Director of Product Innovation

RBC•Boston, MA

2d•$154,000 - $253,000•Onsite

About The Position

Join our growing Global Asset Management (GAM) team at RBC! We are seeking a Director of Product Innovation to lead our efforts in expanding our product suite across asset classes and channels. The Director of Product Innovation is a newly-created, senior role within RBC GAM’s US Distribution business, established to drive the firm’s product innovation agenda and ensure we are consistently bringing compelling, market-relevant investment solutions to market ahead of the competition. This is a strategic, commercially driven role for someone who thrives on identifying and translating industry trends, client demand signals and competitive intelligence into a structured pipeline of new product opportunities for the US business. The Director of Product Innovation will work closely with the client-facing teams across channels, IPMs and investment teams, and other key functional business partners across the global organization to ensure new product ideas are rigorously evaluated, efficiently progressed and successfully launched.

Requirements

Minimum 10–15 years in asset management, with a significant and demonstrable focus on product innovation, new product development or product strategy
A credible track record of bringing new investment products to market, originating and championing ideas from concept through to launch
Deep experience across multiple US vehicle types including active ETFs, interval funds, mutual funds, SMAs and other emerging structures — with a clear view on where the market is heading
Outstanding knowledge of the US competitive product landscape — who is launching what, where the flows are going, and where the white space is
Strong understanding of US fund regulation and the product approval process
Experience working across multiple distribution channels — institutional, intermediary, RIA and sub-advisory — with a clear understanding of what each channel needs from a product
A genuine curiosity and passion for product innovation
Deep commercial instinct and ability to assess whether a product idea has real legs or is a solution looking for a problem
Proficient computer skills with specific experience utilizing Microsoft Office (Excel, Word and PowerPoint) and keen interest to learn how to use proprietary in-house systems.

Nice To Haves

CFA / CAIA designations or willing to work towards strongly preferred.

Responsibilities

Own the new product innovation agenda, proactively identifying, developing and championing new investment product opportunities across all asset classes and distribution channels
Build and maintain a structured, living product pipeline, ensuring every idea in the pipeline has a clear owner, a defined timeline and a rigorous business case
Act as the primary intake point for product ideas originating from the Institutional Portfolio Management (IPM) team, investment desks, Sales and Distribution leadership and senior management, evaluating each idea against strategic fit, market timing, commercial viability and operational feasibility
Continuously monitor the competitive landscape, regulatory environment, industry flows and evolving client demand to identify compelling commercial opportunities and emerging trends
Generate original product ideas independently, drawing on deep knowledge of the US asset management industry, distribution dynamics and the competitiveness of the existing product suite
Play a leading role in the identification and through due diligence of potential inorganic product expansion ideas
Challenge the status quo on the existing product suite, identifying strategies that are no longer competitively positioned and making the case for rationalisation where appropriate
Develop compelling go-to-market strategies for newly approved products, working closely with Distribution, Marketing and the IPM team to ensure every launch is well-positioned, well-timed and well-supported
Ensure new products are launched with the right vehicle structure for the right channel, drawing on deep expertise across mutual funds, active ETFs, interval funds, SMAs, CITs and sub-advisory structures
Define the target client and channel strategy for each new product, with a clear view of where the opportunity is largest and how to sequence the distribution effort
Represent the US Distribution business on various Funds Boards, New Product Committees and senior governance forums, presenting new product proposals with confidence and authority to senior internal and external stakeholders
Own the preparation of all product governance materials, ensuring proposals are commercially robust, strategically coherent and clearly articulated
Work closely with Legal, Compliance and other key stakeholders to navigate the approval process efficiently, building the proactive relationships needed to accelerate speed to market and eliminate potential bottlenecks
Serve as the firm’s primary subject matter expert on all potential US investment vehicle types, advising the IPM team, Distribution, Legal and Compliance on the optimal structure for new product ideas as they progress through the pipeline
Stay ahead of regulatory and market developments that could create new vehicle opportunities or render existing structures less competitive
Advise on pricing, share class architecture and fee positioning for new products, ensuring commercial competitiveness from day one
Serve as the primary US liaison to the Product teams in other regions, establishing a regular, structured dialogue to share pipeline thinking, identify cross-regional product opportunities and ensure the US innovation agenda is informed by global perspectives
Represent US distribution needs and client demand signals back into the global product conversation, ensuring the US voice is heard clearly in any globally coordinated product development effort
Identify opportunities to adapt or repackage existing global strategies for the US market, reducing time to market by leveraging what the firm already manages