Closing Date: 28th July, 2026

Description:

Summary:
The Director position is in the Office of the Investor Advocate (OIAD) located in Washington, DC and is open to all US citizens, with the exception of current SEC employees and the limitations set forth below.

An individual who serves as the Investor Advocate may not be employed by the Commission:

During the 2-year period ending on the date of appointment as Investor Advocate; or
During the 5-year period beginning on the date on which the person ceases to serve as the Investor Advocate

Duties:

If selected, you will serve as the Investor Advocate, Office of the Investor Advocate.

Typical duties include:

Identifying areas in which investors would benefit from regulatory changes and proposing appropriate changes to the SEC and self-regulatory organizations.
Identifying investor problems with financial service providers and investment products.
Conducting outreach to investors to solicit views on relevant issues.
Analyzing the potential impact on investors of proposed SEC regulations or SRO rules, including through conducting investor research.
Assisting investors in resolving problems with the SEC or SROs, including through supervision of the SEC's Ombudsman.
Proposing to Congress changes that would mitigate problems identified and promoting the interests of investors.
Adhering to nondiscriminatory employment practices.
Interacting with a variety of organizations and individuals, including Commissioners, SEC staff and management, Congress, and the general public.

Requirements:
Conditions of Employment:

Citizenship: You must be a US citizen.
Selective Service: Males born after 12/31/59 must be registered or exempt from Selective Service (see https://www.sss.gov/).
Security Clearance: Entrance on duty is contingent upon completion of a pre-employment security investigation. Favorable results on a Background Investigation may be a condition of employment or selection to another position.
Drug Testing: This position may be subjected to drug testing requirements.
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Moving/Relocation expenses are not authorized.
Direct Deposit: All Federal employees are required to have Federal salary payments made by direct deposit to a financial institution of their choosing.
Supervisory Trial Period: This appointment may require completion of a two year supervisory/managerial trial period.
Trial Period: Consistent with 5 U.S.C. 7511, you will be required to serve a two-year trial period (one year for preference eligible veterans) if the position to which you have applied is not the same or similar to your current position of record.
You must possess a J.D. or LL.B Degree and you must be an active member of the bar in good standing.
The selectee is required to report to the duty station(s) listed.

Qualifications:
Applicants are responsible for confirming all required materials are submitted by the closing date of the announcement. Please check the How You Will Be Evaluated and Required Documents sections carefully, as missing documents will render the application incomplete and ineligible for review.

Qualifying experience may be obtained in the private or public sector. Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional, philanthropic, religious, spiritual, community, student, social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. All qualification requirements must be met by the closing date of this announcement.

Basic Requirement: All applicants must possess the following:

J.D. or LL.B. degree --AND--
Active membership of the bar in good standing in any state, territory of the United States, the District of Columbia, or the commonwealth of Puerto Rico. (Note: proof of bar membership will be required before entry on duty.

Minimum Qualification Requirement: In addition to meeting the basic requirement, applicants must also meet the minimum qualification requirement.

SO-03: Applicant must have at least four years post-J.D experience identifying legal issues, providing legal analyses, providing legal solutions/recommendations, and preparing legal documents ,which also includes at least three years of specialized experience:
Advocating for the interests of investors in securities and investor protection issues, from the perspective of investors;
Recommending statutory, regulatory or policy changes/solutions;
Interpreting and applying the provision of federal or state securities laws or the rules of self-regulatory organizations;
Analyzing legal and/or factual issues in regards to corporate governance, accounting, corporate disclosures, or related matters; AND
Analyzing the impact of federal or state securities laws and/or the rules of self-regulatory organizations on retail investors, including under-served or vulnerable groups (e.g., minorities, women, older investors).

Accomplishment Record Competencies: Your Accomplishment Record narratives should address the following competencies. See the How You Will Be Evaluated section below for more information:

Leading the Organization: Build and support the vision, create strategies to achieve the vision, support and lead innovative and creative initiatives to meet organizational goals.
Leading and Developing People: Recruit, lead, develop and manage the workforce, manage differences and potential conflicts between employees, build teams that meet and exceed an organization's mission, strategic plan, and goals.
Results Orientation: Meet organizational goals by managing a program, identifying and solving important problems, making sound and timely decisions, and managing and sharing information.
Building Coalitions: Build coalitions by partnering with others to build strategic relationships and influencing and negotiating to achieve favorable outcomes.
General Legal Guidance: Apply and explain the provisions of the laws, rules, and regulations that govern the securities industry.
Strategic Thinking/Execution: Realize an organization's vision, anticipate, identify, and address the impact and link them to capabilities and potential of the organization. Capitalize on opportunities and manages risks affecting investors under federal securities laws.
Influencing/Negotiating: Effect change to gain buy-in to achieve desired organizational outcomes and advocating for the interests of investors.

Education:
You MUST provide transcripts or other documentation to support your educational claims. Unless otherwise stated: (1) official or unofficial transcripts are acceptable, or (2) you may submit a list with all your courses, grades, semester, year, and credit for the course. If you are qualifying for this position by substituting education or training for experience, you must submit a copy of your unofficial transcripts or equivalent by the closing date of the announcement. Qualifying education must have been obtained from an accredited college or university recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Internal Applicants: OHR will verify education qualifications for internal applicants using documents in the Electronic Official Personnel Folder (eOPF). If required transcripts or certificates are not present in your eOPF, you will be required to provide them to OHR. If selected, a start date will not be established until official transcripts are received.

Foreign Education: If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must show the education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education programs. For more information, click here.

Applicants may also find the following helpful:
National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES) (http://www.naces.org/) is an association of 19 credential evaluation services with admission standards and an enforced code of good practice.

Association of International Credentials Evaluators (AICE) (http://aice-eval.org/) is an association of 10 credential evaluation services with a board of advisors and an enforced code of ethics.

Additional Information:
Supplementary vacancies may be filled in addition to the number stated in this announcement and may be filled from any division or office within the agency.

SEC Compensation Program: The overall salary range listed above is provided for informational purposes; a selectee's initial pay will be established below the maximum rate of the range. The pay for current SEC employees will be determined according to the procedures specified in the agency's policy. Please click here (https://www.sec.gov/ohr/sec-compensation) for a compensation overview.