VP, Brokerage & Advisory Operations

Penn Mutual • Philadelphia, PA

6d

About The Position

This role is responsible for owning and executing all broker-dealer and RIA back-office operations, including account onboarding, maintenance, new account review, trading support, cashiering, disbursements, ACATs/transfers, suitability, and field advisor support. The position involves establishing and enforcing operational standards, SLAs, KPIs, and an operating cadence. It requires building a professional, metrics-driven environment, overseeing supervisory functions for new account review in partnership with Compliance, and ensuring FINRA, SEC, and MSRB obligations are met. The role also includes providing regulatory and control oversight, maintaining strong procedures, leading exams and remediation efforts, and collaborating with vendors to improve platforms and operational resiliency. Additionally, the VP will conduct a talent assessment, develop and coach a team of approximately 40 FTE and multiple direct-report people leaders, build succession depth, and foster a culture of accountability and continuous improvement. Key responsibilities also include identifying and closing procedural and control gaps, designing and implementing scalable processes, establishing a quality framework, leading regulatory exam readiness, and driving the implementation of Docupace. The role involves owning a multi-year transformation roadmap focused on automation and digitization, and leveraging data and analytics for decision-making. The VP will serve as a key member of the Operations Leadership Team, translate complex operational issues into executive-level insights, build partnerships with advisors and field leadership, and collaborate with shared service functions.

Requirements

• 12–15+ years of experience in financial services
• Strong foundation in broker-dealer operations leadership
• Demonstrated ability to drive impact at the enterprise level
• Operated at a senior leadership capacity where strategic decisions shaped organizational outcomes across business lines
• Proven track record managing regulatory exams and reporting with bodies such as FINRA and SEC
• Deep expertise in clearing house integrations and broker-dealer software solutions
• Demonstrated history of scaling operations, elevating service quality, improving risk outcomes, and steering cross-functional change initiatives within a regulated wealth management environment
• Deep expertise in broker-dealer operations and regulatory frameworks (FINRA, SEC, MSRB)
• Proven success leading operational transformation and technology modernization
• Strong executive presence with ability to influence senior stakeholders
• Strategic, data-driven decision maker with strong risk awareness
• Excellent communication skills with ability to translate complex issues into clear insights
• Demonstrated ability to build and lead high-performing teams
• Bachelor’s degree required
• Series 65 and 24 required
• Series 27 preferred

Nice To Haves

• MBA is highly desirable

Responsibilities

• Own and accountable for all broker-dealer and RIA back-office operations: account onboarding, maintenance, new account review, trading support, cashiering, disbursements, ACATs/transfers, suitability, and field advisor support
• Establish and enforce operational standards, SLAs, KPIs, and an operating cadence including capacity planning, escalation paths, and issue management
• Build a professional, metrics-driven environment where performance expectations are clear and consistently managed
• Oversee supervisory functions for new account review in partnership with the Compliance team, ensuring FINRA, SEC, and MSRB obligations are met
• Provide regulatory and control oversight, ensuring compliance with FINRA, SEC, and MSRB; maintain strong procedures and readiness; lead exams and remediation efforts
• Collaborate with vendors (e.g., Pershing, DTCC, etc.) to improve platforms, integrations, data quality, and operational resiliency
• Conduct a rapid, comprehensive talent assessment of the inherited organization — evaluate who is in the right role and identify gaps
• Develop, coach, and hold accountable a team of approximately 40 FTE and multiple direct-report people leaders
• Build succession depth; foster a culture of accountability, continuous improvement, and client-first execution
• Partner with HR to address performance issues and build for the future
• Identify and close significant procedural and control gaps that currently exist in the organization
• Design and implement scalable, repeatable processes appropriate for a regulated broker-dealer environment
• Establish a quality framework and drive consistency across all operational functions
• Lead regulatory exam readiness and remediation in coordination with Compliance and Risk
• Lead the implementation of Docupace as the new account workflow, records (books and records), and straight-through processing tool
• Own a multi-year transformation roadmap focused on automation, workflow digitization, and operational risk reduction
• Collaborate with Technology and vendor partners (e.g., Pershing, DTCC, investment platforms) to improve integrations, data quality, and system performance
• Leverage data and analytics to drive decision-making and surface operational risk proactively
• Serve as a key member of the Operations Leadership Team; engage directly with the Head of Operations, CHRO, Compliance, Risk, and Technology
• Translate complex operational issues into clear executive-level insights and recommendations
• Build effective partnerships with advisors and field leadership to improve the advisor and client experience
• Partner with shared service functions (training, quality, metrics, fraud prevention) to drive continuous improvement across the candle

Benefits

• Comprehensive suite of competitive products and services
• Life insurance
• Annuities
• Wealth management
• Institutional asset management
• Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO)
• Employment and advancement opportunities to all qualified applicants and associates, according to applicable laws
• Practices for hiring, placement, promotion, transfer, demotion, layoff, termination, recruitment, compensation, selection or training, and all other terms and conditions of employment are free from unlawful discrimination

What This Job Offers

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