Operations Manager

Chief of Staff Kc; Kansas City (MO); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Chief of Staff KC, a growing independent retirement planning firm in the Kansas City area, seeks a Director of Operations to build the foundation for scalable growth toward a COO role. You will own compliance, run daily operations on Fidelity and Orion, and lead the operations and client service team as the firm expands.

You bring 7+ years in financial services operations, strong SEC/RIA compliance knowledge, and a track record of creating repeatable workflows.

Qualifications

• 7+ years in financial services operations.
• 3+ years leading a team at an RIA, broker-dealer, or wealth management firm.
• Strong knowledge of RIA compliance and SEC regulatory requirements.
• Experience with Fidelity and Orion, or comparable custodian and portfolio management platforms.

Responsibilities

• Own the firm's compliance program as an SEC-registered RIA, keeping policies, recordkeeping, and filings audit-ready.
• Run day-to-day operations on Fidelity and Orion (portfolio management and reporting).
• Oversee account opening, transfers, money movement, billing, and client reporting.
• Build smooth, repeatable workflows for a high volume of new client introductions.
• Support fixed indexed annuity and insurance business, from case submission to suitability documentation.
• Hire, train, and lead the operations and client service team as the firm scales.
• Create playbooks, onboarding, and service standards for new advisors and staff.

Skills

Compliance program ownership

Operations leadership

Process design

Attention to detail

Team development

Strategic partnership

Education

Series 65 or 66

Life and Health license

Tools

Fidelity

Orion

Job description

Chief of Staff KC is partnering with a growing, independent retirement planning firm in the Kansas City area to hire a Director of Operations. The firm is a fiduciary, SEC-registered investment adviser that helps retirees protect their money and the life they have built.

This is a ground-floor leadership role. The firm is in startup mode and is scaling quickly, with plans to reach 50 people within the next 12 months. Its advisors work from a steady pipeline of warm client introductions, so growth is already built in. What the firm needs now is a detail-driven operator to build the foundation that growth will run on, with a clear path to COO.

What You'll Do

• Own the firm's compliance program as an SEC-registered RIA, keeping policies, recordkeeping, and filings audit-ready
• Run day-to-day operations on Fidelity (custodian) and Orion (portfolio management and reporting)
• Oversee account opening, transfers, money movement, billing, and client reporting
• Build smooth, repeatable workflows for a high volume of new client introductions
• Support fixed indexed annuity and insurance business, from case submission to suitability documentation
• Hire, train, and lead the operations and client service team as the firm scales
• Create the playbooks, onboarding, and service standards new advisors and staff will follow
• Partner with leadership on strategy, capacity, and risk as the role grows toward COO

What You Bring

• 7+ years in financial services operations, including 3+ years leading a team at an RIA, broker-dealer, or wealth management firm
• Strong knowledge of RIA compliance and SEC regulatory requirements
• Experience with Fidelity and Orion, or comparable custodian and portfolio management platforms
• Understanding of fixed indexed annuities and insurance products, how they fit in a retirement income plan, and comfort supporting that business
• Exceptional attention to detail and a track record of building processes from scratch
• Experience hiring and developing teams in a fast-growth environment
• Preferred: Series 65 or 66 and a Life and Health insurance license