider their growth potential while at FINRA.

#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.

FINRA strives to make our career site accessible to all users. If you need a disability-related accommodation for completing the application process, please contact FINRA's Employee Relations team at 240.386.4865 or by email at EmployeeRelations@finra.org. Please note that this process is exclusively for inquiries regarding application accommodations. 

Employees may be eligible for a discretionary bonus in addition to base pay. 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 and many other benefits. 

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 (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 and Affirmative Action Employer

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, citizenship status, color, disability, marital status, national origin, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, veteran status or any other classification protected by federal state or local laws as appropriate, or upon the protected status of the person’s relatives, friends or associates.

FINRA abides by the requirements of 41 CFR 60-741.5(a). This regulation prohibits discrimination against qualified individuals on the basis of disability, and requires affirmative action by covered prime contractors and subcontractors to employ and advance in employment qualified individuals with disabilities.

FINRA abides by the requirements of 41 CFR 60-300.5(a). This regulation prohibits discrimination against qualified protected veterans, and requires affirmative action by covered prime contractors and subcontractors to employ and advance in employment qualified protected veterans.

©2020 FINRA. All rights reserved. FINRA is a registered trademark of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc.

Apply Now