Summary This position is located in the Surveillance Branch within the Division of Enforcement. The Branch is responsible for the development, management, and evaluation of the Commission's market surveillance program. Duties Conduct in-depth market, trading, economic, statistical, and data analyses of a wide variety of commodity derivatives market data, including futures, options, swaps, digital assets, and prediction markets, along with related cash market products.
Analyze trading by individuals and groups of traders in relation to price movements, price relationships, open interest, and volume of trading, applying sophisticated economic and statistical techniques to determine whether such activity represents basic supply and demand forces or potential artificial market disruption.
Analyze elements of proof in market abuse and market/price manipulation cases, evaluate results, and prepare detailed reports incorporating tabular data and graphical data analysis for use by Commission Enforcement staff.
Build and assist in the development of business intelligence dashboards in tools like Tableau or Allium to drive insights from complex datasets.
Participate in the development of software prototypes to advance and automate surveillance techniques in support of the Branch's mission in a rapidly expanding and innovative industry.
Strategic and Advisory Duties:
Serve as a trusted advisor, translating analytic findings for attorney teams and senior leadership.
Guide the successful completion of major projects, including reviewing output from data science professionals and other analysts to support tool development and an increased understanding of covered markets.
Support the development of the agency's AI and data analytics strategy.
Qualifications
CT-13 Level: To qualify for the CT-13 level you must have at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower grade (GS/CT-12 level). Specialized experience is defined that through which one has gained experience:
Expert knowledge of economic and statistical theories and in-depth trading techniques relating market, trading, and economic analysis of commodity derivatives markets including futures.
Strong market intuition and quantitative skills.
Skills in executing, maintaining, or improving trading strategies.
Ability to analyze trading by individuals and groups of traders in relation to price movements, price relationships, open interest, and volume of trading,
CT-14 Level: To qualify for the CT-14 level you must have at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower grade (GS/CT-13 level). Specialized experience is defined that through which one has gained experience:
Expert knowledge of economic and statistical theories and in-depth trading techniques relating market, trading, and economic analysis of commodity derivatives markets including futures, options, swaps, or prediction markets, discussing trading and market situations with market participants and trading venues, and identifying trading behaviors and intentions.
Ability to work individually or as a member of a team to isolate and/or define critical problem areas and use ingenuity to adapt, extend, or synthesize existing theories, principles, or techniques to carry out difficult analyses
Communication skills to clearly convey findings in written and oral form, including graphical information, and the ability to educate and build consensus within a team environment.
Ability to interpret and apply the Commission's regulations for economic and statistical analyses.
Skills in maintaining or improving automated trading systems.
Skills in executing, maintaining, or improving trading strategies. Education There is no Education Requirement for the position.
Requirements
You will be evaluated on the basis of your level of competency (knowledge, skills and abilities) in the following areas:
- Responsible and Ethical AI Use Knowledge and skills to apply AI in ways that protect personal/professional security, mitigate harm, and ensure mindful, informed, and productive interaction. This includes understanding bias, privacy, governance, and compliance
- Identifying Data Limitations Ability to recognize AI’s constraints, assess data quality, and evaluate outputs for accuracy, completeness, and relevance
- Data Analysis Skills in selecting, preparing, managing, and analyzing data to meet project goals, including statistical methods, visualization, and domain-specific analytics.
- Machine Learning (ML) Competencies Understanding of ML concepts, algorithms, and applications, plus the ability to research, develop, and deploy generative AI tools and methodologies
- AI Logic Competencies Knowledge of symbolic/logic-based AI, reasoning processes, and strategic decisions about when and how to apply these approaches.
- AI Literacy and Problem Solving Foundational understanding of AI capabilities, limitations, risks, and when human.
- Workflow Automation and AI Agent Orchestration Skills to design processes where AI handles repetitive tasks, and to manage multi-step AI agent workflows
- AI Output Evaluation Critical review of AI results for factual accuracy, logic, and alignment with objectives How you will be evaluated Your application will be evaluated and rated under CFTC Category Rating and Selection Procedures. Your resume and supporting documentation will be used to determine whether you meet the job qualifications listed on this announcement. If you are minimally qualified for this job, your resume and supporting documentation will be compared to your responses on the online assessment questionnaire. If you rate yourself higher than is supported by your application materials, your responses may be adjusted and/or you may be excluded from consideration for this job. Your application will then be placed in one of three categories: Best Qualified, Well Qualified, or Qualified. Names of all candidates in the best qualified category will be sent to the hiring official for employment consideration. Candidates within the best qualified category who are eligible for veteran's preference will receive selection priority over non-veteran preference eligibles.
This recruitment will utilize the following assessment tools: Structured Evaluative Review
Your application will be evaluated through an SME Evaluative Review. Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) will independently review your resume to assess how well your experience demonstrates the required competencies for this position listed in the "Requirements" section of this announcement. SMEs will assign scores based on the strength, relevance, and clarity of the information provided in your resume. These individual evaluations will then be combined to determine your final score or rating category.
Quality Category Definitions:
- Best Qualified – Applicants who substantially exceed the minimum qualifications and demonstrate exceptional proficiency across the core competencies.
- Well Qualified – Applicants who clearly exceed the minimum qualifications and demonstrate strong competency across most areas.
- Qualified – Applicants who meet the minimum qualifications for the position.
You may preview questions for this vacancy. How to apply RESUME REQUIREMENT: Your resume may NOT exceed two pages, and the font size should not be smaller than 10 pts. Please ensure your resume clearly demonstrates how you meet the qualifications for the position within the two-page limit.
- Content of Resume: Your resume or other written form you choose to describe your job-related experiences are used to verify your qualifications. Therefore, it is important that your resume accurately reflects the duties and responsibilities under each position you have held with each employer. In describing your experience, please be clear and specific. It is your responsibility to make sure your resume states complete information for each job entry (beginning and ending dates of employment stated as MM/YYYY to MM/YYYY; and total number of hours worked per week). If your resume does not provide enough information regarding your work history for us to make a creditable qualification determination, your application package may be rendered disqualified, and you will no longer be considered for this position. To assist you in sending in a complete resume, use the checklist at: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/faq/application/documents/resume/what-to-include
Please follow the instructions listed below for submitting your complete application package. Application procedures are specific to this vacancy announcement. Please read all instructions before you begin.
Resume Requirements:
- Resumes are limited to two (2) pages.
- Resumes should focus on the knowledge, skills, abilities; accomplishments and results; and training and education relevant to this position.
- Resumes must be in the following format (for each position held relevant to this position):
- Short summary of position duties
- Accomplishments while in the position
- Results of those accomplishments
Copying and pasting position descriptions into a resume is not acceptable.
Illegible Information and/or Documents
- If your supporting documents and resume are illegible or do not provide the necessary information for the Human Capital Specialist and/or Subject Matter Expert to make a qualification determination, you may lose consideration for this position.
Last Document Uploaded
- If multiple copies of the same document are uploaded/faxed and submitted with your application, CFTC will only consider the last copy of the document uploaded/faxed when determining your eligibility and qualifications. For example, if you upload/fax two or more resumes only the last resume uploaded/faxed and submitted will be considered.
YOU MUST APPLY ONLINE: Your complete application, including required documents, must be received by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time (EST) on the closing date of this announcement. You must complete and submit an application by accessing the USAJOBS website at USAJOBS.GOV. To begin, click the Apply Online button within the vacancy announcement and follow the prompts to create an account using LOGIN.GOV, if you have not done so already. LOGIN.GOV will walk you through each step of the account set-up and will automatically link your USAJOBS profile to LOGIN.GOV. Once you have established an account using LOGIN.GOV, you will then go back to USAJOBS.GOV using your LOGIN.GOV username and password to answer the questions and submit all required documents. If you already have established an LOGIN.GOV account or want to return to your saved application, go to USAJOBS.GOV using your LOGIN.GOV username and password to apply or view your profile. If you have problems completing your on-line application, including problems submitting your supporting documents, please contact the Help Desk by e-mail at mgshelp@monster.com or phone at 1-866.656.6831. The help desk is available Monday-Friday, 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. EST.
To verify the status of your application, log into your USAJOBS account (https://my.usajobs.gov/Account/Login), all of your applications will appear on the welcome screen. The Application Status will appear along with the date your application was last updated. For information on what each Application Status means, visit: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/how-to/application/status/. Other 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:
As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you may be required to serve a 1-year probationary period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider:
- Your performance and conduct;
- The needs and interests of the agency;
- Whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and
- Whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service. Upon completion of your probationary/trial period your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.
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.