Senior Financial Economist – Policy and Economic Analysis
Join us and make a difference in global investor protection.
Who We Are
The Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB), a nonprofit organization established by Congress, oversees the audits of public companies and SEC-registered brokers and dealers to protect investors and to further the public interest in the preparation of independent, accurate, and informative audit reports.
Our investor protection mission is focused on modernizing audit standards, enhancing audit inspections, and strengthening enforcement of PCAOB rules and standards and other related laws and rules. People are at the heart of our mission at the PCAOB. As we carry out that mission, we strive to uphold the highest standards in audit quality with investors’ families, savings, and futures in mind.
We are hiring mission-driven professionals interested in a career with purpose, competitive benefit offerings, and work-life flexibility. If you are interested in working with a group of talented professionals to protect investors and drive audit quality and innovation while adhering to the highest standards of ethical and professional conduct, join us.
What We Offer
At the PCAOB, we offer a highly competitive compensation and benefits package with a focus on the health and financial well-being of our valued team members. Some of the features of our comprehensive Total Rewards package include:
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Compensation – We support transparency, equity, and fairness in our compensation programs and provide a reasonable estimate of the salary range, based on data-driven market analysis, for each job posting. While it is not typical for an individual to be hired at or near the top of the range, a reasonable estimate of the salary range for this role in Washington, DC (Headquarters) is $164,800 - $258,300 per year. Team members may also be eligible for performance-based discretionary awards.
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Hybrid work option – Staff will be assigned to the Washington, DC (Headquarters) office. Staff can choose to live and work from anywhere within the United States but will be required to commute to their assigned office or location for occasional intentional gatherings or meetings at the frequency required by their supervisor. Travel to an assigned office or location for commuting purposes will not be considered reimbursable business travel, unless otherwise required by state law. Business travel is reimbursable in an amount not exceeding the cost to travel from the assigned office or location, unless otherwise required by state law.
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Generous paid time off – Up to 6 weeks annually, in addition to 12 federal holidays, 2 floating holidays, and a year-end break December 26-31, 2025
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Highly competitive 401(k) match and savings options – Immediate vesting and contributions matched dollar for dollar, up to 7 percent of eligible compensation. Roth in-plan conversion available.
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Comprehensive and competitive health benefit offerings – Medical, dental, and vision plans
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Supportive paid family leave benefits – Up to 16 weeks paid parental leave and up to 16 weeks paid caregiver leave
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Life insurance benefits – Basic life and AD&D insurance provided; supplemental insurance also available
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Education benefits – PCAOB staff qualify for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program. We also offer student loan repayment assistance, staff college tuition assistance, and college coach program support.
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Well-being and family resources – Mental health and well-being resources, paid volunteer time, emergency child/adult dependent back-up care services, family-forming assistance, discounted gym memberships, employee assistance program (EAP), health advocate program, and more
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Commuter benefits – Tax-free employer subsidy and pretax employee deductions
Role Summary
The PCAOB has a full-time, regular position for a Senior Financial Economist in the Office of Economic and Risk Analysis (OERA). The Senior Financial Economist will lead development of economic analyses of rules and standards, lead post-implementation review projects, lead development of predictive econometric models, or conduct other research to support the PCAOB’s strategic initiatives. The Senior Financial Economist will report to a Deputy Director, Associate Director, or Assistant Director in OERA and will work in the PCAOB’s Washington, DC (Headquarters) office.
Responsibilities
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Lead development of economic analyses of rules and standards, lead post-implementation review projects, lead development of predictive econometric models, or perform other research in support of the PCAOB’s strategic initiatives.
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Collaborate with staff in other offices and divisions and Board Groups on the development of economic analyses of rules and standards, post-implementation review reports, or predictive econometric models.
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Lead the development of technical papers and memoranda that support economic analyses of rules and standards, post-implementation review reports, econometric models, or other research and provide transparency for internal and external audiences into data sets used, methods applied, and results of analysis.
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Present analysis and findings to the Board and other internal and external audiences.
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Identify and execute on opportunities to enhance the quality of the PCAOB's economic analysis, post-implementation reviews, or econometric models.
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Engage with outside experts in academia and industry to further strengthen the PCAOB’s understanding of auditing and its impact in capital markets or econometric modeling capabilities.
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Lead efforts to analyze public and proprietary data to support and inform other PCAOB initiatives and projects.
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Provide guidance to research analysts in the development of complex datasets.
Qualifications
Education/Technical Expertise
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Ph.D. in accounting, finance, economics, or related field.
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Minimum of 5+ years of progressively responsible experience (excluding post-graduate experience) conducting empirical research related to auditing, accounting, or financial markets, or developing econometric/statistical models for prediction and causal inference.
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Expertise in statistical software packages (Stata, R, or SAS) and/or other programming languages (such as Python) to conduct econometric modeling and statistical analysis.
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Strong knowledge of economic analysis of rules and regulations and cost-benefit analysis, including economic analysis relating to competition, efficiency, and capital formation and applications of economics to auditing; post-implementation analysis of rules and regulations; or developing econometric/statistical models for prediction and causal inference.
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Outstanding collaborative skills and the ability to promote collaboration by unifying teams, setting common goals, and incentivizing collaborative behavior.
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Ability to clearly articulate a position with sound logic, supporting empirical evidence, and impartiality.
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Ability to effectively represent the organization to a variety of both internal and external constituencies.
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A self-starter able to administer a number of open, ongoing assignments at any one time, where some assignments are routinely unstructured, requiring autonomy and independent judgment.
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Demonstrated ability to effectively organize and manage projects and teams.
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Ability to develop, coach, and mentor staff, providing constant feedback and clear direction.
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Demonstrated success in establishing and maintaining positive working relationships with others, both internally and externally, to help achieve the goals of the organization.
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In-depth experience successfully harmonizing diverse and competing interests.
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Superior verbal and written communication skills.
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Must be legally authorized to work in the United States without the need for employer sponsorship, now or at any time in the future.
Preferred Qualifications
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7+ years of relevant experience (excluding post-graduate experience).
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2+ years of experience managing projects and preparing reports and presentations for non-economist audiences.
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Knowledge of corporate finance.
Equal Employment Opportunity
All PCAOB employees are entitled to equal opportunity and a professional work environment, free of discrimination and harassment. A workplace free of discrimination and harassment is fundamental to professional success and to the PCAOB's mission. The PCAOB will consider for employment all qualified applicants with criminal histories in a manner consistent with applicable law.
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What We Do
The PCAOB is a nonprofit corporation established by Congress to oversee the audits of public companies in order to protect investors and further the public interest in the preparation of informative, accurate, and independent audit reports. The PCAOB also oversees the audits of brokers and dealers, including compliance reports filed pursuant to federal securities laws.
The PCAOB has four primary duties:
- Register public accounting firms that prepare audit reports for issuers, brokers, and dealers.
- Establish or adopt auditing and related attestation, quality control, ethics, and independence standards.
- Inspect registered firms' audits and quality control systems.
- Investigate and discipline registered public accounting firms and their associated persons for violations of specified laws, rules, or professional standards.
In support of our mission, we also conduct economic research and risk analysis, engage with our stakeholders and other domestic and international regulators, and manage a talented workforce and the technology and resources we need to perform our duties.
The SEC has oversight authority over the PCAOB, including the approval of the Board's rules, standards, and budget.
The PCAOB has approximately 800 staff members.[1] We maintain our headquarters in Washington, D.C., and have nine regional offices across the United States. More than 1,700 public accounting firms located in 92 jurisdictions across the globe are currently registered with us. About 560 of those registered firms audit more than 12,000 issuers that file financial statements with the SEC or otherwise play a substantial role in those audits.
[1] The data presented in this section is as of December 31, 2020.
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