Federal Position Descriptions
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Commissioner

Commissioner, Federal Trade Commission
Responsibility
Management Scope

In fiscal 2016, the FTC had a budget of $309.6 million and 1,192 full-time equivalents.4

Primary Responsibilities

Oversees and ensures that through law enforcement, research, advocacy and education, the FTC protects and advances the interests of consumers, by making sure they have access to accurate information and that markets work well — providing lower prices, more choices and more innovation.

Strategic Goals and Priorities
[Depends on the policy priorities of the administration.]
Requirements

• Candidates must have relevant substantive knowledge of, and interest in, antitrust and consumer protection law and economics
• Such stature and reputation as to gain the respect of, and effectively engage with, commission career staff, the private bar, the business community, consumer advocates, foreign enforcers and other stakeholders, to ensure the credibility of agency enforcement and other decisions

Competencies

• Unquestioned integrity and ethics
• Excellent leadership skills
• Strong oral and written communication skills
• Open-minded and flexible in thought and strategy
• Cultural and institutional interest and sensitivity

Past Appointments
  • Maureen K. Ohlhausen (2012 to present): Partner at Wilkinson Barker Knauer, LLP; Director of the Office of Policy Planning, FTC; Deputy Director of the Office of Policy Planning, FTC5
  • Terrell McSweeny (2014 to present): Chief Counsel for Competition Policy and Intergovernmental Relations for the Department of Justice Antitrust Division; Deputy Assistant to the President and Domestic Policy Advisor to the Vice President; Senator Joe Biden’s Deputy Chief of Staff and Policy Director in the Senate6
  • Julie Brill (2010 to 2016): Senior Deputy Attorney General and Chief of Consumer Protection and Antitrust for the North Carolina Department of Justice; Lecturer-in-Law at Columbia University’s School of Law; Assistant Attorney General for Consumer Protection and Antitrust for the state of Vermont
AGENCY

Federal Trade Commission

Mission: The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is an independent, bipartisan federal agency with a unique dual mission to protect consumers and promote competition.1 The FTC accomplishes its mission by stopping business practices that are anticompetitive, deceptive and unfair to consumers; engaging in research and policy work; and enhancing public understanding of consumer rights and the competitive process.2

COMPENSATION

Level IV $155,500 (5 U.S.C. § 5315)3

REPORTS TO

The FTC is an independent agency. Commissioners are appointed to seven-year terms.

SENATE COMMITTEE

Commerce, Science and Transportation

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Footnote
  1. https://www.ftc.gov/about-ftc/what-we-do
  2. https://www.ftc.gov/about-ftc
  3. The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2017 (Public Law 115-31, May 5, 2017), contains a provision that continues the freeze on the payable pay rates for certain senior political officials at 2013 levels during calendar year 2017.
  4. https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/documents/reports/fy-2016-congressional-budget-justification/2016-cbj.pdf
  5. https://www.ftc.gov/about-ftc/biographies/maureen-k-ohlhausen
  6. https://www.ftc.gov/about-ftc/biographies/terrell-mcsweeny
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