Business Development Director

041 SEI Investments Management Corporation; Illinois; Hybrid; USD 100,000 - 150,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

401(k) match

paid holidays

paid parental leave

back-up childcare arrangements

education assistance

Job summary

SEI Investments Management Corporation is seeking a Business Development Director to lead advisor acquisition and territory growth in the RIA channel. The role emphasizes client-facing leadership, cross‑functional collaboration, and driving assets and relationships.

The successful candidate will have 7+ years in financial services sales, a business or finance degree, and a strong network within RIAs. Travel up to 80% is required as part of territory development and relationship management.

Qualifications

• Minimum 7 years of experience in financial services client sales and service in the RIA channel.
• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Finance, Economics or related field.
• MBA and/or CFP preferred; NASAA Series 65 or 66 license within 90 days.

Responsibilities

• Lead business development and territory management for predominantly SEC-registered RIA firms in SEI’s Wealth and Advisor channel.
• Collaborate with Account Executive to drive territory strategy and growth; mentor junior sales professional.
• Deliver SEI ecosystem—custody, technology and investment management—to drive net new business growth.
• Analyze market data and trends to optimize client growth and increase share of wallet.
• Engage clients through in-person, virtual meetings, calls and emails to advance sales and client engagement health.

Skills

RIA channel sales

Territory management

Client relationship management

Lead generation

Travel up to 80%

Education

Bachelor's degree (Business/Finance/Economics)

MBA/CFP preferred

Tools

CRM systems

Job description

SEI’s Wealth Advisor business is growing the Client Team to continue to accelerate business growth. To support this expansion, SEI is seeking a qualified Business Development Director to join the team. In this high-profile business development role, you will be the most prominent client- and prospective-client-facing individual—responsible for new producing advisor acquisition, onboarding, and activation, as well as territory management—to drive the continued growth of assets and relationships for the Registered Investment Adviser (RIA) channel of SEI’s Wealth and Advisor business. To ensure success, you should carry deep experience and advanced knowledge of the advisor market, particularly in the RIA channel. This is an excellent opportunity for an accomplished sales and client experience specialist who is passionate about leading change, and whose business development and buyer-influencing skills will build long-lasting client partnerships. This role reports directly to the Managing Director and works with a dedicated Account Executive and cross-functionally across the Sales, Marketing, Product and Service organizations of the business. Together, you will be responsible for territory growth goals and overseeing the totality of business development, relationship management, account management, and experience for advisor-client firms in the RIA channel of the market. This role is territory-based, and we’re seeking expansion to establish new territories in Chicago, Illinois.

What you will do:

• Lead business development and territory management for predominantly SEC-registered RIA firms, in the RIA channel of SEI’s Wealth and Advisor Business.
• Work in coordination with partner Account Executive to drive territory strategy planning and growth.
• In addition, lead and mentor this junior Sales professional.
• Deliver the entire SEI ecosystem, encompassing custody, technology and investment management, driving net new business growth results.
• Analyze market data, trends, consumer preferences, and competitor behavior to optimize client and territory growth, with a focus on penetrating existing firm-clients with broader SEI solutions to increase share of wallet.
• Influence the development and acquisition of new advisor-client relationships at all stages in the buying journey.
• Shape and implement sophisticated, diverse and collaborative growth agendas, with a focus on motivating prospective-clients to embrace change and transition business.
• Generate new interest and prospective-client leads—constantly staying ahead of new opportunities—while also managing the development of inorganic leads through the sales process.
• Proactively engage clients and prospective-clients, led by in-person meetings, online-meetings, telephone and email, and both in-person and virtual presentations, to drive sales agendas and support advisor-client’s full engagement health.
• Through mastery of SEI’s suite-of-solutions, educate and persuade with a process to support clients in their engagement with SEI, across custody, technology, asset management and business-centric solutions.

What we need from you:

• A minimum of 7 years of experience in financial services client sales and service support, with direct experience in RIA channel sales.
• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Finance, Economics or in a related field.
• Advanced degree or credentials, specifically in the business administration and/or planning areas—MBA and/or CFP®—preferred.
• Current NASAA Series 65 or Series 66 license or ability to acquire within 90 days.
• Strong knowledge of RIA custody and technology platforms, strong network of relationships in the RIA community, as well as direct experience in influencing business owners in this channel and delivering both custody/technology and business-centric advice and influence.
• Extensive experience in multi-channel communication mediums, including individual face‑to‑face interactions, in‑person one‑to‑many presentations, virtual one‑to‑many presentations, live video, recorded video, phone and email.
• Ability to influence decision‑making at the highest levels of an organization, while performing with a clientfirst mentality, and an established background in consultative sales.
• Consistent record of performance in territory management—both in strategic planning, execution, and travel—with outstanding time‑management, organizational and mentor skills, plus the track record of exceeding goals.
• Excellent written and verbal communications skills with a track record in client relationship management and buyer satisfaction.
• This position includes territory management and up to 80% travel potential.

What we would like from you:

Someone who will embody our SEI Values of courage, integrity, collaboration, inclusion, connection and fun.

Compensation:

The base salary for this position is expected to be $100,000 to $150,000, commensurate with experience, with additional performance‑based sales compensation that represents a larger portion of total earnings.

Please be aware that SEC Rule 206(4)-5 “Political Contributions by Certain Investment Advisers” (the “Rule”) may place certain restrictions on certain subsidiaries of SEI as a result of your past and future political contributions. Therefore, an offer for this position may be contingent on you providing SEI, a completed questionnaire regarding political contributions made by you and members of your household, and that SEI may reject your application if SEI determines in its sole discretion that the effect of such political contributions under the Rule could have an adverse impact on SEI’s current or prospective business activities and strategies. Any misrepresentation of or omission of any contributions from this information request, will be cause for your rejection or dismissal from employment.

Benefits include:

• healthcare (medical, dental, vision, prescription, wellness, EAP, FSA)
• life and disability insurance (premiums paid for base coverage)
• 401(k) match
• education assistance
• commuter benefits
• up to 11 paid holidays/year
• 21 days PTO/year pro‑rated for new hires which increases over time
• paid parental leave
• back‑up childcare arrangements
• paid volunteer days
• a discounted stock purchase plan
• investment options
• access to thriving employee networks
• more

We are a technology and asset management company delivering on our promise of building brave futures (SM)—for our clients, our communities, and ourselves.

Come build your brave future at SEI.

The position title reflected in this job description is aligned with SEI's current internal job architecture. As part of SEI's role and career framework, internal job titles may not directly correspond to external market titles and may differ from titles previously assigned during an employee's tenure or at the time of hire.

After over 50 years in business, SEI remains a leading global provider of investment processing, investment management, and investment operations solutions. Reflecting our experience within financial services and financial technology our offices encompass an open floor plan and numerous art installations designed to encourage innovation and creativity in our workforce.

We recognize that our people are our most valuable asset and that a healthy, happy, and motivated workforce is key to our continued growth.

We offer our employees paid parental leave, back‑up childcare arrangements, paid volunteer days, education assistance and access to thriving employee networks.

SEI is an equal opportunity employer and so much more…

SEI is an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.

AI Acceptable Use in the application and interview process: SEI acknowledges the growing integration of artificial intelligence (AI) tools into individuals’ personal and professional lives. If you intend to incorporate the use of any AI tools at any stage of the application and/or interview process, please ensure you have reviewed and adhere to our AI use guidelines.

We are global provider of technology, operations, and asset management services for the financial services industry. We tailor our solutions to help clients make effective use of their capital—whether that’s money, time, or talent—so they can grow and better serve their clients.

At SEI, we’re committed to fostering an inclusive workplace where everyone has the same opportunities to grow, develop, and succeed.