Senior Research Analyst

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:

• 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 $93,300 - $135,900 per year. Team members may also be eligible for performance-based discretionary awards.

• 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.

• 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

• 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. 

• Comprehensive and competitive health benefit offerings – Medical, dental, and vision plans

• Supportive paid family leave benefits – Up to 16 weeks paid parental leave and up to 16 weeks paid caregiver leave

• Life insurance benefits – Basic life and AD&D insurance provided; supplemental insurance also available

• 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.

• 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  

• Commuter benefits – Tax-free employer subsidy and pretax employee deductions 

Role Summary

The PCAOB has a full-time, regular position for a Senior Research Analyst in the Office of Economic and Risk Analysis (OERA). The Senior Research Analyst will support project teams by (1) identifying and processing data to facilitate economic analysis and post-implementation reviews of rules and standards and other OERA research and initiatives, (2) performing analysis under the supervision of staff economists or Senior Managers, and (3) reviewing and summarizing academic and professional literature. The Senior Research Analyst will also mentor and guide interns and Research Analysts and will work at the PCAOB’s Washington, DC headquarters.

Responsibilities

• Identify data that can inform economic analysis and post-implementation reviews of rules and standards, and other OERA research and initiatives.

• Develop and revise code to extract, clean, merge, and document more complex structured, unstructured, and semi-structured data in support of OERA’s activities.

• Analyze public and private data in support of OERA initiatives and projects.

• Review and synthesize academic and professional literature related to OERA initiatives and projects.

• Identify, implement, and document ways to improve the PCAOB’s research environment.

• Work with staff from other divisions/offices within the PCAOB to facilitate OERA’s work. 

• Guide and mentor interns and Research Analysts.

Qualifications

Education/Technical Expertise

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in economics, statistics, finance, computer science, or related field.

• Minimum of 3+ years of relevant experience post-graduation.

• Experience using Python to manipulate and analyze data in a cloud-based computing environment; familiarity with SQL and regular expressions.

• Experience preparing and documenting unstructured, semi-structured, and structured data for use in statistical analysis.

• Excellent data management skills.

• Experience obtaining and merging financial data from various data sources (e.g., Compustat, Audit Analytics, Capital IQ, CRSP).

• Knowledge of financial statements and capital markets.

• Interest or experience in conducting quantitative research related to auditing, financial statements, and financial markets.

• Excellent time management, organization, and prioritization skills.

• Ability to work both independently and as part of a team.

• Must be detail-oriented and have a professional, positive, and proactive attitude.

• 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.

• In-depth experience successfully harmonizing diverse and competing interests.

• Ability to clearly articulate a position with sound logic, supporting empirical evidence, and impartiality.

• Ability to effectively represent the organization to a variety of both internal and external constituencies.

• Superior verbal and written communication skills.

• 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

• Experience or interest in textual data parsing and classifying.

• Knowledge of econometrics, including linear regressions, binary choice models, and panel data techniques.

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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