Compliance, Trade Surveillance Associate

Coinbase; Austin (TX); Hybrid; USD 109,000 - 128,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Remote-friendly

Job summary

Coinbase is seeking a Trade Surveillance Associate in the Market Regulation Department to monitor activity, investigate potential violations, and produce reports supporting CDE's regulatory obligations. You’ll analyze alerts, triage cases, and deliver updates to senior leadership in a fast-paced, high-stakes environment.

The role requires 3+ years of surveillance experience, strong knowledge of derivatives and CFTC regs, and the ability to manage multiple investigations with precision.

Qualifications

• 3+ years of experience providing market and trade surveillance support for regulated entities.
• Sound understanding of market fundamentals, derivatives trading practices, and investigative techniques.
• Demonstrated ability to produce clear, well-organized investigative memoranda, reports, and presentations.
• Experience managing multiple concurrent investigations and regulatory deadlines.
• Utilizes generative AI responsibly, maintaining human oversight to deliver business-ready outputs.

Responsibilities

• Investigate potential trade practice violations, including spoofing, wash trading, money pass activity, front running, fraud, and other disruptive trading activity by CDE participants to ensure compliance with CDE's rulebook and applicable CFTC regulations.
• Analyze alerts generated by CDE's trade surveillance system, triaging and escalating matters that require heightened review in partnership with Market Regulation Department leadership.
• Produce investigative reports documenting observations, findings, and assessments, maintaining compliance with recordkeeping requirements for all inquiries and investigations.
• Deliver updates and presentations to the Chief Regulatory Officer, CDE Board, and Regulatory Oversight Committee on matters related to trade activity in accordance with CDE rules and procedures.
• Identify patterns and trends across surveillance data that may indicate emerging market risks or systemic compliance gaps, recommending process improvements to strengthen the program.

Skills

Market surveillance

Regulatory knowledge

Investigative reporting

Multi-case investigations

AI governance

Job description

Ready to do the most impactful work of your career? At Coinbase, we are uncompromising on our mission to increase economic freedom. The bar is high, the environment is intense, and we like it that way. This isn't a place for complacency, it's a place to be pushed past your perceived limits. If you're ready to build the future of finance alongside people who refuse to settle for "good enough," you belong here. Coinbase is a remote-first, but not remote-only company. Expect to get together quarterly for intense in-person working sessions called "surges." learn more about working at Coinbase.

As a Trade Surveillance Associate in the Market Regulation Department of Coinbase Derivatives, LLC (CDE), you'll help ensure the integrity of Coinbase's CFTC-registered designated contract market by monitoring trade activity, investigating potential violations, and enforcing CDE's rulebook. Working closely with the Chief Regulatory Officer and Market Regulation Department, you'll analyze surveillance alerts, conduct investigations into disruptive trading practices, and produce the reports and documentation that support CDE's regulatory obligations as a self-regulatory organization.

What you'll do:

• Investigate potential trade practice violations, including spoofing, wash trading, money pass activity, front running, fraud, and other disruptive trading activity by CDE participants to ensure compliance with CDE's rulebook and applicable CFTC regulations.
• Analyze alerts generated by CDE's trade surveillance system, triaging and escalating matters that require heightened review in partnership with Market Regulation Department leadership.
• Produce investigative reports documenting observations, findings, and assessments, maintaining compliance with recordkeeping requirements for all inquiries and investigations.
• Deliver updates and presentations to the Chief Regulatory Officer, CDE Board, and Regulatory Oversight Committee on matters related to trade activity in accordance with CDE rules and procedures.
• Identify patterns and trends across surveillance data that may indicate emerging market risks or systemic compliance gaps, recommending process improvements to strengthen the program.

Required Skills and Experience:

• 3+ years of experience providing market and trade surveillance support for regulated entities (DCMs, DCOs, exchanges, broker-dealers, or comparable).
• Sound understanding of market fundamentals, derivatives trading practices, and investigative and surveillance techniques, with the ability to apply CFTC regulations and exchange rulebooks to specific trading scenarios.
• Demonstrated ability to produce clear, well-organized investigative memoranda, reports, and presentations that synthesize complex trading data for stakeholders at all levels, including regulators.
• Experience managing multiple concurrent investigations and regulatory deadlines while maintaining accuracy and thoroughness across all active matters.
• Utilizes generative AI responsibly, maintaining human oversight to deliver business-ready outputs and drive measurable improvements in workflow efficiency, cost, and quality.

*Pay Transparency Notice:** *Base salary varies by location (see range below). Total compensation may also include equity and bonus eligibility, and benefits (medical, dental, vision, 401(k)).

Annual base salary range (excluding equity and bonus):

$108,630-$127,800 USD

• *Application Limit: *Candidates may submit a maximum of 3 applications within a 6-month period.
• *Equal Opportunity Employer: *Coinbase is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, or genetic information. Applicants with criminal histories will be considered consistent with applicable federal, state, and local laws.
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• *Accommodations: *If you are an individual with a disability who needs a reasonable accommodation, email us your request and contact info at accommodations[at]coinbase.com. Need screen reading technology? Click here to download a free compatible screen reader and view the tutorial.
• *Data Privacy & Arbitration: *By submitting your application, you agree to our Candidate Privacy Notice. US applicants: By submitting your application, you agree to Arbitration of Disputes.