Associate Wealth Advisor

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.

The Associate Wealth Advisor is a developmental role intended to provide an experiential learning and development opportunity to team members interested in becoming a Wealth Advisor at Sequoia. The Associate Advisor must have the desire and drive to evolve into a Wealth Advisor within two to three years (able to run smaller, less complex cases on their own). They must be eager and able to learn working closely in support of, and under the guidance of, one to three Advisors and their immediate supervisor. They must have the interpersonal skills to quickly build rapport and trust with referral sources and prospective clients. Technical skills, including investment and financial planning concepts should be beyond basic, and reflective of recent educational focus, 12-36 months of prior industry experience, or from the acquisition or current pursuit of industry credentials (preferably the CFP designation).

Responsibilities

• Assist other Advisor(s) with prospect and custodian advisor follow-up communications and activities
• Conduct research on prospective clients (Wealth Engine, Facebook, LinkedIn, Google, etc.)
• Provide analytical and project management support for the unique needs of the Advisor team
• Develop and prepare marketing presentations for prospective clients
• First calls to custodian reps on referral background and issues/opportunities
• Pre-meeting introductory client materials preparation and distribution
• Manage new business data and associated action items within Salesforce
• Proposal preparation assistance
• Coordination with outside vendors as needed and directed by Advisors(s) (Long Road, Valmark, etc.)
• Asset and fee verification for closed/won opportunities
• New relationship and account documentation in concert with Client Service Associates
• Participation in virtual and in-person training and development programs as required
• Prospect or referral source small event planning and execution
• Scheduling and calendar management for Advisor(s)
• Participate in some of the team’s prospective client meetings and follow up, as appropriate

• Must be a registered representative (IAR) of firm
• Minimum of four years' experience in a client-facing financial services role
• Must have two consecutive years as IAR with a Series 65 or a Series 7 and Series 66 combination
  • OR if less than two consecutive years but have two years immediately prior to IAR registration as any one of the following:
    • a registered representative of full-service broker dealer
    • CFP, CFP, CFA
    • Securities portfolio manager
• Bachelor’s degree in finance or related field required
• Acquired, currently pursuing or willing to pursue the CFP designation
• Prior sales, client service or client-facing experience in any industry
• Ability to assess financial profiles and strategies and communicate issues, opportunities and solutions clearly and concisely to referral sources and prospective clients
• Competent with Microsoft Office Suite and CRM or database applications
• Willing to enroll in CFP certification

Competencies

• Utmost integrity
• Customer service-oriented with a client-first mentality
• Eagerness to learn and develop
• Ability to work independently as well as leverage resources in a team-based environment
• Professional presence and ability to inspire confidence of clients and team members
• Must be a self-starter and goal-oriented
• Strong organizational and time-management skills; effectively able to handle multiple projects and personalities and meet established deadlines
• Strong communication skills, both written and verbal
• Comfortable and competent with extensive use of technology resources in engaging clients and team members

Work Authorization & Sponsorship:
Applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States on a full-time basis without requiring employer sponsorship to commence employment.

EEO Statement:
At Sequoia, we value and respect differences in our workforce. We actively encourage everyone to apply. Sequoia is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, genetics, disability, age, veteran status or any other characteristic protected by law.

Working Conditions:
Frequent minimal physical effort such as sitting, prolonged periods working on a computer, standing and walking is required for this role. Depending on location, occasional moving and lifting light equipment and/or furniture may be required. This role may require occasional travel, including travel to client sites, company offices, or industry events, as needed.

Employer Rights:
This job description does not list all of the job duties of the job. You may be asked by your supervisors or managers to perform other duties. You may be evaluated in part based upon your performance of the tasks listed in this job description. The employer has the right to revise this job description at any time. This job description is not a contract for employment and either you or the employer may terminate your employment at any time for any reason.