Lead Product Manager – Equities

Royal Bank of Canada•Boston, MA

1d•Onsite

About The Position

Join our growing Global Asset Management (GAM) team at RBC! We are seeking a Lead Product Manager who will be focused on equity strategies and investment vehicles. Reporting up through the RBC GAM US Distribution channel and working in very close proximity to the investment teams, this role will be focused on driving product innovation, development, management, and long-term growth strategy of our equity investment products.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree
7+ years of relevant experience in the asset management industry
Deep understanding of the competitive landscape within the equity asset class
Detailed knowledge across all US vehicle types, in particular those more prevalent in the equity space such as commingled investment funds, mutual funds, and ETFs
Experience working across multiple distribution channels — institutional, intermediary, RIA and sub-advisory — with a clear understanding of what each channel needs from a product perspective
Experience bringing new products to market, originating and championing ideas from concept through to launch
Experience using analytical tools such as Morningstar Direct, eVestment, Preqin, Bloomberg, etc.
Strong understanding of US fund regulation and the product approval process

Nice To Haves

CFA / CAIA designations strongly preferred

Responsibilities

Work alongside the Director of Product Innovation on end-to-end product lifecycle management of equity strategies and help drive the strategic direction for our equity product suite expansion
Act as the firm’s subject matter expert for all US vehicle types, in particular those more prevalent in the equities space that will include commingled investment funds, mutual funds, ETFs, etc.
Proactively identify, develop and champion new equity investment product opportunities
Work closely with legal, compliance, operations and other key functional stakeholders to navigate the product approval process efficiently, building proactive relationships needed to accelerate speed to market and eliminate potential bottlenecks
Prepare materials for, and ultimately present to, various funds boards, new product committees and senior governance forums, presenting new product proposals with confidence and authority to senior internal and external stakeholders
Partner with legal and other key stakeholders to support periodic filings and ensure investment vehicle documents stay up to date as strategies or terms evolve
Develop compelling go-to-market strategies for newly approved products, working closely with distribution, marketing and the Institutional Portfolio Management (IPM) team to ensure every launch is well-positioned, well-timed, and well-supported
Continuously monitor the competitive landscape, regulatory environment, industry flow dynamics and investor trends to identify commercial opportunities and potential future product requirements
Produce competitive analysis packages for each equity product, and partner with key stakeholders to develop and execute product-level business development plans
Challenge the status quo on the existing equity product suite, identifying strategies that are no longer competitively positioned and making the case for rationalization where appropriate
Act as a conduit of knowledge and information flow between investment desks and distribution/client-facing teams; serve as the primary point of contact who leads on responding to product-related queries on the firm’s equities investment strategies from clients and prospects
Support the IPM team in responding to RFPs by developing high-quality responses to typical product-related RFP questions and provide input into solution design and pricing
Contribute to ongoing training sessions for the distribution team on our suite of equity strategies including team structure, investment philosophy and process, peer-relative performance as well as key differentiating features of our team and strategy, etc.
Work on projects as needed internally specifically to increase the effectiveness, efficiencies and consistency of the service we provide to clients
Co-ordinate with other Product Managers and IPMs to build efficiencies into the process of supporting the client-facing teams