Crypto Product Manager - Executive Director

711 MS Smith Barney, LLC; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 260,000 - 380,000; Full time

Job summary

Morgan Stanley is seeking a Crypto Product Manager - Executive Director in Chicago to lead end-to-end delivery of a strategic digital asset initiative. This leader translates business strategy into an executable roadmap, coordinating Product, Engineering, Operations, Risk, Legal, Compliance, Finance, and external partners.

The role requires building scalable governance, managing dependencies, and ensuring regulatory and controls alignment for launch and ongoing operations.

Qualifications

• Significant experience leading enterprise-scale products or programs in financial services or regulated industries.
• Demonstrated ability to translate strategy into business requirements, delivery plans, governance, and measurable outcomes.
• Strong working knowledge of digital assets, cryptocurrency products, custody and execution models, market structure, or related fintech.
• Experience partnering with technology, operations, risk, legal, compliance, audit, and third-party providers.
• Proven skill in executive communication, stakeholder management, issue resolution, and decision facilitation.
• Sound judgment, high ownership, and ability to operate amid ambiguity and competing priorities.
• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent; advanced degree or relevant professional certification preferred.

Responsibilities

• Own the integrated program plan from strategy and design through build, launch, stabilization, and ongoing enhancement.
• Define business requirements, customer journeys, operating assumptions, and prioritized capabilities with product leaders.
• Coordinate with Product, Engineering, Operations, Risk, Legal, Compliance, Finance, Audit, and other stakeholders on milestones and ownership.
• Establish governance forums, clear status reporting, escalation paths, and updates on progress, risks, and tradeoffs.
• Embed regulatory, compliance, operational, technology, fraud, and third-party requirements into the program design.
• Coordinate with vendors and market partners, oversee dependencies and service readiness, and resolve performance issues.
• Ensure operational readiness: staffing, support models, monitoring, incident management, and management reporting.
• Lead rapid, fact-based resolution of blockers and production incidents; drive corrective actions.
• Manage scope, budget, timelines, resources, dependencies, and change control while focusing on outcomes.
• Use data from customers, operations, risk, and performance to identify enhancements and strengthen the platform post-launch.

Skills

Executive leadership

Product management

Stakeholder management

Executive communication

Strategic planning

Decision facilitation

Ambiguity navigation

Education

Bachelor’s degree

Advanced degree or professional certification preferred

Job description

Crypto Product Manager - Executive Director Chicago, IL

Morgan Stanley is a leading global financial services firm providing a wide range of investment banking, securities, investment management and wealth management services. The Firm's employees serve clients worldwide including corporations, governments, and individuals from more than 1,200 offices in 43 countries. As a market leader, the talent and passion of our people is critical to our success. Together, we share a common set of values rooted in integrity, excellence, and strong team ethic. Morgan Stanley can provide a superior foundation for building a professional career - a place for people to learn, to achieve and grow. A philosophy that balances personal lifestyles, perspectives and needs is an important part of our culture.

Wealth Management (WM) Platforms manages industry-leading platforms, across all WM channels and client segments, to provide a unified digital experience, unlock growth, and deliver efficiencies for Advisors, Clients, and Institutions. WM Platforms consists of ten teams including: Digital Assets & Data Platforms, Digital Client Experience & Platforms, Digital Trading & Investing, Field Experience & Platforms, UX Design & Research, WM Artificial Intelligence, WM Strategic Solutions, Workplace Platforms, WM Platforms Risk, and the WM Platforms Chief Operating Office.

Digital Trading & Investing manages the trading, investing, & research experiences for self-directed platforms (E*TRADE, MSO & Power E*TRADE). Responsible for the E*TRADE retail education team as well as financial products including equities, options, futures, fixed income & more. The team serves all self-directed clients, from highly sophisticated traders to long-term investors

The Crypto Product Manager is accountable for leading the end-to-end delivery of a strategic digital asset and cryptocurrency initiative. The role translates business strategy into an executable roadmap, coordinates work across Product, Engineering, Operations, Risk, Legal, Compliance, Finance, and external partners, and ensures the platform is launched and operated with appropriate controls. This leader serves as the central point of accountability for scope, priorities, dependencies, decisions, risks, and executive communication.

Key Responsibilities

• Program leadership: Own the integrated program plan from strategy and design through build, launch, stabilization, and ongoing enhancement.
• Product and business direction: Define business requirements, customer journeys, operating assumptions, and prioritized capabilities in partnership with product leaders and subject-matter experts.
• Cross-functional execution: Align Product, Engineering, Operations, Risk, Legal, Compliance, Finance, Audit, and other stakeholders around milestones, deliverables, ownership, and decisions.
• Governance and executive communication: Establish effective forums, decision rights, status reporting, and escalation paths; provide clear updates on progress, tradeoffs, risks, and resource needs.
• Risk and controls: Embed regulatory, compliance, operational, technology, fraud, financial-crime, and third-party requirements into the program design and delivery plan.
• Third-party management: Coordinate with vendors and market partners, oversee dependencies and service readiness, and drive resolution of performance, integration, and production issues.
• Operational readiness: Ensure procedures, staffing, support models, monitoring, incident management, reconciliations, controls, and management reporting are in place before launch.
• Issue resolution: Lead rapid, fact-based resolution of blockers and production incidents, clarify accountability, and drive corrective and preventive actions to completion.
• Delivery discipline: Manage scope, budget, timelines, resources, dependencies, and change control while maintaining focus on critical outcomes.
• Continuous improvement: Use customer, operational, risk, and performance data to identify enhancements and strengthen the platform after launch.

Leadership Expectations

Create clarity in a complex, fast-moving, and highly regulated environment. Influence senior leaders and partner teams without relying solely on direct authority. Balance speed to market with sustainable controls, operational resilience, and customer protection. Make timely decisions, surface tradeoffs early, and maintain accountability across workstreams. Build trust through transparent communication, disciplined follow-through, and strong command of program details.

Qualifications and Experience

• Significant experience leading complex, enterprise-scale products, platform, or transformation programs in financial services or another regulated industry.
• Demonstrated ability to translate strategy into business requirements, delivery plans, governance, and measurable outcomes.
• Strong working knowledge of digital assets, cryptocurrency products, custody and execution models, market structure, or related financial technology.
• Experience partnering with technology, operations, risk, legal, compliance, audit, and third-party providers.
• Proven skill in executive communication, stakeholder management, issue resolution, and decision facilitation.
• Sound judgment, high ownership, and the ability to operate effectively amid ambiguity and competing priorities.
• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent practical experience; advanced degree or relevant professional certification preferred.

WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT FROM MORGAN STANLEY:

At Morgan Stanley, we raise, manage and allocate capital for our clients – helping them reach their goals. We do it in a way that’s differentiated – and we’ve done that for 90 years. Our values - putting clients first, doing the right thing, leading with exceptional ideas, committing to diversity and inclusion, and giving back - aren’t just beliefs, they guide the decisions we make every day to do what's best for our clients, communities and more than 80,000 employees in 1,200 offices across 42 countries. At Morgan Stanley, you’ll find an opportunity to work alongside the best and the brightest, in an environment where you are supported and empowered. Our teams are relentless collaborators and creative thinkers, fueled by their diverse backgrounds and experiences. We are proud to support our employees and their families at every point along their work-life journey, offering some of the most attractive and comprehensive employee benefits and perks in the industry. There’s also ample opportunity to move about the business for those who show passion and grit in their work. To learn more about our offices across the globe, please copy and paste https://www.morganstanley.com/about-us/global-offices into your browser.

Morgan Stanley is an equal opportunity employer committed to building and maintaining a workforce that is diverse in experience and background. Our recruiting efforts reflect our strong commitment to a culture of inclusion, where individuals are hired, developed, and advanced based on their skills and talents. Our workforce reflects a broad cross-section of the global communities in which we operate, bringing a variety of backgrounds, talents, perspectives, and experiences. For more information, please visit: https://www.morganstanley.com/people-opportunities/eeo.

At Morgan Stanley, we advise, originate, trade, manage and distribute capital for people, governments and institutions, always with a standard of excellence and guided by our core values. Morgan Stanley is dedicated to providing first-class service to our clients, in a way that reflects our commitment to creating a more sustainable future and fostering stronger communities around the world. In each line of business, we strive to demonstrate our belief in the power of transformative thinking, innovative strategies and leading-edge solutions—and in the ability of capital to work for the benefit of all society.

What We Do