Head of GWIM Investment Stewardship
About The Position
The Head of GWIM Investment Stewardship will lead the GWIM-level function responsible for proxy voting governance, fiduciary stewardship, corporate engagement strategy, shareholder engagement, and GWIM-wide policy alignment across Global Wealth and Investment Management. The role will provide strategic leadership over the stewardship framework supporting both the OCC-regulated fiduciary business and the Merrill RIAs, helping ensure voting and engagement activities are consistent, controlled, and grounded in fiduciary principles. The executive will serve as the firm's senior leader accountable for proxy voting governance and stewardship strategy across GWIM platforms, including governance oversight, voting policy development, issuer and shareholder engagement, disclosure assessment, controversy monitoring, regulatory alignment, stewardship reporting, vendor oversight, and external positioning. The role will support the GWIM Fiduciary Proxy Oversight Committee and provide reporting to senior governance and risk forums, including the GWIM Risk Committee and Fiduciary Risk Committee. The role requires significant engagement with boards, senior executives, shareholders, regulators, and other key stakeholders, as well as close partnership with Legal, Compliance, Risk, Audit, Operations, Technology, Product, and business leaders. The Head will also oversee modernization of stewardship capabilities, including data infrastructure, reporting, automation, and governance for the use of AI-enabled tools within the stewardship function.
Requirements
- 15+ years of experience in asset management, wealth management, fiduciary governance, investment stewardship, proxy voting, investment products, governance, risk, compliance, legal, or related financial services disciplines.
- Demonstrated experience leading senior-level governance programs, enterprise operating models, or cross-functional initiatives within complex financial services organizations.
- Strong knowledge of fiduciary responsibilities, proxy voting governance, investment adviser obligations, governance frameworks, and regulatory expectations within financial services.
- Experience presenting to executive committees, risk committees, fiduciary committees, boards, and senior leadership forums.
- Proven ability to influence senior stakeholders across multiple lines of business, legal entities, and control organizations.
- Experience engaging with senior executives, directors, issuers, regulators, shareholders, or other external stakeholders on governance-related matters.
- Strong analytical, communication, policy, governance, and executive presentation skills.
- Experience managing third-party vendors, external research providers, strategic partnerships, or technology-enabled service models.
- Ability to lead through regulatory, operational, governance, and reputational complexity.
Nice To Haves
- Direct experience with proxy voting, investment stewardship, fiduciary governance, issuer engagement, shareholder engagement, asset management governance, or investment adviser oversight.
- Knowledge of OCC, SEC, ERISA, Investment Company Act, fiduciary, and investment adviser regulatory requirements.
- Experience developing proxy voting policies, stewardship frameworks, governance standards, or committee escalation protocols.
- Experience managing complex, contested, sensitive, or high-profile governance matters.
- Experience building new functions, enterprise operating models, or centralized governance capabilities.
- Experience leading geographically dispersed teams and managing enterprise-wide initiatives.
- Experience developing stewardship reporting, client reporting, regulatory reporting, committee materials, dashboards, or annual stewardship reports.
- Experience supporting RFPs, client acquisition efforts, client retention activities, or external positioning initiatives.
- Experience with stewardship technology, workflow automation, data platforms, reporting systems, or governance of AI-enabled capabilities.
Responsibilities
- Lead the GWIM Investment Stewardship function, overseeing proxy voting governance, fiduciary stewardship, corporate and shareholder engagement, and stewardship reporting across GWIM.
- Serve as the senior executive accountable for the GWIM stewardship framework across GWIM platforms, including governance, engagement strategy, policy alignment, and program evolution.
- Drive One Bank consistency across fiduciary and RIA discretionary accounts while maintaining appropriate governance, regulatory compliance, and information controls.
- Chair the GWIM Fiduciary Proxy Oversight Committee and oversee policy matters, escalations, reporting, and executive communications.
- Represent stewardship matters before senior leadership, risk, fiduciary, and governance forums, including the GWIM Risk Committee and Fiduciary Risk Committee.
- Develop and maintain proxy voting guidelines, stewardship standards, governance frameworks, and escalation protocols.
- Ensure alignment with OCC, SEC, and other applicable fiduciary and investment adviser requirements, including cross-jurisdictional considerations.
- Lead engagement with issuers, boards, senior executives, shareholders, and other stakeholders on sensitive or complex matters.
- Oversee analysis of contested, complex, and escalated proxy matters and coordinate recommendations for committee review.
- Manage strategic relationships with proxy voting, governance research, stewardship, data, and technology providers.
- Oversee stewardship reporting, including voting, engagement, governance, client, regulatory, committee, and management reporting.
- Ensure audit and regulatory readiness through oversight of voting records, engagement documentation, policy records, exception reporting, and vendor governance.
- Partner with Legal, Compliance, Risk, Audit, Operations, Technology, Product, and business leaders to maintain an effective stewardship program.
- Support stewardship content for RFPs, client acquisition, client retention, and external positioning activities.
- Lead stewardship technology modernization, including automation, data infrastructure, reporting capabilities, and governance of AI-enabled solutions.
Benefits
- Access to paid time off
- Resources and support to our employees
- Discretionary incentive eligible
- Annual discretionary award based on individual performance, line of business performance, and overall company success.
- Industry-leading benefits
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Executive
Education Level
No Education Listed
