Trade Surveillance Associate, Derivatives

Coinbase; Pierre (SD); Hybrid; USD 109,000 - 128,000; Full time

Job summary

Coinbase seeks a Trade Surveillance Associate to monitor activity in its regulated markets and help enforce the CDE rulebook. You will investigate potential violations, analyze alerts, and produce reports for senior leadership to support regulatory obligations.

Qualified candidates bring 3+ years of surveillance experience, strong regulatory knowledge, and the ability to manage multiple investigations with precision.

Qualifications

• 3+ years in market and trade surveillance for regulated entities.
• Understanding of derivatives and market fundamentals in practice.
• Ability to write clear investigative memoranda, reports and presentations.
• Experience handling multiple investigations to deadlines with accuracy.
• Ability to use AI responsibly with human oversight.

Responsibilities

• Investigate potential trade practice violations and ensure compliance with regulations.
• Analyze surveillance alerts and triage matters with leadership.
• Produce investigative reports with observations, findings and assessments.
• Deliver updates to senior leaders and committees per regulatory requirements.
• Identify patterns across data and recommend program improvements.

Skills

Market surveillance

Trade regulation

Investigation reporting

Regulatory compliance

AI-assisted analysis

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), this is ahands-on trade surveillance rolewhere 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

• *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.
• *US Applicants: *View Employee Rights, Know Your Rights, and E-Verify Notice of Participation.
• *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.