What are the responsibilities and job description for the Specialist, Corporate Governance position at Finra?
The Specialist is responsible for various legal research, technical, and administrative duties in support of the Office of Corporate Secretary’s (OCS) operations and functions, supporting FINRA’s Board of Governors (Board) and, ensuring confidence in the FINRA election processes. Applies substantial analytical skills regarding various FINRA rules, by-laws, charters and enabling resolutions to ensure compliance with various legal governance requirements. Works independently on many projects.
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.
Essential Job Functions:
Supports FINRA’s Board of Governors:
- Independently conducts legal and other research for review by senior staff and department attorneys, proofreads and cite checks documents received and prepared by senior staff across FINRA for the FINRA Board and for internal distribution, verifying facts and ensuring that documents are in proper form and comply with FINRA’s legal and governance requirements.
- Supports the OCS leadership team in the timely production and distribution of all FINRA Board and committee kits, Unanimous Written Consents, and related materials. Serves as a Corporate Secretary’s office liaison for assigned committees of the Board and receives, compiles, and organizes information for the preparation of key elements of board meeting material for distribution to the FINRA Board in accordance with departmental and corporate requirements of document security procedures. Draft board and committee items for and based on direction/guidance provided by the Deputy Corporate Secretary.
- Maintains database tracking potential candidates for seats on the FINRA Board, as well as the Indication of Interest Portal, which tracks individuals who have expressed interest in being considered for seats on FINRA’s advisory committees. Reviews background of potential candidates for seats on the Board and FINRA’s advisory committees against relevant qualification criteria to determine legal eligibility.
- Maintains the FINRA Board’s electronic portal in accordance with OCS requirements, ensuring that the Board members have access to the proper materials at all times. Main point of contact for the portal and responsible for training Board members, OCS staff, and FINRA management in using the portal.
- Coordinate with the Finance team to ensure that FINRA governors and committee members are compensated in accordance with the Board-approved compensation schedule.
Corporate Governance and Compliance:
- Assists with ensuring that FINRA Board and committee composition at all times complies with legal compositional requirements set forth in FINRA by-laws, charters, and delegation plan. Performs initial review and analysis of the completed questionnaires to ensure that Board and committee composition complies with relevant governance standards. This function requires the use of the Central Registration Depository (CRD) and substantial knowledge of FINRA’s by-laws, and other sources for confirmation of qualifications.
- Maintains updates to departmental status reports regarding timing and progress of actions approved by and scheduled to be presented to the FINRA Board.
- Maintains FINRA’s official corporate tracking database, in accordance with OCS requirements, assuring the ongoing ability to access, edit, research, and accurately report data as required. Trains OCS staff, as well as staff from other FINRA departments in using and properly updating the database.
- Maintains the Corporate Governance binder, which includes monitoring the composition of the FINRA Board and Advisory Committees, to ensure they continually comply with the relevant balancing requirements, making recommendations for changes when necessary.
- Conducts research and analysis for and complying with SEC and Internal Audit requests, including performing the relevant research and obtaining and compiling the relevant documents for production at the direction of the Director & Counsel, Governance & Elections.
- Supports the elections process, ensuring that the FINRA elections are effectively conducted in accordance with departmental procedures and FINRA’s by-laws.
Departmental Procedures:
- Assists in updating the department’s records and information security plans in compliance with corporate policies and procedures.
Other Responsibilities:
- Maintains several OCS SharePoint sites used for corporate-wide distribution of OCS information (such as board meeting schedules and the FINRA Corporate Governance binder) and for submission of board material.
- Assists more senior staff in administering the FINRA Board, Small Firm Advisory Committee, National Adjudicatory Council and Regional Committee election processes in accordance with departmental procedures and FINRA’s by-laws. This includes responding to inquiries regarding FINRA elections and other corporate governance matters from other departments, member firms and the general public.
- Assists with monitoring the Public Comment email box; indexing and distributing any comments received on Regulatory Notices to relevant staff; and reviewing and publishing such comments on FINRA.org.
- Keeps management updated on notable trends in industry and corporate governance practices and procedures.
- Other tasks and special research projects, as assigned.
Education/Experience Requirements:
- Bachelor’s degree and minimum of three (3) years relevant experience, or equivalent combination of education and experience. Paralegal certificate or experience preferred. Experience in legal/governance highly desired.
- Fundamental knowledge of FINRA rules, by-laws, and federal securities laws and member firm operations.
- Experience in legal research required.
- Proven ability to handle sensitive business information with discretion and confidentiality.
- Strong planning and organizational and problem solving, skills as well as excellent interpersonal and written communication skills required.
- Excellent proofreading, editing and analytical skills.
- Expertise in using CRD and the FINRA Contact System, preferred.
- Able to work both independently and in conjunction with others.
- Able to prioritize multiple tasks and work under tight deadlines.
- Competence in the use of desktop computers with the full suite of office software applications including Excel, Access, PowerPoint, and SharePoint.
Working Conditions:
- Normal office conditions.
- Some extended hours and travel is required.
For work that is performed in CA, CO, HI, MN, VT, IL, Jersey City, NJ, New York City, NY, MA, WA, MD, Washington, DC, NJ State and NY State, please refer to the chart below for the 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 of $81,300, Maximum Salary $151,300
CO/HI/MN/VT*: Minimum Salary $70,600, Maximum Salary $126,000
IL*: Minimum Salary $77,900, Maximum Salary $138,800
Jersey City, NJ/NYC, NY: Minimum Salary $84,700, Maximum Salary $151,300
MA/WA: Minimum Salary $70,600, Maximum Salary $145,000
MD/Washington, DC: Minimum Salary $81,300, Maximum Salary $145,000
NJ State: Minimum Salary $77,900, Maximum $151,300
NY State: Minimum Salary $70,600, Maximum Salary $151,300
- 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-DNI
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. 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.
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 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.
All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, citizenship status, color, disability, marital status, national origin, race, religion, sex, veteran status or any other classification protected by federal, state, or local laws.
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.
Salary : $70,600 - $151,300
