Advisor Development Program Client Associate

Bank of America • Bridgewater, MA

23h • Onsite

About The Position

The Wealth Management Client Associate – Advisor Development Program (WMCA - ADP) is an entry-level role designed for individuals aspiring to become full-scale Financial Advisors at Merrill. This role initially focuses on providing client service support to Financial Advisors (FAs). The journey begins with obtaining Securities Industry licenses (SIE, Series 7, and Series 66 within 120 days), with dedicated study time provided. Once licensed, the WMCA - ADP will learn foundational skills, support enterprise strategic objectives, operational excellence goals, and client advocacy, and serve as a primary point of contact for client service needs. After achieving key milestones and demonstrating proficiency, the individual will progress into the next stage of the Advisor Development Program as a Financial Advisor trainee. In this trainee role, they will build a book of business, acquire and manage client relationships, provide financial advice and solutions, and complete dedicated training. The ultimate destination is becoming a Merrill Financial Advisor, supported by programs, tools, and resources throughout the career journey. The program emphasizes developing a book of business, client prospecting, assessing needs, recommending suitable investment products and services, balancing various professional activities, managing resources, seeking specialist expertise, and completing ongoing training and performance goals. Bank of America provides world-class training, coaching, and opportunities to grow business knowledge, deliver comprehensive advice, and collaborate with banking and investment partners to meet client financial needs.

Requirements

• Securities Industry Essentials [SIE], Series 7, and Series 66 Exams must be obtained within 120 days; (63 & 65 accepted, in lieu of 66, if previously held).
• Displays confidence working as a self-starter in a sales role.
• Builds strong client relationships through effective communication and collaboration.
• Displays a proactive mindset and effective time management.
• Demonstrates a results-driven growth mindset and prioritizes client interests.
• Identifies appropriate client solutions through application of learnings and new information.
• Exceptional interpersonal and relationship building skills.
• Effective communication skills (written and verbal).
• Proven ability to quickly build trust and credibility.
• Proven ability to assess needs of and recommend appropriate solutions.
• Proven ability to work both collaboratively on a team with key partners and independently.
• Proven ability to listen and probe for clarity and understanding.
• Entrepreneurial mindset with a proven ability to source clients through extensive prospecting and networking.
• Strong follow-through skills.
• Computer/technical literacy and proficiency in applications such as Microsoft Suite.
• This position is subject to SAFE Act registration requirements.

Nice To Haves

• Bachelor’s degree and/or a minimum of one year of work experience.
• Learns and adapts to new technology or applications.
• Executes multiple tasks simultaneously.

Responsibilities

• Provide client service support to Financial Advisors (FAs).
• Support enterprise strategic objectives, operational excellence goals, and client advocacy within the FA’s business.
• Customize solutions based on specific client needs.
• Serve as the most frequent point of contact within Merrill to address all service needs of their clients.
• Act as a resource for FAs on the team.
• Obtain Securities Industry Essentials [SIE], Series 7, and Series 66 Exams within 120 days (63 & 65 accepted, in lieu of 66, if previously held).
• Progress into building a book of business as a Financial Advisor trainee.
• Acquire, build, and manage client relationships while considering a client’s complex financial picture and guiding them with advice and solutions.
• Develop a book of business in order to meet and exceed established performance hurdles.
• Effectively prioritize and source prospective clients, capitalizing on referrals, assessing customer needs, referring customers to the appropriate internal specialists, and executing highly customized solutions to meet client needs.
• Recommend investment products and services that are suitable for prospects based on their objectives, resources, time horizon, risk profile and preferences.
• Balance investment growth, referral activities, customer follow up, prospect building, administrative compliance and personal growth and development according to both a day-to-day and longer-term planning.
• Organize and manage resources (time, people, budget) to run a productive practice.
• Seek the expertise of specialists, where appropriate, to identify planning and investment strategies for a client.
• Complete mandated training, assessments, performance goals and continuing education requirements.
• Partner with Financial Advisors, Client Relationship Managers, and Market Supervision Managers on all aspects of client servicing, risk, investments, and banking products, while receiving appropriate guidance and escalating issues as needed.
• Provide excellent Client Service to the bank's clients through educating them on all of the bank's service and banking offerings.
• Ensure timeliness, accuracy, and completeness in client materials and follow up on all client and Financial Advisor (FA) requests.
• Assist with ensuring practices are in alignment with the bank's policies and procedures to support operational excellence, protect the bank's clients, and manage risk.
• Identify, deepen, and maintain client relationships through emphasizing the bank's offerings and promoting incorporation of banking into day-to-day practices, while communicating outputs to the FA.
• Perform general business growth support functions aligned to the role of the Client Associate or Wealth Management Client Associate, providing business development, investment solutions, and/or business management support to multiple FAs.

Benefits

• Industry-leading benefits
• Access to paid time off
• Resources and support to our employees so they can make a genuine impact and contribute to the sustainable growth of our business and the communities we serve
• Competitive benefits to support their physical, emotional, and financial well-being

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level
• Education Level: No Education Listed
• Number of Employees: 5,001-10,000 employees