Job Description:

The Client & Systems Management Principal Business Analyst will be responsible for creating the business and technical requirements for developers, as well as the distribution of technical specifications and related coding guidance for participants and downstream reference data consumers. Primary responsibilities include writing requirements, system testing, and production support. The Principal Business Analyst conducts analysis and planning for complex business initiatives and provides advanced-level technical and business support to systems, products, and end users. The Principal Business Analyst is responsible for ensuring that participants comprehend and adhere to the FINRA rules that govern the various Transparency Services interfaces for quoting and trade reporting fixed income and equity products. The role collaborates with participants and other FINRA departments, ensuring that Transparency Services scheduled milestones and testing criteria for new products, as well as enhancements and maintenance releases, are completed and communicated timely. The Principal Business Analyst works in conjunction with the Transparency Services Client & Systems Management Director to ensure that FINRA Operations and Market Regulation employees are trained on new products and system enhancements in order to support the front-end systems for both real-time and post market surveillance. The job requires broad base knowledge of reference data interfaces, quote and trade reporting data capture and downstream data consumption. The Principal Business Analyst has broad base knowledge of securities industry processing, including a working knowledge of FINRA member firm’s order and trade reporting systems and Exchange-based systems. The Principal Business Analyst is a key stakeholder in the quality assurance process and is an active participant in software reviews and release testing to ensure the integrity of the FINRA processing environments. In addition, the Principal Business Analyst is responsible for keeping abreast of events, issues, and changes that will or can affect the fixed income and equities industry such as: FINRA or SEC rule filings, publications, and announcements.

Essential Job Functions:

• Create business requirements, technical specifications, user manuals, as well as Notices to Members to address system related topics.


• Lead regular meetings with Market Operations, Market Regulation, OGC, Technology, and other stakeholders to ensure that the front-end systems integrate seamlessly into the regulatory environments for both real-time and post market surveillance.


• Identify and document specifications for communication between FINRA applications. Coordinate with other FINRA departments to identify data elements needed for surveillance and regulation.  Participate in industry presentations (vendor meetings and industry notices), industry committees, and meetings with industry professionals. Prepare materials for presentations and participate in the presentation via teleconference or video.


• Review quality and content of participant specifications and websites to ensure accuracy and compliance with FINRA rules and technical requirements.


• Provide Production Support by monitoring Client & Systems Management inbox and responding to more complex client inquiries regarding data and interface related issues. Troubleshoot issues with the development team to identify and track bugs.


• Manage data requirements across FINRA divisions, including Technology, Market Regulation, Member Regulation and OGC to ensure that they adhere to FINRA rules for quoting and trade reporting of fixed income and equity products.


• Identify test case scenarios and create test scripts for internal and external users. Participate in application testing across FINRA divisions, including Technology, Market Regulation, Member Regulation and OGC.

Education & Experience Requirements:

• Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Business, or related field and a minimum of seven (7) years of experience in the fixed income and/or equities industry.


• Hands-on system experience with fixed income and/or equity OMS or trade reporting systems.


• Proficiency and experience with application design of Equity and/or Fixed Income trade report and quoting systems for surveillance, and analysis.


• Experience working with real time applications troubleshooting issues and responding quickly to resolve them with little to no impact to users.


• Experience managing large scale technology projects. The ability to work in a fast-paced environment and manage changing priorities, within established guidelines and procedures.


• Must have excellent verbal and written communication skills as well as experience communicating with technical and operations teams.

Work Conditions:

• Hybrid work environment (remote/office) with hours which may extend beyond normal business hours.


• Travel will be required, as necessary.

For work that is performed in CA, Washington, DC, CO, HI, New York, NY 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.

California: Minimum Salary $106,400, Maximum Salary $200,200

Washington, DC: Minimum Salary $106,400 Maximum Salary $191,800

Colorado/Hawaii: Minimum Salary $92,500, Maximum Salary $166,800

New York, NY: Minimum Salary $111,000, Maximum Salary $200,200

Washington State: Minimum Salary $92,500, Maximum Salary $191,800

#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.

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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.

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