Economist at Securities and Exchange Commission

Department: Other Agencies and Independent Organizations

Compensation

$91,410 – $195,672/yr

Location: Chicago, Illinois
Type: Full-time
Level: mid
Posted: Sep 23, 2026

Description

The Economist (Research Associate) will analyze data for potential securities-law violations, including insider trading, market manipulation, cherry picking, and biased trade allocations. The role evaluates stock-market impacts, investor harm, and ill-gotten gains; uses statistical software and programming to analyze complex datasets; develops empirical methodologies; supports expert-witness testimony; and prepares reports and presentations for enforcement attorneys, investigators, and senior leadership. Applicants must be U.S. citizens, meet specified economics education or experience requirements, and may need a security investigation and a one-year probationary period.

Required Skills

Economic analysis
Statistical software
Programming
Economic modeling
Expert testimony

Additional Information

Minimum Education: Bachelor's degree in economics with at least 21 semester hours in economics and 3 semester hours in statistics, accounting, or calculus; alternatively, a master's or equivalent degree.
Required Previous Experiences: At least one year of specialized experience equivalent to GS/SK-9, including economic and statistical analysis of regulated entities, securities, or derivative products and background information and data collection for economic models.
At least one year of specialized experience equivalent to GS/SK-11, including economic and statistical analysis, data collection for economic models, and assistance with developing new analytical approaches, methods, and models.