Merrill Advisor Development Program Client Associate - Eastern Pennsylvania

Bank of America • Williamsport, PA

6d • Onsite

About The Position

Merrill Wealth Management is a leading provider of comprehensive wealth management and investment products and services for individuals, companies, and institutions. Merrill Wealth Management is one of the largest businesses of its kind in the world specializing in goals-based wealth management, including planning for retirement, education, legacy, and other life goals through investment advice and guidance. Merrill’s Financial Advisors and Wealth Management Client Associates help clients pursue the life they envision through a personal relationship with their advisory team committed to their needs. We believe trust comes from transparency. Our trusted advisory teams are equipped with access to the investment insights of Merrill coupled with the banking convenience of Bank of America. Merrill is committed to an in-office culture that supports collaboration, engagement, and career development. Our approach includes clear in-office expectations, while providing an appropriate level of flexibility based on role-specific responsibilities and business needs. At Merrill, we empower you to bring your whole self to work. We value the unique perspectives in our thoughts, business, and within our employees and clients. Our Wealth Management team represents an array of different skills and experiences that individuals bring from all backgrounds and careers; whether gained through military service, community college education, or a wide range of work and life experiences. These journeys foster resilience, leadership and innovation, strengthening our workforce and positively impact the communities we serve. The Advisor Development Program is designed for individuals excited to make a career transition and follow their passion of becoming a Financial Advisor.

Requirements

• 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.
• High School Diploma / GED / Secondary School or equivalent.
• Must be able to obtain Securities Industry licenses (SIE, Series 7, and Series 66) within 120 days. (63 & 65 accepted, in lieu of 66, if previously held).
• Subject to SAFE Act registration requirements, including background check and registration process.

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

• Providing client service support to Financial Advisors (FAs).
• Obtaining Securities Industry licenses (Securities Industry Essentials [SIE], Series 7, and Series 66 Exams) within 120 days.
• Supporting enterprise strategic objectives, operational excellence goals, and client advocacy within the FA’s business.
• Customizing solutions based on specific needs.
• Serving as the most frequent point of contact within Merrill to address all service needs of their clients.
• Acting as a resource for FAs on the team.
• Developing a book of business in order to meet and exceed established performance hurdles.
• Effectively prioritizing and sourcing prospective clients, capitalizing on referrals, assessing customer needs, referring customers to the appropriate internal specialists, and executing highly customized solutions to meet client needs.
• Recommending investment products and services that are suitable for prospects based on their objectives, resources, time horizon, risk profile and preferences.
• Balancing 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.
• Organizing and managing resources (time, people, budget) to run a productive practice.
• Seeking the expertise of specialists, where appropriate, to identify planning and investment strategies for a client.
• Completing mandated training, assessments, performance goals and continuing education requirements.
• Partners 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.
• Provides excellent Client Service to the bank's clients through educating them on all of the bank's service and banking offerings.
• Ensures timeliness, accuracy, and completeness in client materials and follows up on all client and Financial Advisor (FA) requests.
• Assists 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.
• Identifies, deepens, and maintains client relationships through emphasizing the bank's offerings and promoting incorporation of banking into day-to-day practices, while communicating outputs to the FA.
• Performs 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

• World-class training and on-boarding programs
• Training and one-on-one coaching from our-award winning Academy at Bank of America and local leadership
• Access to investment insights of Merrill
• Banking convenience of Bank of America
• Dedicated study time for Securities Industry Essentials [SIE], Series 7, and Series 66 Exams
• Dedicated training preparing for the Financial Advisor role
• Support with dedicated programs, tools, and resources throughout career journey

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level
• Education Level: High school or GED