Attorney Advisor (Senior Assistant General Counsel)

Commodity Futures Trading Commission•Washington, DC

About The Position

The Office of the General Counsel (OGC) serves as legal advisor to the CFTC’s Commission, the Chair, the Executive Director, and the Agency as a whole. Its advice covers Agency litigation, statutory and regulatory interpretation, rulemaking, analyses of proposed legislation, and other legal issues connected with administering and enforcing the Commodity Exchange Act (CEA) and the Commission’s implementing regulations. The incumbent is a Senior Attorney in OGC’s Regulatory Branch, supporting senior leadership through legal analysis, policy evaluation, and preparation of high-level written materials concerning the Commission’s statutory authorities and operations. The role focuses on authoring and coordinating complex, novel, high-impact proposed and final regulations, preparing legally sufficient analyses, and advising leadership on emerging market developments, sensitive legal issues, and regulatory initiatives. The Senior Attorney also develops interpretive guidance and policy communications, prepares briefing materials, contributes to cross-divisional initiatives, assesses systemic effects of regulatory actions, and provides technical direction and mentorship to staff attorneys and regulatory specialists.

Requirements

J.D. and active membership in good standing of the bar in a U.S. state, territory, the District of Columbia, or the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.
Five years of relevant legal experience after completion of law school.
At least one year of experience at a level of responsibility and difficulty comparable to the next lower federal-service level (e.g., GS/CT-14), demonstrating the knowledge, skills, and ability to handle matters involving complex legal or factual issues.
Relevant legal experience must have been obtained after law school graduation; work during law school and pre-law-degree experience do not count toward the legal experience requirement.
J.D. from a school of law accredited by the American Bar Association; education must be from an accredited college or university.
U.S. citizenship.
Favorable background/security investigation.
Males born after December 31, 1959, must be registered for Selective Service.
Must be an active member of the bar in good standing.
Foreign education used to meet qualifications must be evaluated and deemed equivalent to an accredited U.S. education program, or receive full credit at an accredited U.S. college or university.

Responsibilities

Author proposed and final regulations on complex, novel, and high-impact matters with agency-wide significance.
Lead or coordinate regulatory development with other divisions, external stakeholders, and, when appropriate, other federal agencies, while ensuring compliance with procedural requirements including the Congressional Review Act.
Prepare legally sufficient supporting analyses for regulatory actions, including CEA section 15(a) cost-benefit evaluations, Paperwork Reduction Act assessments, and other statutory reviews.
Ensure regulatory products are grounded in clear statutory authority and rigorous policy rationale.
Provide authoritative legal and strategic advice to Division leadership and Commission officials on emerging market developments, novel issues, sensitive matters, and high-visibility regulatory initiatives.
Analyze evolving market practices and financial products, recommend regulatory responses, and prepare initiatives, programmatic responses, and interpretive guidance addressing statutory and regulatory ambiguities.
Author formal and informal interpretive guidance, no-action letters where applicable, policy statements, and other communications to clarify ambiguities and support implementation of Commission regulations.
Resolve novel legal questions through in-depth analysis and recommend guidance to promote consistent application across regulated entities and financial markets.
Prepare briefing materials, legal memoranda, executive summaries, and other documents for the General Counsel, Deputy General Counsel (Regulatory Group), Commission meetings, and senior leadership deliberations.
Lead or participate in cross-divisional policy initiatives shaping agency-wide regulatory strategy, integrating legal analysis into programmatic and operational decisions.
Assess systemic and market-wide implications and long-term consequences of proposed regulatory actions, guidance, and other outputs, and advise leadership to promote balanced and effective outcomes.
Provide technical direction, mentorship, and guidance to staff attorneys and regulatory specialists on complex regulatory development and drafting assignments.