MARKET INFRASTRUCTURE/TECHNOLOGY ADVISER
About This Position
The Division of Trading and Markets (TM), Office of Analytics and Research (OAR) is seeking applicants for a Market Infrastructure/Technology Adviser (Financial Analyst). The adviser will work with colleagues in other offices within TM and across the SEC on initiatives related to the development or modification of market rules and regulations and the review of rules proposed by self-regulatory organizations related to the structure and operation of securities markets.
Qualifications
Applicants are responsible for confirming all required materials are submitted by the closing date of the announcement. Please check the How You Will Be Evaluated and Required Documents sections carefully, as missing documents will render the application incomplete and ineligible for review. Qualifying experience may be obtained in the private or public sector.
Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional, philanthropic, religious, spiritual, community, student, social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment.
You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. All qualification requirements must be met by the closing date of this announcement. MINIMUM QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENT: SK-16: Applicant must have at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS/SK-14 level: Building, maintaining, or managing financial market infrastructure and technology, including for market data, trade processing and settlement, risk controls, cybersecurity, and audit trail or other regulatory trade and order reporting; Engaging in regulatory and policy processes relevant to financial market structure, infrastructure, and technology; and Planning, directing, or conducting projects at the intersection of financial market structure policy and infrastructure/technology to further develop recommendations to senior management based on that work.
ACCOMPLISHMENT RECORD COMPETENCIES: Your Accomplishment Record narratives should address the following competencies. See the How You Will Be Evaluated section below for more information: Legal and Regulatory Analysis - Conducts analysis and prepares documents and reports in compliance with Federal law that governs the rulemaking process. Critical Thinking - Considers a variety of factors, general and subject matter-specific, when making decisions and determining next steps in a matter.
Teamwork and Collaboration - Interacts with internal and external stakeholders in a manner that advances SEC goals and objectives. Workload Management - Effectively prioritizes workload in a way that accommodates unforeseen developments and achieves successful outcomes.
Major Duties
In this role as a Market Infrastructure/Technology Adviser, you will be responsible for: Advising OAR, Division, and Commission leadership on developments in securities market structure, drawing on research and/or experience working in markets. Serving as a principal investigator or subject matter expert on data-intensive research efforts on matters related to the operations and structure of financial markets using large, complex data sets. Developing or leading the development of, tools and applications, including visualizations and dashboards, that provide SEC staff and leadership with insights into the state and functioning of markets.
Developing and presenting analytical products that are clear and easily understood by staff who may not have extensive technical or quantitative backgrounds, to inform SEC policy choices or identify emerging issues, trends, and risks that may merit SEC action. Advising others on best practices for effective communication of complex, quantitative analysis to policy-makers. Advising OAR leadership on matters related to data, technology, and quantitative methods, including potential new data sets to acquire, selection and development of technology for querying and analyzing data, and best practices for the conduct of quantitative analysis.
Engaging with staff throughout the Commission, market participants, and other regulators to maintain up-to-date knowledge of market practices and dynamics, and advise staff in other TM offices with respect to market practices, developments in market structure, and market data bearing on policy initiatives.
How You Will Be Evaluated
Your resume and application package will be reviewed to determine whether you meet the qualification requirements outlined in this announcement.
Your qualifications will be assessed through a two-step screening process: Minimum Qualifications Resume Review Accomplishment Record Review If you are found minimally qualified through the minimum qualifications review, a rating panel will review your resume and Accomplishment Record narratives. Accomplishment Record narrative should clearly demonstrate your proficiency in the competencies listed in the Qualifications section. Submitting a Performance Appraisal does not fulfill the requirement for an Accomplishment Record.
Click here for help with writing your Accomplishment Record.
Your resume must provide evidence that supports the claims made in your Accomplishment Record narratives; both documents must effectively showcase your qualifications. Each competency narrative should detail one specific, relevant example from your training or experience. Please limit each response to a maximum of 300 words, as any text beyond this limit will not be considered during the evaluation.
You will upload one document with your narrative responses addressing each of the four competencies.
Your responses must be in the below format: Competency Title Position title and dates from your resume that this experience was obtained Describe the situation (i.e., the challenged faced, the problem solved) Describe the specific actions you took State the outcome, results, or long-term impact of your accomplishment Name and email address of someone who can verify this information Basis for Rating: The rating panel will evaluate applicants' accomplishment records and resume, then place them into one of the following categories: Highly Qualified - Meets the minimum qualification requirements and has extensive skills and experience in most of the job related competencies. Well Qualified - Meets the minimum qualification requirements and has a moderate amount of skills and experience in most of the job related competencies. Qualified - Meets the minimum qualification requirements, but may have a limited amount of experience in several of the job related competencies.
Top ranked applicants will be referred to the hiring office for further review and consideration. The hiring office may directly contact recommended candidates for interview(s). To preview the Questionnaire, click https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12930030
Additional Information
Supplementary vacancies may be filled
in addition to the number stated in this announcement and may be filled from any division or office within the agency. SEC COMPENSATION PROGRAM: Total salary (base pay + locality) is dependent upon duty location. The overall salary range listed above is provided for informational purposes; a selectee's initial pay will be established below the maximum rate of the range.
The pay for current SEC employees will be determined according to the procedures specified in the agency's policy. Please visit the agency's Compensation Overview page for more information. Disability Employment: For information on disability appointments, click here.
IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR SURPLUS OR DISPLACED FEDERAL EMPLOYEES: If you have never worked for the federal government, you are not I/CTAP eligible. To receive selection priority for this position, you must: (1) meet CTAP or ICTAP eligibility criteria; the questionnaire asks you to identify your ICTAP/CTAP eligibility (2) be rated well-qualified; and, (3) submit the appropriate documentation to support your CTAP or ICTAP eligibility. View information about I/CTAP eligibility on OPM's Career Transition Resources website.
Reasonable Accommodation: If you are an applicant who needs a reasonable accommodation to participate in the SEC application process due to a medical disability, please contact [email protected]. For religious-based accommodations, please contact [email protected] . Please be sure to submit your request at least 5 business days in advance of the date you need the requested accommodation.
Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Information for SEC Job Applicants: For more information, please click here. The Fair Chance Act prohibits specific inquiries concerning an applicant's criminal or credit background unless the hiring agency has made a conditional offer of employment to the applicant. An applicant may submit a complaint, or any other information, to the agency within 30 calendar days of the date of alleged non-compliance by contacting the Legal and Policy Office in the Office of Human Resources at [email protected].
How to Apply
To apply for this position, you must complete the online application and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section below. A complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on the closing date of the announcement to receive consideration. No additional documentation will be accepted after the closing date of the announcement. To begin, click Apply to access the online application.
You will need to be logged into your USAJOBS account to apply. If you do not have a USAJOBS account, you will need to create one before beginning the application.
Follow the prompts to select your resume and/or other supporting documents to be included with your application package.
You will have the opportunity to upload additional documents to include in your application before it is submitted.
Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process.
After acknowledging you have reviewed your application package, complete the Include Personal Information section as you deem appropriate and click to continue with the application process.
You will be taken to the online application which you must complete in order to apply for the position.
Complete the online application, verify the required documentation is included with your application package, and submit the application. To verify the status of your application, log into your USAJOBS account (https://my.usajobs.gov/Account/Login), all of your applications will appear on the Welcome screen. The Application Status will appear along with the date your application was last updated. For information on what each Application Status means, visit: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/how-to/application/status/.
Required Documents
You must provide a complete Application Package, which includes: Required: Your responses to the Questionnaire. Required: Resume - Resumes should include relevant work experience, with specific employment dates, that demonstrates qualifications for the specialized experience and competencies as outlined above. If your resume does not reflect demonstrated evidence of these qualifications, you may not receive consideration for the position.
Resumes that exceed two pages will be deemed ineligible and receive no further consideration. For resume writing tips, visit USAJOBS and the SEC careers page. Required: Accomplishment Record - The Accomplishment Record is a set of narrative responses that demonstrate your proficiency in the competencies listed.
These narratives support your resume by providing specific examples from your training or experience. For each competency, you must provide a 300 word or less written narrative (text only) describing one example of competency-related experience. Text beyond this limit will not be considered.
This document must be uploaded to the application under Accomplishment Record. An accomplishment record submitted outside the USA Staffing system will not be accepted. Failure to provide the Accomplishment Record in the correct format will result in an ineligible rating.
Required, if applicable: CTAP/ICTAP documentation (a copy of a separation notice or other proof of eligibility for priority selection; a copy of an SF-50, Notification of Personnel Action, showing current position, grade, promotion potential, and duty location; AND a copy of your most recent performance appraisal.) Required, if applicable: Veteran's Preference Documentation (DD-214, Member Copy 4 or other documentation containing dates of service and character of discharge. Disabled veterans and other applicants eligible for 10-point Veteran's Preference please include: documentation to validate your claim - VA letter, SF-15, etc).