Onboarding & Client Implementation Lead, Vice President (Wealth Custody and Clearing)

State Street; Boston (MA); On-site; USD 110,000 - 208,000; Full time

Job summary

State Street seeks a senior leader for Client Onboarding & Implementation to build a best-in-class, scalable onboarding function for RIAs, their advisors, and operational teams. This role owns the vision for a digital, AI-enabled onboarding experience at scale, balancing client experience with regulatory and platform readiness.

Reporting to the Head of Service & Advisor Experience, the leader will define strategy, governance, standards, and playbooks; recruit and develop a

Qualifications

• 10+ years leading complex onboarding or implementations in wealth management.
• Experience with custody, RIAs, or broker-dealer environments.
• Ability to translate strategy into operating models and governance.
• Strong executive presence and cross-functional leadership.

Responsibilities

• Establish and lead the Client Onboarding & Implementation function with strategy and long-term roadmap.
• Lead complex RIA implementations from pre-planning through activation and steady-state service.
• Build scalable onboarding methodology: segmentation, readiness, governance, go-live criteria.
• Own the onboarding acceleration through digital and AI-enabled capabilities and automation.
• Collaborate with Sales, Relationship Management, Operations, Product, Technology, Compliance, Risk, and Legal.

Skills

Executive leadership

Stakeholder management

Digital delivery

Onboarding strategy

AI capabilities

Education

Undergraduate degree

Advanced degree preferred

Tools

Salesforce

E-signature

Job description

Who we are looking for

Wealth Custody & Clearing is seeking a senior leader for Client Onboarding & Implementation to establish, lead, and scale the onboarding and client acclimation function for Registered Investment Advisor firms, their advisors, investment consultants, and operational teams. This leader will own the vision for building a best-in-class, modern onboarding team that delivers white-glove service at scale through digital workflows, automation, and AI-enabled capabilities embedded throughout the client onboarding journey.

This individual will define the onboarding strategy, operating model, governance framework, digital and AI-enabled delivery model, and end-to-end client experience for firms transitioning onto our introducing broker-dealer and custody platform. Accountability spans complex, multi-workstream implementations from initial planning and readiness assessment through activation, adoption, and transition into steady-state service.

Beyond leading individual implementations, the successful candidate will build the infrastructure necessary to support scalable growth, including implementation standards, client segmentation models, governance routines, readiness criteria, training programs, performance metrics, escalation frameworks, repeatable playbooks, and the digital and AI capabilities that enable a lean, highly skilled team to deliver a personalized, high-touch experience to a growing client base. Initially, this position will operate as both a hands-on builder and senior client leader while establishing the organizational model and team capabilities required for future expansion.

Success in this role requires close partnership with senior client stakeholders and extensive coordination across Operations, Client Service, Product, Technology, Risk, Compliance, Sales, and Relationship Management. The leader must effectively balance client experience, operational readiness, commercial objectives, regulatory obligations, and platform scalability.

As the senior point of accountability for a client's earliest and most consequential interactions with the platform, this individual will bring strong judgment, executive presence, operational depth, and a clear vision for modern onboarding. The ability to translate complex requirements into a transparent, organized, and confidence-building implementation experience will be essential.

Reporting to the Head of Service & Advisor Experience, this leader will partner closely with Client Service & Advisor Experience leadership to ensure a seamless transition from implementation into ongoing relationship management and service delivery.

Why this role is important to us

Successful onboarding is a strategic growth capability for Wealth Custody & Clearing. As the business scales, our ability to onboard complex firms consistently, manage implementation risk, and accelerate client adoption will directly influence client confidence, platform utilization, operational stability, and long-term retention.

Clients expect onboarding to be both personal and efficient. We believe the leading platforms will combine white-glove, high-touch service with modern digital and AI capabilities that remove friction, increase transparency, and allow onboarding capacity to grow without sacrificing quality. This leader will set and drive that vision for Wealth Custody & Clearing.

The Client Onboarding & Implementation leader will establish the vision, strategy, standards, governance, and organizational capabilities required to deliver that experience at scale. This leader will ensure that firms are not only technically activated, but operationally prepared to use the platform effectively, adopt critical workflows, understand service expectations, and return their focus to growth.

By connecting Sales, Relationship Management, Operations, Service, Product, Technology, Compliance, and Risk, this role will create a disciplined implementation model that supports near-term client launches while building a repeatable foundation for future growth.

What you will be responsible for

• Establish and lead the Client Onboarding & Implementation function for Wealth Custody & Clearing, including its strategy, operating model, governance, standards, and long-term roadmap.
• Serve as the senior accountable leader for complex RIA implementations, providing leadership from pre-implementation planning through activation, acclimation, and transition into steady-state service.
• Build a scalable onboarding methodology that includes client segmentation, implementation planning, readiness assessments, decision governance, milestone management, risk escalation, go-live criteria, and post-launch stabilization.
• Develop and own the client acclimation and adoption strategy, ensuring firms move beyond technical activation to operational confidence, effective platform utilization, and early realization of value.
• Define and continuously raise the white-glove client experience standard, ensuring every firm receives a personalized, proactive, and high-touch onboarding experience regardless of volume or complexity.
• Engage directly with client executives, firm leadership, investment consultants, advisors, and operational leaders to establish expectations, resolve strategic issues, and maintain confidence throughout the transition.
• Lead product parity, operating model, and readiness assessments for prospective and committed clients, identifying material gaps and ensuring appropriate decisions, ownership, and remediation plans are established before launch.
• Establish executive governance and reporting for major implementations, including implementation health, readiness, dependencies, risks, decisions, client sentiment, and escalation items.
• Partner with Sales and Relationship Management during the prospect and contracting lifecycle to assess implementation complexity, clarify client requirements, and establish realistic onboarding expectations.
• Provide cross-functional leadership across Operations, Client Service, Trading, Cashiering, Asset Servicing, Product, Technology, Compliance, Risk, Legal, and third-party providers to drive coordinated implementation outcomes.
• Define measurable onboarding and adoption outcomes, including implementation predictability, time to activation, readiness, client effort, early-life service demand, platform adoption, and transition quality.
• Establish clear handoff standards and shared accountability between Implementation, Client Service, Advisor Experience, Relationship Management, and Operations following activation.
• Own the development of implementation playbooks, role-based client training, operating procedures, communication standards, escalation protocols, and reusable tools that support consistent execution.
• Build, develop, and lead a scalable onboarding and implementation team, including defining roles, responsibilities, capacity requirements, performance expectations, and professional development priorities.
• Create feedback mechanisms that translate implementation experience, client needs, and recurring operational gaps into improvements across Product, Technology, Operations, Service, and the broader client experience.
• Own the digital and AI roadmap for onboarding, including digitization, workflow automation, data-driven reporting, and responsible AI-enabled solutions (such as intelligent document intake, automated status updates, client self-service, and AI-assisted readiness and risk monitoring) that improve implementation transparency, reduce client effort, and increase operational scalability.
• Track emerging onboarding technology, AI capabilities, and industry practices, and benchmark the function against leading custodians and fintech platforms to keep it best-in-class.
• Represent the onboarding and implementation function in senior leadership, client governance, risk, and business readiness forums.

What we value

• Demonstrated leadership of complex client onboarding, implementation, transition, or transformation programs within wealth management, custody, clearing, broker-dealer, or financial technology environments.
• A clear, compelling vision for what a modern, best-in-class onboarding experience looks like, and the ability to rally teams, clients, and executives around it.
• Experience building or materially scaling an onboarding, implementation, client transition, or professional services capability.
• Strong executive presence and the ability to establish credibility with senior client leaders, internal executives, control partners, and cross-functional delivery teams.
• Proven ability to lead large, multi-workstream initiatives involving operational, technical, regulatory, product, service, and organizational change.
• Deep understanding of RIA and wealth management operating models, including enterprise firms with centralized investment, operations, and shared servicing capabilities.
• Ability to translate strategic objectives into practical operating models, governance structures, implementation standards, and measurable outcomes.
• Strong judgment in balancing client commitments, implementation risk, control requirements, platform capabilities, and commercial priorities.
• Experience identifying and resolving structural process gaps, driving cross-functional accountability, and implementing scalable solutions.
• Demonstrated ability to lead through influence in a matrixed organization, particularly when accountability is distributed across multiple functions.
• Experience developing teams, establishing performance expectations, and building organizational capability.
• Demonstrated success deploying data, automation, workflow technology, and AI-enabled tools to improve transparency, predictability, efficiency, scale, and client outcomes without diminishing the personal, white-glove nature of the client experience.
• A client-centric leadership style grounded in accountability, transparency, sound judgment, and proactive communication.

Education & Preferred Qualifications

• Undergraduate degree required; advanced degree or relevant professional qualifications preferred.
• 10 or more years of relevant experience in client onboarding, implementation, client transitions, wealth management operations, custody, clearing, broker-dealer operations, consulting, or financial services transformation.
• Demonstrated experience leading complex client implementations or enterprise transformation programs with senior-level accountability.
• Experience supporting RIAs, enterprise advisory firms, wealth managers, high-net-worth platforms, custody organizations, or introducing broker-dealer models strongly preferred.
• Experience building and leading teams, defining operating models, and implementing governance and performance measurement frameworks.
• Hands-on familiarity with modern onboarding and client lifecycle technology (e.g., CRM and case management platforms such as Salesforce, digital account opening, e-signature, document automation, and AI/agentic tools) preferred.
• FINRA licenses, such as Series 7 and Series 63/66, or the ability to obtain required licenses within the applicable timeframe.
• Experience with account opening, KYC/AML and CIP requirements, asset transfers, platform integrations, operating model design, and implementation risk management preferred.

Salary Range:

$110,000 - $207,500 Annual

The range quoted above applies to the role in the primary location specified. If the candidate would ultimately work outside of the primary location above, the applicable range could differ.

Employees are eligible to participate in State Street’s comprehensive benefits program, which includes: our retirement savings plan (401K) with company match; insurance coverage including basic life, medical, dental, vision, long-term disability, and other optional additional coverages; paid-time off including vacation, sick leave, short term disability, and family care responsibilities; access to our Employee Assistance Program; incentive compensation including eligibility for annual performance-based awards (excluding certain sales roles subject to sales incentive plans); and, eligibility for certain tax advantaged savings plans.

For a full overview, visit https://hrportal.ehr.com/statestreet/Home.

About State Street

Across the globe, institutional investors rely on us to help them manage risk, respond to challenges, and drive performance and profitability. We keep our clients at the heart of everything we do, and smart, engaged employees are essential to our continued success.

We are committed to fostering an environment where every employee feels valued and empowered to reach their full potential. As an essential partner in our shared success, you’ll benefit from inclusive development opportunities, flexible work-life support, paid volunteer days, and vibrant employee networks that keep you connected to what matters most. Join us in shaping the future.

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It is unlawful in Massachusetts to require or administer a lie detector test as a condition of employment or continued employment. An employer who violates this law shall be subject to criminal penalties and civil liability.