Job Summary
Gries Financial Partners is an SEC-registered investment adviser (RIA) founded in 1978. We are headquartered in Cleveland, OH with AUM/AUA of approximately $1.6B. We are seeking a dynamic professional to add to our Investment Operations team. The Client Services / Investment Operations Associate will assist with custodial account opening and maintenance requests, trade execution, account reconciliation, maintenance of portfolio management systems, generating quarterly / ad hoc client account statements and any other operations tasks or projects as directed.
Duties and Responsibilities
• Learn intricacies of firm’s portfolio management system and CRM (firm uses Advyzon)
• Work with custodians (mostly Fidelity and Schwab) for new account opening and maintenance requests
• Set up new clients and accounts in Advyzon
• Daily reconcile accounts, especially cash against trades and money movement requests
• Handle money movement requests in accordance with the firm’s policies and procedures
• Enter manual transactions in portfolio management system related to private investments (alternatives)
• Assist with subscriptions, capital calls, redemptions and cash raise requests related to private investments
• Monitor tasks / cases / tickets in CRM as well in emails; effectively prioritize and execute requests
• Monitor client accounts and apply analytical skills to execute trades in the accounts according to firm philosophy, client expectations/requests, and strategy asset allocations
• Understand trading details of firm’s investment vehicles, including initial investment restrictions, share class differences, and fees as they relate to each custodian
• Learn all facets of investment operations to serve as a backup for daily operations within investment management operations as well as other departments as needed
Required Qualifications:
• 1 - 3 years of client servicing and/or investment operations experience required within RIA space; experience with portfolio management system and CRM
• Northeastern Ohio native who can work from Cleveland office at least 3 days a week; flexible for exceptional candidate
• Ability to effectively use Microsoft Office products; intermediate to advanced knowledge of Excel required
• Excellent organizational skills with high ethical standards
• Strong attention to detail and deadline oriented
• Able to think strategically and about interconnections between processes
• Strong quantitative and analytical skills
• Excellent oral and written communication skills required
• Must be able to quickly adapt to new systems and learn industry-specific software specific to trading, reporting and operations used by the firm
• Must have a desire to learn about and implement new technology as needed
• Someone who is a self-starter, takes initiative and is excited about taking a project from conception to completion
• Ability to identify, meet, and follow through with internal and external client needs
• Ability to think strategically to improve internal client service systems or procedures; must have a mindset for constant improvement
Preferred Qualifications:
• Experience with Advyzon or a similar portfolio management system and CRM is strongly preferred
• Private investments (alternatives) experience related to subscriptions, capital calls, redemptions and updating transactions (distributions, market value updates, etc.) in Advyzon
• 5 or more years of successful client service or operations experience; preferably finance operations within wealth management or other financial institutions
• Experience with RMDs and portfolio rebalancing and model maintenance
• Series 65 or equivalent certification
• Bachelor’s Degree preferred, ideally in business or related field
• Project management experience
Personal Characteristics:
• Must be a good listener and able to follow instructions accurately
• Able to learn from mistakes with the goal of never repeating them
• Have a client-first attitude with a keen focus on delivering service beyond expectations
• Possess a keen eye for detail and are accurate, organized, and can set priorities appropriately
• Are tech savvy and can quickly learn new software, platforms, and tools
• Exhibit strong ethics and dedication to maintaining high confidentiality of firm and client data
• Are responsive and effective communicators, verbally and in writing, who build trusting and supportive relationships with all levels of firm employees, as well as with clients
• Are highly professional and mature and will serve as a positive role model for their team
Salary and Benefits
• Supportive, flexible, people-oriented culture and a professional yet family atmosphere
• Individual contribution and innovation are encouraged and recognized
• Personal and career development opportunities
• Competitive compensation package commensurate with experience
• Incentive Plan
• Investment management and financial planning services
• Benefits including dental and healthcare; 401(k), flexible PTO and STD/LTD
• Financial support for professional accreditation/continuing education requirements may be available
Send your resume, reason for looking for a new role and US citizenship status to careers@gries.com