Senior Attorney, Asset Management Legal

SEI•Upper Providence Township, PA

About The Position

SEI is seeking a Senior Attorney to join its Asset Management Legal team and provide legal and regulatory support to SEI's U.S. wealth management, investment advisory, asset management, and distribution businesses. The Asset Management Legal team supports integrated investment, advisory, and wealth management solutions that combine SEI investment capabilities, advisor technology, custody and platform connectivity, distribution support, and related services, partnering closely with business, compliance, risk, technology, executive leadership, and other legal teams that advise on operational and platform support matters. The Senior Attorney will serve as a legal advisor to SEI businesses supporting the design, delivery, and distribution of investment solutions through fee-based advisory and wealth management channels. The role will support platforms and programs that enable SEI's proprietary distribution channels as well as channels serving third-party wealth management firms, with a focus on solution design, delivery, disclosure, distribution, platform integration, and the use of proprietary and third-party investment products as components of broader investment solution sets. Although the role's primary focus will be SEI's wealth management and advisory channels, the Senior Attorney will also support the broader Asset Management group, including institutional investment management activities and other strategic initiatives. The successful candidate will be a practical, business-oriented attorney who can analyze complex legal and regulatory issues, work independently on matters within the role's discipline, collaborate effectively with stakeholders, and escalate more complex or strategic matters appropriately. The Senior Attorney will be a member of SEI's Legal, Compliance & Corporate Development Department and will report to a Senior Director within the Asset Management Legal team.

Requirements

Juris Doctor degree from an accredited U.S. law school and active license to practice law in at least one U.S. jurisdiction.
Four to six years of relevant legal experience at a law firm and/or as in-house counsel at a financial services organization.
Experience addressing legal and regulatory issues involving registered investment advisers, advisory businesses, distribution arrangements, wealth management services, or related platform support matters.
Demonstrated ability to analyze complex legal and regulatory issues, exercise independent judgment on matters within the role's discipline, and provide practical, business-focused guidance while recognizing when escalation or additional input is appropriate.
Excellent legal research, drafting, negotiation, communication, and stakeholder management skills.
Ability to balance effective business partnership with independent legal judgment and timely, constructive escalation of legal and regulatory issues.
Strong organizational skills and the ability to manage multiple priorities in a dynamic, evolving environment.
High degree of integrity, professionalism, discretion, and sound judgment.

Nice To Haves

Experience supporting managed account programs, model portfolio platforms, UMA or SMA programs, strategies comprised of ETFs or mutual funds, tax-managed strategies, alternatives access, or broader wealth management solution sets.
Experience advising registered investment advisers serving retail, intermediary, high-net-worth, or institutional clients.
Familiarity with advisory platform integrations, operating model transformations, or strategic business initiatives involving wealth management firms.
Experience coordinating with legal, compliance, operations, technology, or business teams on advisory platform integrations, custody arrangements, investment program administration, or related platform support matters.
Experience working in-house at a financial services firm, wealth manager, asset manager, or in an investment management practice at a law firm.

Responsibilities

Provide legal and regulatory advice regarding investment advisory programs, managed account platforms, discretionary and non-discretionary advisory services, model delivery programs, goals-based advice, OCIO services, investment strategies, and customizable wealth management solutions.
Advise registered investment adviser entities and business teams on matters arising under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940 and related regulatory requirements, including fiduciary obligations, conflicts of interest, disclosures, advertising, client communications, and compliance program considerations, with appropriate guidance and escalation on novel or highly complex issues.
Support intermediary, high-net-worth, retirement, institutional, and retail advisory offerings, including matters involving individual retirement accounts and other qualified account structures.
Advise on legal and regulatory considerations involving investment models, proprietary strategies, outsourced investment solutions, model portfolios, UMA and SMA frameworks, tax-managed strategies, ETFs, mutual funds, alternatives access, and related solution components.
Advise on conflicts of interest, compensation arrangements, revenue and fee structures, disclosures, fiduciary considerations, and regulatory positioning associated with the use of proprietary and third-party investment products within advisory and wealth management solutions.
Provide day-to-day and strategic legal support for platforms and programs that support the development, delivery, disclosure, and distribution of investment solutions through fee-based channels, including SEI proprietary distribution channels and channels supporting third-party wealth management firms.
Serve as a practical legal partner to solutions, sales, distribution, service, investment management, and related business teams, while coordinating with senior attorneys and other legal teams on matters requiring broader judgment, cross-functional alignment, or escalation.
Support strategic distribution arrangements and relationships involving financial advisers, registered investment advisers, broker-dealer-affiliated advisory programs, intermediary platforms, bank and wealth management firms, custodians, institutional and private wealth channels, and other business partners.
Coordinate with SEI's Technology and Operations Legal team and other legal colleagues on legal issues involving account administration, trading support, client servicing, platform operations, and related operational functions supporting SEI's advisory and wealth management businesses.
Partner closely with SEI's Technology and Operations Legal team and other legal colleagues on platform enhancements, digital initiatives, automation efforts, vendor relationships, and business transformation initiatives affecting retail investment channels.
Provide legal support for strategic business initiatives, integrations, and platform expansion efforts, including support for Stratos, an SEI-affiliated wealth management platform serving independent financial advisors through flexible affiliation options, advisor-focused services, and access to investment, advisory, technology, custody, and platform capabilities, as Stratos advisors evaluate and use SEI solutions within their client service models.
Collaborate with business leaders to evaluate new products, services, solution components, operating models, partnerships, distribution channels, and growth opportunities.
Assist with the development and implementation of scalable governance frameworks and operating models that promote regulatory compliance, operational effectiveness, and responsible business growth.
Work closely with attorneys across SEI's Asset Management, Technology and Operations, Corporate Development, Regulatory, Privacy, and other legal teams on complex cross-functional matters.
Draft, review, negotiate, and interpret advisory agreements, client agreements, platform agreements, strategic partnership agreements, vendor contracts, distribution arrangements, and other legal documentation supporting SEI's advisory and wealth management businesses, with senior attorney support for novel, high-risk, or strategically significant matters.
Monitor and assess legal and regulatory developments affecting investment advisers, wealth managers, retirement programs, separately managed accounts, model delivery programs, and related investment services.
Support regulatory examinations, inquiries, audits, investigations, internal reviews, and remediation initiatives.
Provide legal support across the broader Asset Management group, including institutional investment management activities, proprietary investment products, and, as needed, private investment vehicles and other investment solutions.