Director, Business Consulting and Education, Research and Thought Leadership

Your Opportunity

Schwab remains committed to providing increased visibility to career growth opportunities and job requirements. This posting announcement is part of increased transparency and while all qualified applicants will be reviewed and considered, this organization has a preferred candidate identified for this role. 

The Business Consulting and Education (BCE) team creates and delivers high-quality, industry-leading consulting and education programs that help advisors better manage their businesses in addition to helping them plan and prepare for the future. The key to the team’s success lies in its ability to create highly relevant and scalable programs that turn practice management insights into actionable plans that advisors can implement in their firms. These programs are delivered by a nationwide team of experienced consultants who work closely with advisors and their Schwab relationship managers to understand the firm’s challenges and areas of opportunity, and then map a path forward.

Programs developed and managed by BCE include the annual Charles Schwab RIA Benchmarking Study, immersive multi-week ‘Insight to Action’ consulting programs, the Schwab Executive Leadership Program, Schwab Advisor University, The RIA Manager Advancement Program, and the RIA Intern Program. The BCE team also produces white papers on a range of practice management issues in addition to creating resources to help advisors navigate compliance requirements.

As a key contributor to the Schwab Advisor Services BCE organization, the Director, Business Consulting and Education – Research and Thought Leadership role will lead the team that creates and manages BCE’s thought leadership. Delivery of this content and these programs cascades from large webcasts and event presentations to interactive workshops, working 1:1 with individual clients in consulting engagements, and creating greater scale through 1:many approaches. Key to these efforts is the research and creation of thought leadership, extensive research and analysis of trends, and a strategic go-to-market strategy. In addition, the Director will oversee BCE’s industry-leading RIA Benchmarking and Compensation studies and associated programs, as well as other research to support thought leadership efforts. All of this is strategized alongside, planned, and delivered in coordination with key internal stakeholders across various segments including the AS Relationship Management and Business Development teams, Marketing, PR, Events, AS Account Management, Field Enablement, and senior leadership.

Successful BCE team members are energized by the opportunity to build relationships and develop innovative content in a highly collaborative environment. They are intellectually curious, passionate about learning new things, and motivated to leverage their strengths to deliver meaningful results. The ideal candidate enjoys having fun at work and embraces the opportunity to share and receive feedback. Positivity, flexibility, transparency, and efficiency are valued on the team, as is the ability to work with and influence individuals at all levels of the organization.

What you have

• A seasoned, mature leader with strong execution experience leading geographically diverse teams and supporting complex and varied projects.
• A track record of developing strong relationships with business leaders through relevance, trust, influence, and delivery. Builds very strong relationships through collaboration across all levels of the organization, motivating colleagues to accomplish work effectively and urgently.
• Capable of contributing to senior leadership strategic decisions and vision for the future.
• Significant experience with consulting and/or sales operating systems (i.e., Flawless Consulting, Miller Heiman, change management models, etc.) that support thorough discovery and understanding of client/prospect needs, leading to successful collaboration and implementation of significant changes and improvements within a firm.
• Experience guiding and overseeing the strategic direction of a robust thought leadership program.
• 5+ years of experience in developing thought leadership, education programs, events content, tools, and resources, preferably within financial services and with a deep understanding of RIAs.
• Expertise in long from writing and deep research to develop thought leadership pieces as well as guide others on the team.
• 5+ years of people leadership experience.
• Relationship-oriented and emotionally mature executive who manages complex, multi-stakeholder issues with resilience while embracing others’ perspectives. Exceptionally client focused; able to build relationships and establish trust, respect, and confidence effectively and quickly.
• Excellent leadership skills and a track record of building strong, effective, and engaged teams delivering high quality results.
• Experienced in effectively assessing, selecting, and developing talent for the firm; adept at providing balanced, direct, and actionable feedback to employees.
• Highly motivated, intellectually curious individual with a passion for learning and continuous improvement.
• Energized by collaboration and able to thrive in a highly iterative environment.
• A ‘can-do’, results-oriented approach to business, and able to deliver high-quality work.
• Experience serving the financial services industry (preferred); an understanding of wealth services for advisors, practice management and consulting is desirable but not required.
• BA/BS degree required