Advisor Development Leader

Savant•Rockford, IL

2d•$115,000 - $155,000•Remote

About The Position

Savant is seeking an Advisor Development Leader to design, deliver, and continuously enhance development and educational programs that strengthen advisor capability, accelerate readiness, and improve business outcomes. This role provides both advisor-facing and leader-enabling support, partnering closely with Regional Directors (RDs), Senior Managing Partners (SMPs), senior advisors, and the Learning & Development (L&D) team. The role emphasizes hands-on coaching, real-world observation, targeted interventions, and strategic enablement aligned to Savant’s growth and evolution. This position ensures advisors have the skills, tools, and behaviors needed to excel in their roles, progress in their careers, and consistently deliver the Savant advisor experience. A few important notes about this role: There is flexibility in location for this role, but ideally this individual will be near a Savant location. Travel throughout Savant will be required, up to 50% of the time. This role will work closely with our most senior advisor leadership team.

Requirements

Education: Bachelor’s degree in Business, Finance, Marketing, or a related field required. Advanced degree preferred.
Experience: 5-10+ years in financial services, wealth management, or a closely related advisory/sales environment.
Prior experience as an advisor, sales leader, practice management leader, or advisor coach strongly preferred.
Demonstrated success designing and delivering development programs for experienced professionals.
Experience supporting growth-oriented advisory teams and/or integrating acquired firms.
Ability and willingness to travel throughout Savant's national footprint
High credibility with seasoned advisors and leaders.
Strong facilitation, coaching, and communication skills.
Deep understanding of advisory sales cycles, client dynamics, and referral strategies.
Exceptional relationship-building and influencing capability.
Ability to manage multiple priorities, navigate ambiguity, and operate independently.
Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
Willingness to travel frequently for advisor-facing work.
High professionalism, discretion, and alignment with Savant values.

Responsibilities

Advisor Training & Skill Development Designs and delivers high-impact training in the areas of client meeting effectiveness, consultative selling, referral strategies, proposal development, and Savant systems/workflows.
Facilitates in-person and virtual sessions with an emphasis on practice, application, and feedback.
Provides hands-on coaching to advisors across experience levels, offering structured, actionable performance guidance.
Develops and maintains training content, frameworks, and tools aligned to Savant’s advisory standards.
Individualized Development Plans (IDPs) Partners with RDs and SMPs to develop advisor-specific development plans based on experience level, performance gaps, and career aspiration.
Creates templates, toolkits, and coaching aids leaders can use to execute IDPs consistently.
Translates scorecards, KPIs, and qualitative assessments into clear development actions.
Monitors progress on IDPs and provides guidance to leaders on adjusting plans as needed.
Leader Enablement: Regional Director (RD)/ Senior Managing Partner (SMP) Coaching Support Equips RDs and SMPs with frameworks, tools, and coaching guides for effective 1:1 advisor conversations.
Provides observation aids and methods for evaluating advisor performance in client meetings and discovery calls.
Models effective coaching by shadowing or co-coaching with leaders in select situations.
Serves as a thought partner to leaders on performance plateaus, behavioral challenges, and early development concerns.
Targeted Interventions & Rapid-Response Development Designs and delivers short-cycle development interventions for specific advisor needs (e.g., sales skill refreshers, referral conversation tune-ups, meeting close execution).
Works with RDs/SMPs to determine who needs what intervention and when.
Ensures these engagements are structured, intentional, and outcome-oriented.
Observation-Based Coaching Observes live or recorded advisor interactions (client meetings, discovery calls, referral asks).
Provides structured, standards-based feedback aligned to Savant’s advisor expectations.
Supports advisors in translating feedback into immediate behavior change and ongoing practice.
Onboarding of New and M&A Advisors Owns the advisor-specific onboarding experience for new hires and acquired advisors, in partnership with L&D and Advisory leadership.
Designs multi-day onboarding programs, including in-person components, that accelerate confidence and competency.
Establishes mentorship, peer learning, and skill-transfer experiences with seasoned advisors.
Ensures onboarding continues beyond initial learning through structured development journeys.
Career Progression & Readiness Support Supports Advisory leadership in defining readiness standards for advisor career progression.
Aligns development programs and coaching to those standards.
Provides input (not decision authority) on advisor readiness based on skill demonstration and behavioral maturity.
Change Enablement & Adoption Support Supports advisors through changes in service models, processes, go-to-market strategies, and tools.
Helps translate strategic changes into advisor behavior change, not just knowledge transfer.
Partners with Advisory and L&D to ensure training is timed, relevant, and reinforced.
Program Design, Measurement & Continuous Improvement Measures the effectiveness of programs using advisor feedback, adoption data, and business outcomes.
Refines content and delivery based on changing advisor needs, acquisition learnings, and strategic priorities.
Ensures alignment with L&D systems, standards, and firm-wide learning frameworks.
Advisor Voice & Field Insight Acts as a strategic feedback channel to Advisory leadership on advisor needs, emerging skill gaps, workflow friction, and tool/process challenges.
Helps shape future enablement priorities and investments based on field insight.
Ensures advisors are engaged, heard, and supported through ongoing evolution.

Benefits

Benefit Eligibility on Day One: Enjoy immediate access to a robust benefits package starting on your first day of employment.
Choice of Medical Plans: Select from two medical plans tailored to fit your needs.
Health & Wellness Accounts: Opt for a Health Savings Account (HSA) or Flexible Spending Account (FSA) to manage your healthcare expenses.
Flexible Dental Coverage: Choose between two dental plan options for optimal oral health.
Vision Insurance: Keep your eyes healthy with our vision insurance plan.
Company-Paid Life & AD&D Insurance: Feel secure with fully covered basic life insurance and accidental death & dismemberment benefits.
Company-Paid Disability Coverage: Rest easy knowing you’re covered with both short-term and long-term disability plans.
401(k) with Company Match: Invest in your future with both Roth and Traditional 401(k) plans, featuring a per pay period company match.
Generous Paid Time Off: Benefit from PTO that increases with your years of service, at least 11 paid holidays each year, a paid day each year for your Savantiversary, and enjoy shorter work weeks with our Summer Hours.
Additional Leave and Time Off Benefits: Personal leave, parental leave, professional development paid time, and bereavement pay are just a few examples of how you will be supported with time off and other benefits during life's most critical moments.
Dress Code: Enjoy a “Dress for Your Day” approach to your style. We offer wardrobe flexibility based on office culture, client expectations, and your daily schedule.
Employee Recognition: Enjoy monetary awards through our recognition program.
Team Incentive Plans: Participate in our team incentive plan for additional earning opportunities.
Employee Assistance Program: Access support through our Employee Assistance Program whenever you need it.
Exclusive Discounts: Take advantage of various discount programs for additional savings.
Wellness Reimbursements: Get reimbursed for gym memberships and other wellness programs to stay fit and healthy.
Additional Perks: Get reimbursed for your warehouse club memberships and receive an allowance for Savant Swag.