FINRA Is on a Hiring Spree

The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority is on a hiring spree.

The broker-dealer self-regulator is trying to fill a bevy of positions — 140, to be exact — and is onboarding 20 new employees per week via its virtual onboarding initiative dubbed “FINRA in a Box,” which was launched in March.

The initiative provides new workers the tools they need to work from home, in light of the coronavirus pandemic, and is being spearheaded by Bob Morris, an associate director in FINRA’s Enterprise Technology Services.

Open positions range from a director of technology to a senior director and chief of staff for FINRA’s enforcement division.

Instead of computers being set up in person, Morris and his colleagues — Akinyele Akinsanya and Craig Xavier — are shipping laptops to newcomers’ homes and arranging remote-control sessions to set up the machines, as well as videoconference sessions for additional support, the self-regulator explains in a recent blog post.

“Morris, Akinsanya and Xavier coordinate the deliveries and onboarding process not only with Desktop Support, but also with People Solutions and Vendor Management,” according to the blog. “A small team meets weekly to orchestrate logistics of deliveries and timing of virtual sessions. Morris also consulted with Cyber and Information Security to ensure the new operation met security standards.”

Morris and his team work from a large room on FINRA’s Rockville, Maryland, campus, and are among only a few still working at a FINRA office. The three team members “can keep their distance from each other and follow other safety precautions,” FINRA said.

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