Trade Surveillance Principal Associate (Broker-Dealer & Swap Dealer)

Capital One•McLean, VA

5d•$131,800 - $150,500•Remote

About The Position

We are seeking a highly analytical and investigative Trade Surveillance Principal Associate to play a key role in executing and enhancing Capital One’s Commercial Banking market conduct surveillance program across both its institutional Broker-Dealer (BD) and Swap Dealer (SD) businesses. This individual will conduct day-to-day surveillance monitoring, lead deep-dive investigations into complex trading activity, and ensure ongoing compliance with SEC (Securities and Exchange Commission), FINRA (Financial Industry Regulatory Authority), CFTC (Commodity Futures Trading Commission) and NFA (National Futures Association) regulatory requirements and regulatory expectation. The ideal candidate will bring strong product and market-conduct knowledge across exchange-traded futures and commodities markets. Experience with other asset classes, including Interest Rates, FX, Equities, and Fixed Income is preferred. The candidate should demonstrate robust analytical and investigative capabilities, sound judgment, and a proven track record of handling complex trade investigations within a highly regulated trading environment.

Requirements

Bachelor's Degree in Finance, Economics, Business, Mathematics, Statistics, Science, Engineering, Quantitative field, or military experience
At least 3 years of trade surveillance, or market regulation, or At least 3 years of compliance experience within a Broker-Dealer or Swap-Dealer environment.

Nice To Haves

Strong understanding of SEC, FINRA, CFTC, and NFA rules governing market conduct, manipulation, and trade reporting.
Hands-on experience utilizing rule-based surveillance platforms (NICE Actimize, Eventus Validus, FIS Protegent).
Familiarity with OTC swaps (IRS, FX, Commodities) and traditional securities (Equities, Fixed Income).
Relevant industry certifications or progress toward them (FINRA Series 7, NFA Swap Dealer Associated Person proficiency testing).
Excellent analytical problem-solving skills, strong written communication for drafting investigative summaries, leveraging AI and emerging technologies to optimize surveillance workflows and the ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment.

Responsibilities

Execute daily surveillance reviews and complex alert analyses for both Broker-Dealer and Swap Dealer trading activities, focusing heavily on identifying potential market abuse.
Analyze cross-market execution data to detect, evaluate, and disposition core manipulative patterns, including: Spoofing & Layering, Wash Trading, Quote Stuffing, Front-Running: Pinging.
Formally escalate high-risk trading anomalies and potential regulatory breaches to Compliance management in accordance with the firm’s escalation matrix.
Assist management in the ongoing maintenance and optimization of surveillance procedures, alert logic, and parameter settings within vendor platforms.
Participate in lookback reviews, scenario testing, and calibration exercises to reduce false positives while maintaining robust risk coverage.
Perform periodic data completeness and accuracy checks for both BD and SD surveillance feeds.
Conduct reconciliations between trading systems of record and the trade surveillance platform, identifying and tracking data gaps or ingestion exceptions to resolution.
Support User Acceptance Testing (UAT) for new surveillance models, system upgrades, and product launches.
Maintain comprehensive, audit-ready documentation of all alert reviews, ensuring defensive closing rationales and rigorous evidentiary trails.
Assist in the aggregation of weekly and monthly surveillance metrics and reporting for senior management.
Gather documentation and perform initial analysis to support responses for internal audits and regulatory inquiries/examinations (SEC, FINRA, CFTC, NFA).
Collaborate effectively with Compliance Advisory, Product, Technology, Risk, and Line of Business to resolve compliance issues.