Description
This role is responsible for creating and operationalizing the approach and delivery of Thrivent’s financial practice succession, both retirement and business continuity planning. The role is also responsible for the results that come along with that: protection of advisor practices, retention of clients and assets, higher client satisfaction, higher advisor productivity through teaming and practice management components, advice and balanced revenue growth, and equipping our Group Practice Directors to support their local practices and advisors with an emphasis on succession strategies. In addition, this role is responsible for Joint Field Work (JFW) strategies including overseeing programs for both New Financial Advisors (NFAs) and Experienced Advisors.The Director of Succession & JFW Strategies is part of the Practice Growth Center of Excellence leadership team which also includes advisor productivity and teaming. The primary goal for the position is to work in partnership with the Group Practice Directors and Field Leaders to create strong succession and JFW programs. This position will work closely with Group Field leaders to ensure a consistent and high impact approach and results to serve advisors as they successfully create JFW opportunities and transition member relationships.
The Director of Succession & JFW Strategies will also have to exhibit strong leadership skills in managing a high-talent team of succession and JFW professionals in service of Advisors, Teams and Group Leaders. Execution success will require very strong partnerships both in the Thrivent Advisor network and among key corporate partners. This role is responsible for contributing to Thrivent’s growth goals with our advisors for protection sales (ANBP), investment revenues (RFOB), and clients.
This can be a remote position within the US.
Duties and Responsibilities:
The Leader will lead a team of succession and JFW professionals and partner closely with the National Practice Group, Group Practice Growth Leaders, Group Field leaders, and home office leaders and colleagues at Thrivent to:
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Build and maintain Thrivent’s Foundational succession framework. This includes leading a team to create the content, tools, resources, and coaching for financial practices.
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Provide subject matter expertise to build and create the process and approach to doing business valuations, managing and navigating legal issues for statutory employees, succession strategies, book transitions, teaming for transition, successor search, pre and post transition planning, client and team impact and mitigation analysis, etc.
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Build and deliver content and thought leadership in compelling and strategic ways through Group Field Leaders, Group Practice Directors, National Practice Group, and directly to advisors/Teams.
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Lead a team responsible for building and delivering JFW programs for both NFAs and experienced advisors that result in developing talent and increasing total sales.
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Lead the development, implementation and execution of financial practice succession and JFW resources and solutions. This will include assessing the current state, building a roadmap and strategy for future state, and continuously staying ahead of trends and making adjustments as needed to the resources, tools and solutions.
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Stay in front of industry legal/compliant and internal changes that may impact succession and create a strategy to adjust content, tools, resources, and delivery as needed. This includes working with internal colleagues and outside council to mitigate risk and provide a best-in-class experience for advisors/teams.
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Pursue a strategic goal of driving member continuity.
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Responsible for creating and managing the content and resources so that every Advisor, regardless of tenure, production level has access to succession content and resources to grow.
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Responsible for creating and managing advanced content for those practices that are of greater complexity (due to legal or financial reasons) so that targeted “Focus Practices”, the National Practice Group, and Group Practice Directors have more sophisticated succession content and resources to help Advisors successfully transition.
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Building and maintaining accountability processes to ensure the content and resources provided align with the business needs of financial advisor practices.
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Coordinate and drive productivity results with critical partners
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Close, coordinated approach with the Practice Growth COE. Strong two-way partnerships with Regional Groups and the National Practice Group.
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Build and maintain crucial partnerships within Thrivent Corporate: IT/systems, Marketing, Wholesaling and Advice COEs.
This leader will collaborate with COEs (Wholesaling & Sales Support, Advisor Growth, Advice) to implement succession and JFW solutions to the betterment of targeted practices and their clients.
This Leader is responsible for driving Thrivent’s results in these areas:
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Growth in member continuity
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Growth in total sales through JFW
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Growth and retention of Top Practices at Thrivent through succession and teaming strategies
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Balanced Sales growth for ANBP (Life, Health and Annuities) and RFOB (Investments and other business) with targeted practices through strong advice adoption and orientation
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Client growth and deeper client relationships
The Director of Succession Strategies in the Practice Growth Center of Excellence will model Thrivent’s leadership competencies:
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This leader is accountable to develop and sustain a high-performing team to serve top practices while promoting a culture of shared accountability, operational excellence, and partnership across the organization.
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The leader will establish and foster an environment in which Thrivent employees and colleagues are focused on continuous improvement, exceptional workforce engagement, and an unwavering commitment to our clients.
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The Leader forges a culture that represents the Thrivent purpose, promise and values, ensuring that Thrivent’s trust and reputation remain strong with its clients and across Christian communities.
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Recruits, develops, and sustains a high-performing team while promoting a culture of shared accountability, operational excellence, and partnership across the organization.
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Models Thrivent’s leadership competencies – courage, collaboration, and commitment by demonstrating resiliency, working together to make the best decisions, and holding yourself and others accountable.
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Supports and/or develops an environment in which Thrivent employees and colleagues are focused on continuous improvement, exceptional employee engagement, and an unwavering commitment to our clients. Shapes and/or supports a culture that represents the Thrivent purpose, promise and values, ensuring that Thrivent’s trust and reputation remain strong with its clients.
Qualifications:
Required:
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College Degree in business, management, or related business field
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Demonstrated experience (10+ years) leading in the financial services industry or related industry at a senior operating level. This includes operating in a statutory employment environment as well as working knowledge of the life/health/annuity and wealth management business model.
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Deep knowledge and experience as a strong influencer in the business model/operations of experienced FPs and financial advisory practices. Experience in working with these practices to lead them through joint field work, teaming, practice management, and succession planning strategies and processes.
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FINRA Series 7, 63 & 65 or 66 required or obtained within 90 days of hire: work closely with centralized supervision
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Strategic enterprise-level leadership skills along with strong influence and collaboration; able to work across both corporate environment and field to influence and impact results.
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Experience with effectively leading through change; collaborating through others and leveraging Field relationships and other Centers of Excellence and systems to engage people and drive results. Key HO partners include law/compliance, IT, Field compensation, project management, finance, marketing, communications, and the Advice and Wholesaling Centers of Excellence.
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Passionate about providing guidance on teaming, practice management or succession to clients and possesses experience with advice, insurance products, asset/wealth management, fee-based planning, and growing team productivity: revenue, advisor growth, practice management systems.
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Ability to travel as needed to cover geographic area, Thrivent, and industry functions.
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Ability to effectively travel to tell and promote the succession strategy: occasional commercial travel for meetings, conferences, and training (up to 5%)
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Must have satisfactory Form U-4 disclosures
Thrivent provides Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) without regard to race, religion, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, pregnancy, national origin, age, disability, marital status, citizenship status, military or veteran status, genetic information, or any other status protected by applicable local, state, or federal law. This policy applies to all employees and job applicants.
Thrivent is committed to providing reasonable accommodation to individuals with disabilities. If you need a reasonable accommodation, please let us know by sending an email to human.resources@thrivent.com or call 800-847-4836 and request Human Resources.
