About this role
Job SummaryThe Market Participants Division (MPD or Division) leads the Commission's efforts in protecting market participants and their funds by ensuring the financial integrity, fitness, and fair business conduct of derivatives market participants, such as swap dealers (SDs), major swap participants (MSPs), futures commission merchants, introducing brokers, commodity pool operators, commodity trading advisors, and floor brokers.
QualificationsGS-11: One year of specialized experience, equivalent to the GS-09 grade level in the Federal service, obtained in either the private or public sector: Specialized experience is defined as gaining experience: Maintaining case files, organizing evidence, compiling records, preparing exhibits, and ensuring materials are complete and ready for attorney review. Maintaining and organizing examination and legal files, preparing exhibits and schedules, and ensuring materials are complete and ready for review by attorneys, examiners and financial analysts. Conducting legal research using Westlaw, Lexis, Bloomberg Law, or equivalent tools, identifying controlling statutes, regulations, case law, administrative decisions, or agency precedents. Reviewing, analyzing, and redacting documents under FOIA or Privacy Act requirements, applying exemptions and preparing justification statements. Coordinating responses across multiple internal or external stakeholders, ensuring consistency in legal products, case materials, and reporting. Education Substitution: GS-11: 3 academic years of progressively higher-level graduate education in a field directly related to the position. OR Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree in Law, Legal Studies, Paralegal Studies, or related degrees OR LL.M., in a field directly related to the position. Education must be in a field which demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to perform the duties of the position. OR A combination experience as described in "A" and graduate level education as described in "B", when combined, are equivalent to 100% of the qualification requirement. Only graduate level education in excess of two full years (36 semester hours) may be used in this calculation. To compute, first determine the total number of graduate level hours that exceed 36 semester hours, and then divide that number by 18 to arrive at a percentage. Then, divide the total number of months of qualifying experience by 12 to arrive at a second percentage. Add the two percentages together. The sum of the percentages must equal at least 100% to qualify.
Major DutiesThe Division consists of three branches: the Registration and Compliance Branch, the Financial Requirements Branch, and the Examinations Branch, along with their respective subordinate sections. As a Paralegal Specialist, the incumbent is primarily responsible for assisting attorneys, financial analysts, and examiners in the Division by providing comprehensive legal and regulatory support in all aspects of MPD's daily activities, including the assessment of the appropriateness of current regulations, the assessment of registrants' compliance with current regulations, the development of revised and new regulations to address dynamic market structures and operations, drafting of orders and letters, and the publishing of guidance to provide legal clarity to market participants by defining regulatory obligations. • Provide Comprehensive Legal Support: Organize and maintain examination and legal files for all aspects of the Division's operations, compile records, prepare exhibits, coordinate document collection and production; conduct document reviews; assist with tracking internal and external deadlines, and drafting examination and legal reports and summaries. • Conduct Foundational Legal Research: Use legal databases (e.g., Westlaw, Lexis) to research statutes, case law, and agency guidance on a broad range of issues. • Assist with FOIA and Privacy Act Requests: Help review and redact documents, apply legal exemptions, and draft responses to public information requests under attorney supervision. • Collaborate Across the Agency: Work with program offices and legal staff to gather information, coordinate responses, and build professional communication skills in a legal environment. Perform other duties as assigned.RequirementsYou will be evaluated on the basis of your level of competency (knowledge, skills and abilities) in the following areas: 1. Legal, Government & Jurisprudence- Behavioral indicators: Interprets statutes, case law, and federal regulations; applies agency policies correctly; flags legal risks; advises on procedural requirements. 2. Research- Behavioral indicators: Frames research questions; retrieves authoritative sources efficiently; synthesizes findings; documents methods; distinguishes binding vs. persuasive authority. 3. Writing- Behavioral indicators: Writes clear, legally defensible work products; tailors tone to audiences (attorneys, financial analyst, examiners, and the public); uses citations and record references accurately. 4. Attention to Detail- Behavioral indicators: Catches inconsistencies; follows chain‐of‐custody protocols; reconciles document indexes; meets filing/production standards without errors.