Senior Employee Relations Specialist

Are you a seasoned employee relations professional who thrives on solving complex workplace challenges and driving meaningful organizational change? At FINRA, we're looking for a Senior Employee Relations Specialist to bring expertise, integrity, and strategic vision to our Employee Relations team. In this high-impact role, you'll be a trusted advisor to leaders across the organization — helping shape a culture of accountability, fairness, and inclusion.

What You'll Do

As a Senior Employee Relations Specialist, you'll operate with a high degree of autonomy and make decisions that meaningfully impact our people and organization. You'll be a go-to resource for navigating complex employee matters while building lasting partnerships across the business.

Investigations & Case Management

• Lead thorough, timely, and impartial investigations into employee complaints and allegations of misconduct
• Assess the scope and severity of conduct issues and recommend appropriate resolutions
• Utilize our ER case management system to track cases, surface trends, and develop proactive, data-driven risk mitigation strategies

Strategic Advisory & Consultation

• Serve as a trusted advisor to managers and employees on a broad range of employee relations matters, including policy interpretation, federal/state/local employment law, performance management, conflict resolution, reasonable accommodations, progressive discipline, and reductions in force
• Provide pragmatic, timely guidance on employee conduct matters, including drafting and reviewing disciplinary actions
• Partner with Business Partners, Centers of Excellence (COEs), Legal, Compliance, Internal Audit, Security, Data Privacy & Protection, and other internal bodies to reach effective, holistic resolutions

Training & Development

• Collaborate with our Training & Development Team to design and deliver engaging ER training programs with an emphasis on prevention
• Share expertise and mentorship with junior ER staff to build team capability

Policy & Projects

• Lead and contribute to ER initiatives, including monitoring and responding to new employment legislation and refreshing ER policies to keep pace with a dynamic regulatory environment
• Drive delivery and continuous refinement of ER metrics and reporting to key stakeholders

What We're Looking ForRequired Qualifications

• Education: Bachelor's degree in Human Resources or a related field, or an equivalent combination of education and experience
• Experience: Minimum of 10 years of progressive HR/employee relations experience, including at least 5 years of focused experience advising all levels of management on employee relations matters
• Demonstrated expertise in managing moderate to complex ER investigations and producing high-quality written investigative reports
• Strong working knowledge of federal, state, and local employment laws
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to deliver difficult messages and navigate conflict professionally and constructively
• Proven ability to build relationships and connect with people from diverse backgrounds at all levels of an organization
• Ability to manage multiple competing priorities effectively in a fast-paced environment
• High degree of independent judgment and discretion in handling sensitive matters

Preferred Qualifications

• Juris Doctor (JD) or specialized training/certification in labor and employee relations
• Experience working within a regulated industry (e.g., financial services, legal, healthcare)
• Familiarity with ER case management platforms and people analytics
• Track record of developing and delivering ER training programs

Why FINRA?

FINRA's mission — protecting investors and ensuring market integrity — starts with our people. We offer a collaborative, mission-driven environment where your contributions directly support a fair and transparent financial marketplace. You'll work alongside talented professionals across Legal, Compliance, HR, and beyond, with opportunities to lead, grow, and make a lasting impact.

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 $114,200, Maximum Salary $207,200

IL/PA: Minimum Salary $125,900, Maximum Salary $228,000
MA/MD/VA/Washington, DC: Minimum Salary $131,200, Maximum Salary $238,300

NY/NJ: Minimum Salary $131,200, Maximum Salary $248,700

#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 starting at 15 days of paid time off (increasing with years of service, up to 25 days), 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.

Washington state applicants: click here for required notice(s).

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.

FINRA strives to make our career site accessible to all users. If you need a disability-related accommodation for completing the application process, please contact FINRA’s Employee Relations team at 240-386-4865 or by email at [email protected]. Please note that this process is exclusively for inquiries regarding accommodations in the application process.

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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