Portfolio Solutions Associate (Chicago)

Our Firm

Companies and investment firms built today are scaling faster than at any time in history, but the founders and investors building the defining businesses of our era face a paradox: the more value they create, the faster the demands and complexity of their own financial lives compound. Santa Barbara Management was founded by a small group of accomplished business builders and investors who lived this problem first-hand and decided to solve it. To make this vision a reality, we have reimagined the family office experience from first principles, relentlessly questioning industry norms.

At Santa Barbara Management, we engineer wealth for exceptional builders and their families. Our innovative model has been painstakingly designed to deliver a fully-integrated, client-aligned solution that combines investments, tax, trusts and estates, financial operations, and strategic finance under one roof, within one team.

Today, we serve some of the most accomplished founders and investors of our time — and we're just getting started.

The Role

The Portfolio Solutions Associate is crucial to the larger Portfolio Solutions team and will directly support the Portfolio Manager. They will sit alongside the manager in the full arc of client relationships: onboarding, consolidated reporting, scenario modeling, asset allocation, and account maintenance. You'll work across SBM’s internal workflow tools (Notion, Google Workspace, etc.) and SBM's outside platforms — Quantinno, AQR, Canopy, and Schwab — to keep each client's financial picture complete and current.

Portfolio Solutions is our newest firm offering and focuses exclusively on the investment needs of our clients. The team provides high-touch, comprehensive financial planning, portfolio design and implementation across our client’s entire balance sheets. This is an emerging team and the Associate will have direct influence in building the playbook and workflows to execute incredible client service.

What You'll Do

Deliver on the Details

• Collect and organize each client's bank statements, account balances, investment cost bases, expense estimates, estate plans, and entity structures into one complete, accurate financial picture
• Build accurate, clear client reporting inside Riviera, the tech platform and command center for wealth we've built in-house
• Prepare the data behind quarterly client reporting, holding accuracy to the highest standard
• Perform ad hoc analysis and reporting on behalf of clients and internal teams
• Anticipate the needs of our clients and take action without explicitly being asked

Asset Allocation & Portfolio Construction

• Develop an understanding of multiple asset classes, portfolio construction, investment products, taxes and macroeconomics and how they all fit into SBM’s investment philosophy
• Work alongside the Portfolio Manager to draft prospective client proposals that incorporate asset allocation, cash flow needs, taxes and other idiosyncratic constraints.
• Assist in the modeling, forecasting and stress testing of client portfolios
• Execute trades, cash movement and other ad hoc projects as clients raise them

Grow, Build and Push What’s Possible

• Help build the Portfolio Solutions product offering as the second dedicated team member. Your learnings and input will have a lasting impact on this rapidly growing part of the business.
• Stay ahead of how technology and AI are reshaping wealth management and actively contribute to how we adopt new tools, improve our workflows, and do work that moves the needle for our clients. You have an opinion in building and advising within this space, not just one or the other.

Who You Are

You're a few years into your career and looking for a role that will stretch you. You're curious to deepen your knowledge across investment strategy and portfolio construction, paired with a deep commitment to client service. You have built a strong foundation of skills and are ready to put it to work in a fast-paced, high-stakes environment.

You bring a strong work ethic, a proactive mindset, and a bias toward action. You lean into ambiguity, bring a no-task-is-too-small mentality to everything you do, and are forward thinking about how work gets done. You are detail-oriented and take real pride in work that is accurate and delivered on time. You want to be part of the conversations that shape how this firm operates, and you do not accept the status quo just because it is familiar.

What We Look For

Finance Foundation: 2-4 years of experience in finance, wealth management or consulting, ideally with a bachelor’s degree and strong academic performance. You’ve worked across investments, tax and financial operations. Exposure to family offices, complex client relationships or UHNW financial structures is highly valued.

Analytical Rigor and Inventive Mindset: You're fluent in Excel, PowerPoint, and Word. Beyond that, you're curious about how technology, including AI, can expand our capacity without losing accuracy. You focus on implementing tools that free us up for the strategic work that moves client relationships forward. You don't compromise on the details: a formatting inconsistency bothers you more than most, and you tick and tie every data field. You can hold multiple deliverables at once without dropping the ball on any of them.

Commitment to Client Partnership: You have a track record of delivering high-touch service in a client-facing or client-adjacent role. You communicate clearly and confidently with sophisticated clients and advisors, follow through on every commitment, and bring energy and care to every interaction no matter how large or small.

What We Offer

- Opportunity to Build Something Different: We are reimagining a significant, under-innovated category of financial services. The people who join us now will help shape how we serve our clients and what this firm becomes.

- Exceptional Colleagues: Join an ambitious and exceptionally talented team led by people who have built category-leading businesses before. The bar is high, and that's the point.

- Meaningful Scope, Real Impact: SBM is growing quickly. There are no small roles, there's no entrenched hierarchy, and the opportunities for professional growth are significant.

- A Culture That Takes Care of Its People: Competitive compensation, comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage, a 401(k), paid parental leave for all parents, unlimited paid vacation, and flexible hours.

- The Conditions to Do Your Best Work: This role is based in our Chicago office. We work together in person 4 days a week because the best ideas and the strongest cultures are built in the same room.

Compensation at SBM reflects the unique background and experience each person brings to the role. The expected base salary range for this position is $100,000-130,000. Beyond base salary, you will be eligible for a discretionary annual bonus.

Santa Barbara Management is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age, or any other legally protected status. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to any of the above characteristics. Santa Barbara Management is enrolled in E-Verify to confirm the identity and employment eligibility of all new employees.