Investment Implementation Lead

Job Description

Job Description

Sequoia Financial Group is a growing Registered Investment Advisor (RIA), headquartered in Northeast Ohio, offering financial planning and wealth management services. At Sequoia, we exist with a singular purpose: to enrich lives. Our values define how we behave and guide us through the pursuit of our purpose to enrich lives. At Sequoia, our core values are:

• Integrity. We act in the best interests of others by providing an honest, consistent experience for our clients and team.
• Passion . We pursue our full potential, seeking to continually enhance and evolve our ability to serve our clients and team.
• Teamwork. We subordinate our egos to work together for the benefit of our clients.

Our promise to team members is that you will grow with us. From experienced advisors to new college grads to transitioning principals, every team member will find Sequoia a place to refine their professional mission, move into new opportunities, go deeper, and lead further. We are built to help you build a career here as a long-term contributor in our work to enrich lives for generations.
Summary of the position

The Investment Implementation Leader is a leadership role responsible for overseeing three critical functions within Sequoia's organization: the Portfolio Strategist team, the Investment Implementation team and the Investment Operations team. This role serves as the operational and strategic bridge between Sequoia's investment research products and capabilities and its advisor-facing delivery model, including end-to-end oversight over Sequoia's strategy implementation, ensuring that investment solutions are commercially-defined, communicated, implemented through standard models and on-model proposals, and managed across the firm's regional coverage model.

The ideal candidate is a seasoned investment operations professional with deep experience in portfolio management, trading operations, and client-facing investment strategy. They will be a collaborative leader who can drive adoption of Sequoia's evolving investment platform while maintaining operational excellence across revenue enablement / proposal generation, portfolio implementation, and ongoing portfolio management.

Responsibilities

Leadership & Team Management

• Lead, develop, and manage a large team of professionals across the Portfolio Strategists, Investment Implementation and Investment Operations functions.
• Build and refine the Portfolio Strategist coverage model, aligning team members with Sequoia's regional advisory leadership structure.
• Establish clear performance expectations, development goals, and accountability frameworks for both teams.
• Partner with senior leadership, including the Head of Operations and regional advisory leaders, to align investment implementation priorities with firm-wide business objectives.

Portfolio Strategist Oversight

• Oversee the Portfolio Strategist team's regional responsibilities, ensuring consistent delivery of business development support, proposal generation, and portfolio construction across all regions.
• Ensure Portfolio Strategists are effectively educating advisors and clients on Sequoia's investment solutions and driving platform adoption in their respective regions.
• Collaborate with Investment Research to ensure Portfolio Strategists are current on Sequoia's evolving investment offerings and can communicate them clearly to advisors and clients.
• Ensure all investment recommendations and portfolio construction activity reflects appropriate suitability standards for clients.

Investment Implementation & Operations Oversight

• Oversee the end-to-end revenue enablement / proposal process, ensuring client proposals accurately reflect Sequoia's value proposition, appropriate services, and competitive pricing
• Manage the initial trading and transition of client portfolios onto Sequoia's investment strategies
• Oversee ongoing portfolio management, including trade execution for client cash needs, portfolio rebalancing, and implementation of allocation changes directed by Sequoia's Investment Research team
• Maintain and improve operational workflows, controls, and documentation standards to ensure accuracy, compliance, and efficiency across all investment operations activity
• Develop and implement tracking and oversight mechanisms to monitor portfolio risk and ensure clear records of discretionary and non-discretionary activity

Strategy & Process Improvement

• Drive continuous improvement across investment implementation processes, leveraging technology and scalable workflows to support firm growth
• Partner with compliance and leadership on policy development related to investment operations and portfolio management practices
• Support the firm's hiring plan by identifying talent needs and contributing to the build-out of both teams in alignment with Sequoia's target operating model

Required Skills/Experience

• 8+ years of experience in investment management, wealth management, or financial services, with demonstrated progression into leadership roles
• Strong understanding of portfolio construction, investment strategies, and portfolio management operations including trading, rebalancing, and cash management
• Experience managing or overseeing a team responsible for client proposals, portfolio analysis, or investment operations
• Proven ability to lead cross-functional teams and work collaboratively with senior leadership, advisors, and compliance stakeholders
• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to translate complex investment concepts for advisors and clients
• Strong organizational and project management skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities simultaneously
• Proficiency with portfolio management systems, CRM tools (e.g., Salesforce), and investment operations platforms
• Bachelor's degree in finance, Economics, Business, or a related field

Preferred Skills/Experience

• Experience in a wealth management or RIA environment with direct exposure to advisor-facing investment support functions
• Familiarity with direct indexing, tax-managed strategies, or other customized investment solutions
• Prior experience building or scaling a coverage model or regional team structure
• CFA designation or progress toward CFA charter holder status
• Experience working with compliance teams on investment policy development and oversight frameworks
• Strong working knowledge of investment suitability standards and regulatory requirements in a wealth management context

Competencies

• Strategic operator — able to translate investment research and firm strategy into scalable, repeatable implementation processes
• Cross-functional leadership — builds alignment across Portfolio Strategists, Investment Implementation, Investment Operations, compliance, and regional advisory leadership
• Sound judgment under complexity — balances discretionary portfolio activity, risk oversight, and client suitability standards with speed and accuracy
• Team builder — develops talent and coverage models that scale with firm growth
• Process-minded — drives continuous improvement in workflows, controls, and documentation without sacrificing operational rigor
• Clear communicator — translates technical investment concepts for advisors, clients, and senior leadership alike
• Accountable and detail-oriented — maintains high standards for accuracy and compliance across high-volume, client-impacting operations