Head of Strategic Integration

Beacon Pointe Advisors•Newport Beach, CA

About The Position

The Head of Strategic Integration will lead the end-to-end integration of acquired firms into the organization. This role is responsible for overseeing the team that manages all pre- and post-acquisition integration related activities, ensuring a seamless transition for clients, advisors, and employees while preserving the unique strengths of acquired firms and realizing the strategic objectives of each transaction. The Integration team serves as the central point of coordination across internal departments and external partners, including custodians, technology vendors, legal consultants, and other service providers. The ideal candidate brings deep experience in managing a successful team, exceptional project management skills, and the ability to lead complex, cross-functional initiatives in a fast-paced acquisition environment.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree required
10+ years of experience in financial services, wealth management, or professional services.
Direct experience leading post-acquisition integrations, preferably within the RIA or wealth management space.
Demonstrated success managing complex, multi-workstream projects.
Strong understanding of RIA operations, compliance, custodial relationships, and advisor technology ecosystems.
Proven ability to influence and lead without direct authority across senior stakeholders.

Nice To Haves

MBA or advanced degree preferred.
Experience working in a high-growth, acquisitive organization.
Formal project management training or certification (e.g., PMP, PRINCE2, Agile).
Familiarity with leading RIA custodians and technology platforms.
Experience integrating firms with varying operating models and cultures.
Exceptional project and program management skills
Strong executive presence and communication abilities
Strategic thinker with hands-on execution capability
Highly organized, detail-oriented, and process-driven
Collaborative leader with strong relationship management skills
Ability to thrive in ambiguity and manage multiple integrations concurrently

Responsibilities

Own and lead the pre- and post-acquisition integration process from due diligence to close, and close through full operational onboarding.
Develop and continuously refine the firm’s integration playbook, timelines, and best practices.
Partner with executive leadership and department heads to align integration strategy with overall business and growth objectives.
Serve as the primary integration team leader and be an escalation point for all acquired firms, as needed.
Manage communication and expectations with acquired firm leadership throughout the integration process.
Facilitate decision-making and alignment among stakeholders with competing priorities.
Act as the point of escalation between internal teams and external partners such as custodians, portfolio management systems, CRM providers, reporting platforms, and other fintech vendors.
Lead change management efforts to support advisors and staff through transitions in systems, processes, and operating models.
Develop clear communication plans and materials for internal teams and acquired firms.
Foster trust and engagement with acquired firm leadership and employees.
Build and manage detailed integration project plans, milestones, dependencies, and success metrics.
Coordinate cross-functional workstreams including Operations, Compliance, Technology, Legal, Finance, Human Resources, Marketing, and Client Service, etc.
Ensure integrations are delivered on time, on budget, and with minimal disruption to clients and advisors.
Identify risks, dependencies, and bottlenecks; proactively develop mitigation strategies.
Track integration outcomes and post-integration performance.
Capture lessons learned and implement improvements to integration processes and tools.
Help scale integration capabilities to support a high-volume acquisition strategy.