Paralegal Specialist

Summary

The Market Participants Division (MPD or Division) leads the Commission's efforts in protecting market participants and their funds by ensuring the financial integrity, fitness, and fair business conduct of derivatives market participants, such as swap dealers (SDs), major swap participants (MSPs), futures commission merchants, introducing brokers, commodity pool operators, commodity trading advisors, and floor brokers.

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Duties

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The Division consists of three branches: the Registration and Compliance Branch, the Financial Requirements Branch, and the Examinations Branch, along with their respective subordinate sections.

As a Paralegal Specialist, the incumbent is primarily responsible for assisting attorneys, financial analysts, and examiners in the Division by providing comprehensive legal and regulatory support in all aspects of MPD's daily activities, including the assessment of the appropriateness of current regulations, the assessment of registrants' compliance with current regulations, the development of revised and new regulations to address dynamic market structures and operations, drafting of orders and letters, and the publishing of guidance to provide legal clarity to market participants by defining regulatory obligations.

• Provide Comprehensive Legal Support: Organize and maintain examination and legal files for all aspects of the Division's operations, compile records, prepare exhibits, coordinate document collection and production; conduct document reviews; assist with tracking internal and external deadlines, and drafting examination and legal reports and summaries.

• Conduct Foundational Legal Research: Use legal databases (e.g., Westlaw, Lexis) to research statutes, case law, and agency guidance on a broad range of issues.

• Assist with FOIA and Privacy Act Requests: Help review and redact documents, apply legal exemptions, and draft responses to public information requests under attorney supervision.

• Collaborate Across the Agency: Work with program offices and legal staff to gather information, coordinate responses, and build professional communication skills in a legal environment.

Perform other duties as assigned.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

• U.S. Citizenship
• Background/Security Investigation
• May be required to serve a one-year probationary period
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959

You will be evaluated on the basis of your level of competency (knowledge, skills and abilities) in the following areas:

1. Legal, Government & Jurisprudence- Behavioral indicators: Interprets statutes, case law, and federal regulations; applies agency policies correctly; flags legal risks; advises on procedural requirements.

2. Research- Behavioral indicators: Frames research questions; retrieves authoritative sources efficiently; synthesizes findings; documents methods; distinguishes binding vs. persuasive authority.

3. Writing- Behavioral indicators: Writes clear, legally defensible work products; tailors tone to audiences (attorneys, financial analyst, examiners, and the public); uses citations and record references accurately.

4. Attention to Detail- Behavioral indicators: Catches inconsistencies; follows chainofcustody protocols; reconciles document indexes; meets filing/production standards without errors.

Qualifications

GS-11: One year of specialized experience, equivalent to the GS-09 grade level in the Federal service, obtained in either the private or public sector:

Specialized experience is defined as gaining experience:

• Maintaining case files, organizing evidence, compiling records, preparing exhibits, and ensuring materials are complete and ready for attorney review.
• Maintaining and organizing examination and legal files, preparing exhibits and schedules, and ensuring materials are complete and ready for review by attorneys, examiners and financial analysts.
• Conducting legal research using Westlaw, Lexis, Bloomberg Law, or equivalent tools, identifying controlling statutes, regulations, case law, administrative decisions, or agency precedents.
• Reviewing, analyzing, and redacting documents under FOIA or Privacy Act requirements, applying exemptions and preparing justification statements.
• Coordinating responses across multiple internal or external stakeholders, ensuring consistency in legal products, case materials, and reporting.

Education Substitution: GS-11: 3 academic years of progressively higher-level graduate education in a field directly related to the position.

OR

Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree in Law, Legal Studies, Paralegal Studies, or related degrees

OR

LL.M., in a field directly related to the position. Education must be in a field which demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to perform the duties of the position.

OR

A combination experience as described in "A" and graduate level education as described in "B", when combined, are equivalent to 100% of the qualification requirement. Only graduate level education in excess of two full years (36 semester hours) may be used in this calculation. To compute, first determine the total number of graduate level hours that exceed 36 semester hours, and then divide that number by 18 to arrive at a percentage. Then, divide the total number of months of qualifying experience by 12 to arrive at a second percentage. Add the two percentages together. The sum of the percentages must equal at least 100% to qualify.

Education

Please refer to the OPM 0950-11 OPM Qualification Standards for the specific Education/Experience requirements for this position.

To be creditable, education must have been obtained in an accredited college or university. You must report only attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions that are recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. For a list of schools that meet this criterion, see

SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS FOR FOREIGN EDUCATION : If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must show that the education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education programs and such education has been deemed equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. education program; or full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university. For further information, visit:

Additional information

This is a Bargaining Unit Position located in the National Treasury Employee Union (NTEU) Chapter 337.

Relocation: Relocation expenses will not be paid.

Probationary Period: You may be required to serve a one-year probationary period, if applicable.

More than the number of positions listed may be filled through this vacancy announcement.

The overall salary range is provided for informational purposes as it represents the full range that is applicable to current employees in this occupation/grade. A new hire's direct and overall experience are critical factors in determining a salary offer, therefore, it is important that your resume fully reflects all of your work experience. Note that the upper end of each range is typically applicable only to candidates with significant years of work experience and qualifications Please review the CFTC Compensation Program website for additional information.

The law prohibits public officials from appointing, promoting, or recommending their relatives. The law prohibits requesting, making, transmitting, accepting, or considering political recommendations for employment or other personnel actions for non-political positions. This includes recommendations from Members of Congress, Congressional employees, elected state or local officials, and political party officials and any recommendation based on party affiliation.

Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

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A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.

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Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.