Assistant General Counsel, Derivatives – Regulatory Legal

Overview

This role is for an Assistant General Counsel – Regulatory Legal specializing in Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) regulation and Commodity Exchange Act (CEA) compliance. The position involves serving as the primary legal expert for the organization's CFTC-registered entities, including a Designated Contract Market (DCM), a Derivatives Clearing Organization (DCO), and a Futures Commission Merchant (FCM). This role is central to the US derivatives strategy and reports directly to senior legal and business leadership.

This is a fully remote position for a qualified attorney located in the United States.

Responsibilities

• Serve as primary legal counsel for CFTC-registered entities, advising on regulatory obligations under the CEA and CFTC rules.
• Provide legal support for regulatory engagement with the CFTC and National Futures Association (NFA), including managing examination responses, no-action relief requests, rule interpretations, and informal guidance.
• Advise on DCM core principles, rule submission, self-certification processes, new product listings, rule amendments, and emergency action procedures.
• Advise on DCO risk management standards, customer protection requirements, default management procedures, and margin and collateral frameworks.
• Advise the FCM on customer fund segregation, residual interest obligations, leverage and margin rules, and NFA compliance program requirements.
• Collaborate with product, engineering, and compliance teams to structure and launch new derivatives products (e.g., perpetual futures, options, prediction markets) in compliance with CFTC requirements.
• Monitor regulatory developments including proposed rulemakings, guidance, enforcement actions, and congressional activity, and communicate their impact proactively.
• Build and maintain strong working relationships across derivatives, compliance, finance, and technology teams.
• Manage and coordinate with outside counsel on regulatory matters before the CFTC and NFA.

Requirements

• Qualified attorney admitted to practice law in the United States.
• Minimum 12 years of experience in financial services law with a strong focus on CFTC regulation and CEA-registered entities.
• Experience from top-tier law firms, in-house roles at registered entities (DCM, DCO, FCM, or swap dealer), or the CFTC.
• Deep knowledge of the CEA and CFTC regulations, including DCM core principles (Part 38), DCO requirements (Part 39), FCM obligations (Parts 1, 22, 30), swap dealer regulatory regime (Parts 23, 45–50), and retail commodity transaction framework under CEA Section 2(c)(2)(D).
• Familiarity with CFTC jurisdiction over leveraged, margined, or financed retail commodity transactions, including spot crypto margin products.
• Direct experience advising on or managing CFTC regulatory filings, rule submissions, or examination responses for at least one type of CEA-registered entity.
• Proven ability to manage complex regulatory relationships and multi-stakeholder workstreams, including coordination with outside counsel and regulators.
• Excellent analytical, drafting, and organizational skills with the ability to provide clear, commercially actionable legal guidance.
• Ability to translate complex regulatory requirements into practical guidance for non-legal business partners.
• Pragmatic and commercially accountable approach to legal and regulatory risk, providing clear recommendations and options.
• Genuine interest in crypto and digital assets, with familiarity of relevant products and market structures.
• Experience using AI tools such as Enterprise GPTs to enhance legal service efficiency.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience advising on CFTC oversight of digital asset derivatives, including crypto assets as commodities and regulatory status of crypto-margined contracts.
• Experience with swap dealer registration, de minimis threshold analysis, and uncleared margin rules under the CEA.
• Knowledge of NFA compliance program requirements and experience managing NFA audits or inquiries.
• Familiarity with non-US derivatives regulatory frameworks (e.g., ESMA, FCA, MAS) especially where they intersect with CFTC cross-border rules.

Compensation & Benefits

• Salary range: $175,800 to $351,600 annually.

Location

• Fully remote within the United States.

Additional Information

• Applications are accepted on an ongoing basis unless otherwise specified.
• Candidates may redact personal information such as age or dates of education from resumes.
• The employer considers qualified applicants with criminal histories in compliance with applicable fair chance laws.
• Equal opportunity employer committed to non-discrimination based on race, ethnicity, age, gender identity, citizenship, religion, sexual orientation, disability, pregnancy, veteran status, or other protected characteristics.
• Candidates may be asked to complete job-related skills or work-style assessments as part of the hiring process.