Senior Director, Operations Group Manager

BNY Mellon • New York, NY

3d • $136,500 - $350,000

About The Position

The Senior Director, Wealth Operations serves as the senior operations counterpart to the Head of Client Service and leads the core operating model across Wealth Management. The role provides strategic and execution leadership across brokerage, advisory, trust and fiduciary, planning, and private banking operations, with accountability for developing a scalable, regionalized middle- and back-office support structure.

The position oversees the operational framework for the full client lifecycle, including account opening, asset and money movement, maintenance servicing, reconciliation, billing, and related processes. It requires deep wealth operations expertise, strong regulatory and risk discipline, and the ability to lead across complex multi-platform and multi-custodian environments.

The Senior Director will advance the operating model through technology enablement, platform integration, and transformation strategy. The role will operationalize the current model while shaping and executing a longer-term roadmap to simplify processes, improve scalability, enhance control effectiveness, and create a more seamless operating environment across systems, products, and support teams. The role also leads and develops a senior operations organization and partners with senior leaders and cross-functional stakeholders.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Finance, Operations, or a related field, or equivalent applicable experience.
• Significant senior leadership experience in wealth management, private banking, broker-dealer operations, advisory operations, or a related financial services environment.
• Deep expertise in core wealth operations, including account opening, maintenance servicing, asset and money movement, reconciliation, billing, and operational controls.
• Experience leading operations across multiple wealth channels and product structures, including brokerage, advisory, trust/fiduciary, planning, and private banking.
• Demonstrated experience designing and leading regionalized middle- and back-office support models.
• Proven track record leading large-scale operating model execution and business or operations transformation.
• Strong experience operating across multi-platform and multi-custodian environments, including integration and simplification initiatives.
• FINRA licenses required, including Series 7, Series 66, Series 24, and other licenses as applicable to the role.
• Strong knowledge of regulatory, supervisory, and risk requirements relevant to wealth management operations.
• Excellent leadership, communication, stakeholder management, and change management skills.
• Demonstrated ability to operate strategically while driving disciplined execution.

Nice To Haves

• Experience benchmarking or operating in environments comparable to leading private banks, RIAs, or wealth platforms.
• Experience leading technology-enabled operations transformation and workflow modernization initiatives.
• Familiarity with platform consolidation, custodian integration, and enterprise operating model redesign.
• Advanced understanding of service, operations, and business alignment in high-touch wealth management organizations.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the senior operations leader and strategic counterpart to the Head of Client Service across Wealth Management.
• Lead core operations across brokerage, advisory, trust and fiduciary, planning, and private banking support models.
• Design, implement, and lead a regionalized middle- and back-office operating structure to support business growth, service consistency, and risk discipline.
• Oversee end-to-end operational processes across account opening, maintenance servicing, asset and money movement, reconciliation, billing, and related core activities.
• Ensure operational processes are scalable, controlled, efficient, and aligned with business priorities and client expectations.
• Operationalize the existing Wealth Management operating model through clear execution frameworks, support structures, roles, routines, and accountability.
• Drive consistency in service delivery, workflow design, escalation practices, and operational governance across teams and regions.
• Partner with business leaders to align operating support with advisor needs, client experience expectations, and business priorities.
• Establish performance management routines, service metrics, operating standards, and reporting to monitor execution quality and identify improvement opportunities.
• Define and execute the operations transformation strategy across a multi-platform and multi-custodian environment.
• Lead process simplification and integration through technology enablement, workflow redesign, and systems alignment.
• Partner with technology, product, operations, and business stakeholders to develop an integration strategy spanning fragmented platforms, processes, and support models.
• Identify automation, standardization, and process optimization opportunities to improve efficiency, reduce risk, and enhance scalability.
• Support modernization of the operating environment to create a more unified and seamless experience for internal teams and clients.
• Maintain a strong control environment and ensure adherence to applicable policies, procedures, and regulatory requirements.
• Lead governance, supervision, escalation, and operational risk management in a regulated wealth management environment.
• Ensure operational practices align with applicable FINRA, brokerage, advisory, fiduciary, and banking-related requirements.
• Partner with compliance, legal, risk, and audit stakeholders on oversight, issue remediation, and control enhancement initiatives.
• Lead and develop a senior operations organization, with responsibility for structure, talent, performance, and succession planning.
• Build a high-performing operations culture centered on accountability, execution, partnership, and continuous improvement.
• Serve as a strategic thought partner to senior business leaders on operating model design, workforce structure, and execution priorities.
• Influence across functions and lead effectively in a matrixed environment spanning business, service, operations, product, and technology teams.

Benefits

• Highly competitive compensation.
• Wellbeing programs and flexible global resources and tools.
• Generous paid leaves, including paid volunteer time.
• 401(k) plan for eligible employees.
• Company-sponsored medical, dental, vision, and basic life insurance plans for eligible employees and their eligible dependents.
• Other benefits, including vacation and sick time, depending on the position offered.
• Possible eligibility for an annual discretionary incentive award.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior