Senior Director, Banking & Economic Research

$124,247 - $219,849/Yr

American Bankers Association - Washington, DC

Full-time

Washington, DC

Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations

About the position

The Economist is a subject matter expert on specific aspects of banking and financial services, with a strong understanding of both practices and policies and regulations of banks and non-banks and their products and customers. There is a focus on rigorous quantitative economic analysis of ongoing trends in banking as well as the broader financial services sector. This requires expert familiarity with all relevant data sets and their limitations. Research output includes white papers, blogs, op-eds, testimonies, comments to consultations rule proposals, and presentation decks. In the context of regulatory changes, the incumbent focuses on assessing their impact - qualitative and quantitative - on banks and other financial service providers, their customers, and the broader US economy. The Economist conducts quantitative economic analysis on micro issues of specific products, e.g., mortgage loans, small business lending, credit cards, savings, and investment products, as well as more macro, systemic issues of banking and the financial system, e.g., financial inclusion and access to banking and financial services, systemic risk, and financial stability, and more generally, resilience of financial institutions. The incumbent conducts research on ongoing trends in banking and financial services, access to financial services, the cost of provisioning these services, competition in the broader financial services sector, and macro issues related to financial inclusion. In addition to the usual research output, the incumbent collaborates with colleagues in the broader ABA Policy team and the Office of Member Engagement to track and study these developments and develop policy recommendations. Risk management is core to banking, and the incumbent will be expected to engage in issues about interest rate and credit risk, operational and cyber risk, digital assets, and other emerging topics like climate risk. The incumbent's research on these issues includes keeping abreast of current developments in terms of industry practices, global standards, regulations, and research; communicating these developments to ABA members and the larger public via research notes and presentations; independent research including impact costs. The incumbent acts as an advisor to the Chief Economist in developing policy positions, arguments to support them, and research and analyses necessary to inform these positions. This position has high visibility with bankers (including key ABA policy committees), members of Congress, their staff, various regulatory agencies, the media, and the public. The Economist takes on new issues quickly, bringing analytical expertise and economics training to inform ABA's positions on policy issues. This requires working collaboratively with policy and subject experts, both within ABA as well as among ABA members. Further, the individual develops and maintains strong working relationships with staff in various regulatory agencies, think tanks, and academic experts, both domestic and international. As an expert in banking and financial services, the incumbent will be expected to present at various ABA-organized conferences and member meetings, and industry conferences. In coordination with others in the ABA Policy team and the general membership, the Economist participates in various ABA committees, both leading specific committees and providing quantitative economic expertise. Oversee other projects and duties as assigned by business needs.

Responsibilities

• Conduct quantitative economic analysis on micro and macro issues in banking and financial services.
• Research ongoing trends in banking and financial services, access to financial services, and competition in the sector.
• Collaborate with ABA Policy team and Office of Member Engagement to develop policy recommendations.
• Engage in risk management issues including interest rate and credit risk, operational and cyber risk, and climate risk.
• Communicate research findings to ABA members and the public through various formats.
• Advise the Chief Economist on policy positions and necessary research.
• Present at ABA-organized conferences and industry events.
• Participate in ABA committees, leading specific committees and providing economic expertise.

Requirements

• Master's in economics, finance, public policy, or a related field required.
• 8 years of economics experience related to financial services practice, research, or policy experience required.
• Knowledge of financial services practices and regulations.
• Demonstrated skill with coding languages such as Python and R.
• Experience with quantitative tools, such as regression analysis and other machine learning techniques.
• Effective communication skills, both oral and written.
• Excellent presentation skills: experience presenting to internal and external audiences preferred.
• Advanced analytical capabilities and experience.
• Strategic and lateral thinker, able to envisage the impact of economic developments across businesses and policy areas.
• Ability to explain economic concepts to non-expert audiences.
• Ability to travel (<20%).

Benefits

• Competitive pay
• Outstanding benefits package
• Convenient DC location
• Professional collegial work environment
• Opportunity to work on issues of national significance