Director of Operations

Operations Council; State College (Centre County); On-site; USD 110,000 - 170,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Dental & Vision

Group Life Insurance

Short Term Disability Insurance

401(k) with safe harbor employer

Job summary

Vicus Capital, an independent investment management firm headquartered in State College, PA, seeks a Director of Operations to lead its Operations and DCSA teams. You will supervise day-to-day activities, back up staff, and drive policy creation in collaboration with Compliance.

The role requires strong organizational, communication, and leadership skills, plus the ability to manage vendor relationships and strategic initiatives across a nationwide advisor network.

Qualifications

• Series 65 licensed within 12 months of hire.
• High degree of professionalism and strong work ethic.
• Excellent people skills with coaching and management experience.
• Strong critical thinking, problem-solving, and time management.
• Outstanding written and verbal communication.
• Systems analysis, evaluation, and project management.

Responsibilities

• Support Advisory Operations in world-class client service to nationwide financial advisors.
• Cultivate relationships of trust with financial advisors and their staff.
• Oversee Operations and Dedicated Client Services staff; back up processing team tasks.
• Delegate work, monitor SLAs and escalate issues as needed.
• Lead process improvements and office ops study groups.
• Manage vendor relationships with partners like Fidelity, Schwab, DocuSign.
• Conduct due diligence on new systems affecting Operations.
• Lead semi-annual meetings with advisors to gather feedback.
• Design business continuity plan and cross-training procedures.
• Collaborate with Compliance on regulatory changes and policy enforcement.

Skills

Series 65 Licensed

Professionalism

People management

Critical thinking

Communication skills

Systems analysis

Attention to detail

Independent judgment

Tech proficiency (Excel)

CRM experience (Redtail)

CRM experience (HubSpot)

Tools

Microsoft Office (Excel)

Redtail CRM

HubSpot CRM

Job description

COMPANY

Vicus Capital is an independent investment management firm with over $3 billion in assets under management headquartered in State College, Pennsylvania. The firm works with advisors throughout the country to provide clients with elite service and cutting‑edge advisory platforms. We take great pride in fostering a family atmosphere and a fulfilling work environment for all employees.

POSITION SUMMARY

We are looking to hire a dynamic Director of Operations to lead our companys Operations and DCSA staff. This role reports directly to the Chief Operating Officer. The Director of Operations will monitor and supervise the day-to-day operations of the Operations Team, management, talent cultivation, and performance oversight of both Operations and DCSA staff. They will be required to learn the responsibilities of their direct reports in order to act as back‑up for all staff as needed on an as‑needed basis (i.e., processing new accounts, cashiering, and maintenance requests). They will be required to develop, implement, and quality control all aspects and procedures of the Advisory Operations Team, lead policy creation and enforcement (in collaboration with Compliance), and develop solutions in real‑time for closing gaps in controls. This position must maintain a constant and open dialogue with the Chief Operating Officer on the state of daily operations, updates on strategic projects, and their staff. This individual should have a passion for providing world‑class support and cultivating that passion in others, display impeccable organizational skills, and demonstrate effective and versatile communication skills for a wide range of audiences: end investors, advisors, advisor office staff, direct reports, peers, management, and the executive team.

PRINCIPAL DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES

• Support the Advisory Operations Team in providing world‑class client service to our nationwide network of financial advisors, acting as a key decision‑maker during process analysis and crisis management
• Cultivate relationships of trust with our financial advisors and their office staff
• Management, talent cultivation, and performance oversight of both Operations and Dedicated Client Services staff
• Back up all staff as needed, including processing new accounts, cashiering, and maintenance requests, as a member of the processing team
• Delegation of work to team, monitoring Service Level Agreements (SLA)
• Cashiering Quality Control (QC) and escalation of exception requests/issues
• Strategic thinking, process improvement, and leading office ops study groups for the department
• Key Operations systems contract renewal and volume tracking
• Vendor relationship management (conducting elevated conversations with partners such as Fidelity, Schwab, DocuSign, etc.)
• Perform due diligence on any new systems that may impact the Operations Department
• Conducting semi‑annual meetings with financial advisors to absorb and provide feedback on operational topics
• Design business continuity plan (BCP) operational coverage procedures, cross‑training, and real‑time triage
• Frequently collaborate with Compliance on regulatory changes, policy creation, and enforcement

SKILLS & QUALIFICATIONS

• Series 65 Licensed (required within one year of hire)
• A high degree of professionalism and a strong work ethic
• Excellent people skills and an aptitude to coach, train, and manage direct reports
• Critical thinking, complex problem‑solving, and time management
• Outstanding follow‑through, seeing tasks from start to finish, including those processed by direct reports
• Exceptional communication skills, both verbal and written
• Systems analysis, evaluation, and project management with an emphasis on prioritizing tasks
• Strong attention to detail and accuracy; highly organized and efficient
• Ability to work without close supervision, exercising independent judgment and problem‑solving, as well as collaborating in a team environment
• Comfort with technology and a proactive approach to researching and promoting workplace tech (proficiency in Microsoft Office, particularly Excel, is required; experience with a CRM like Redtail or HubSpot is preferred)

BENEFITS

This career opportunity is a full‑time salaried position. A comprehensive benefit package is provided which includes

• Health insurance
• Dental & Vision
• Group Life Insurance
• Short Term Disability Insurance
• a 401(k) with safe harbor employer contributions