Associate Principal Content Manager, Qualifications & Exams

FINRA is dedicated to protecting investors and ensuring market integrity. As an independent, not-for-profit organization, we oversee brokerage firms and exchange markets, writing and enforcing rules governing the ethical activities of all registered broker-dealer firms and registered brokers in the United States. Every day, we work to safeguard the investing public against fraud and bad practices, making us a vital force in maintaining trust and fairness in America's financial markets.
The Opportunity
Shape the future of securities industry qualifications as an Associate Principal Content Manager on our Qualifications and Exams team. In this strategic role, you'll manage the development and maintenance of the examinations that license and certify securities professionals across the industry—from the Series 7 to specialized qualification exams used by FINRA and industry clients. You'll lead expert committees of industry professionals, conduct sophisticated psychometric analysis to ensure exam validity, and keep pace with rapidly evolving securities regulations and products. If you're passionate about measurement science, possess deep knowledge of the financial industry, and excel at managing diverse stakeholder groups, this is your opportunity to influence how the securities industry sets professional standards.

What You'll Do

• Manage Industry Exam Programs: Oversee the complete lifecycle of qualification exam question banks, analyzing item performance, identifying content gaps, and ensuring exams accurately measure competency across evolving industry knowledge areas
• Lead Expert Committees: Facilitate content committee meetings with securities industry professionals, guiding item development conversations, managing committee composition and performance, and ensuring productivity and quality outcomes
• Ensure Exam Quality: Apply psychometric principles and item statistics to evaluate test question performance, making data-driven decisions about which items to retain, revise, or retire in consultation with the Measurement Services Unit
• Develop High-Quality Content: Edit and refine test items to meet rigorous FINRA/client style standards, ensuring clarity, accuracy, and alignment with testing industry best practices
• Maintain Content Outlines: Update and publish exam content outlines based on ongoing analysis of industry changes, regulatory developments, and job analysis studies
• Monitor Industry Evolution: Research and evaluate the impact of FINRA, SEC, and other regulatory rule changes, new securities products, and industry best practices on exam content, proactively updating materials to maintain relevance
• Enhance Systems & Technology: Participate in developing system requirements and conducting user acceptance testing for FINRA's proprietary item bank and authoring systems
• Serve as Exam Resource: Respond to exam-related inquiries from FINRA staff, member firms, candidates, and external stakeholders with prompt, accurate, and professional guidance
• Contribute to Strategic Initiatives: Support special projects and department-wide initiatives that advance FINRA's qualification exam programs

Required Qualifications

Education & Experience:

• Bachelor's degree and 3 years of securities/financial industry and/or content development experience (or equivalent combination of education and work experience)

Skills:

• Strong interpersonal abilities with excellent written and oral communication skills—essential for managing relationships with diverse stakeholders who often have competing interests

• Proficiency with standard software applications

• Ability to work independently and produce high-quality deliverables with meticulous attention to detail

• Proven capability to manage complex projects, multiple priorities, and stakeholder expectations effectively

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience learning and using database systems

• Project management expertise

• Background in psychometrics, educational measurement, or testing industry standards

• Advanced knowledge of securities products, regulations, and industry practices

• Experience with content development, instructional design, or exam development

What Makes You a Great Fit

You're intellectually curious with a keen eye for precision—you know that a single word in a test question can change its validity. You possess the rare combination of deep securities industry knowledge and the ability to translate that expertise into measurable assessments. You're an effective facilitator who can guide subject matter experts through productive conversations while keeping meetings on track and achieving objectives. You're comfortable with data and statistics, using metrics to inform decisions rather than relying solely on intuition. You thrive in an environment where regulatory changes and market evolution require constant learning and adaptation. Most importantly, you understand that the exams you manage serve a critical gatekeeping function—ensuring that securities professionals have the knowledge and competency to serve investors ethically and effectively.

Working Conditions:

• Hybrid work environment, with defined in-person presence requirements.

• Some travel required (20%)

Ready to influence professional standards across the securities industry? Join FINRA's Qualification Exam team and ensure that industry professionals meet the rigorous standards necessary to protect investors and maintain market integrity.

For work that is performed in CO, FL, TX, IL, PA, MA, MD, VA, Washington, DC, NY and NJ, please refer to the chart below for the salary range for the corresponding location. FINRA complies with all state and local pay transparency laws and regulations requiring the disclosure of salary ranges for the position. 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 market considerations. 

CO/FL/TX: Minimum Salary $83,900, Maximum Salary $150,300

IL/PA: Minimum Salary $92,400, Maximum Salary $165,300

MA/MD/VA/Washington, DC: Minimum Salary $96,600, Maximum Salary $172,800
NY/NJ: Minimum Salary $96,600, Maximum Salary $180,400

#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.

Please note: If the “Apply Now” button on a job board posting does not take you directly to the FINRA Careers site, enter www.finra.org/careers into your browser to reach our site directly.

Employees may be eligible for a discretionary bonus in addition to base pay. Non-exempt employees are also eligible for overtime pay in accordance with federal, state, or local law. As part of its dedication to employee wellness, 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, commuter benefits, and other benefits that support employee wellness, such as adoption assistance, backup family care, surrogacy benefits, employee assistance, and wellness programs.

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, unless otherwise required by law (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 Employer

All qualified applicants receive consideration for employment without regard to any legally protected category, including race, color, age, national origin, ethnicity, religion, disability, genetic information, military or veteran status, sex, or any other status or classification protected by state or local law.

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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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