Description
We exist to help people achieve financial clarity. At Thrivent, we believe money is a tool, not a goal. Driven by a higher purpose at our core, we are committed to providing financial advice, investments, insurance, banking and generosity programs to help people make the most of all they’ve been given.At our core, we are a membership-owned fraternal organization, as well as a holistic financial services organization, dedicated to serving the unique needs of our clients. We focus on their goals and priorities, guiding them toward financial choices that will help them live the life they want today—and tomorrow.
Job Summary
The Platform Owner – Strategic Investment Platforms is accountable for driving value realization from our strategic investment platforms, including BlackRock’s Aladdin Enterprise, Bloomberg and FactSet, by optimizing adoption and utilization, reducing friction in front-office workflows, and ensuring delivery of vendor roadmap commitments end-to-end. Reporting to the Director, Investments Technology & Data, this role is accountable for building strong vendor partnerships, coordinating vendor-led and internally led initiatives, and partnering with front office stakeholders to drive adoption and measurable improvements in investment workflows and business outcomes.
The Platform Owner operates with a high degree of autonomy and judgment, partnering closely with vendors, product owners, engineering teams, investment systems analysts (ISAs), market data and vendor management teams, and front-office and investment operations leaders. This role also partners closely with designated IT Asset Owners and ISAs on service health, incidents, and compliance topics to ensure vendor engagement and business communications are effective.
The Platform Owner focuses on orchestrating cross-functional execution, establishing effective operating cadences, communicating priorities and decisions, and ensuring vendor commitments translate into usable capabilities for Thrivent.
Job Responsibilities and Duties
- Own strategic vendor partnerships for Aladdin, Bloomberg and FactSet to ensure strong service, clear accountability, and timely outcomes.
- Establish and run vendor governance and operating cadences, driving decisions, execution follow-through, and delivery against commitments.
- Provide leadership-ready readouts and support escalations, partnering with the Director, Investments Technology & Data as needed for senior-level vendor engagement.
- Translate business strategy and workflow needs into vendor roadmap inputs and prioritization advocacy, ensuring Thrivent priorities are represented.
- Coordinate cross-platform alignment where vendor capabilities overlap, ensuring a cohesive user experience and intended business outcomes.
- Lead vendor-delivered enhancements and value delivery projects end-to-end, ensuring stakeholder alignment, readiness, adoption, and value realization.
- Partner with front-office leaders to define success measures and drive adoption, ensuring vendor initiatives improve decision-making, efficiency, and investment outcomes.
- Drive change management and enablement for platform enhancements, including communications, training coordination, and maintaining user guidance/ documentation.
- Monitor and improve service health and performance using SLAs, service metrics, and user feedback; drive corrective actions with vendors in partnership with IT Asset Owners and ISAs.
- Lead vendor engagement and business communications during major incidents/ material disruptions, partnering with IT incident leadership to restore service and ensure effective stakeholder updates.
- Coordinate vendor-related governance requests (e.g., access/entitlements, controls, audit inquiries), clarifying requirements and coordinating across IT owners, ISAs, market data, and risk/compliance partners.
- Coordinate vendor risk, resiliency, and due diligence activities (e.g., SOC reviews), tracking remediation actions with risk/compliance and IT owners.
- Partner with vendor management/market data on commercial, licensing, and governance matters.
- Model Thrivent’s leadership competencies – Model the Way, Rally the Team, and Deliver Outcomes.
- Support and/or develop an environment in which Thrivent employees and colleagues are focused on continuous improvement, exceptional employee engagement, and an unwavering commitment to our clients. Shape and/or support a culture that represents the Thrivent purpose, promise and values, ensuring that Thrivent’s trust and reputation remain strong with its clients.
Job Qualifications
Required:
- Bachelor’s degree in business, finance, information systems, or related discipline.
- 7+ years of experience in investment platform management, vendor relationship management, product/service delivery, or related roles within asset management or financial services.
- Experience partnering with one or more strategic market data / investment platform vendors (Aladdin preferred; Bloomberg and/or FactSet a plus) to drive service outcomes and roadmap alignment.
- Demonstrated ability to coordinate cross-functional initiatives end-to-end (intake, scope, timeline, communications, risks/issues, readiness, and adoption) in a matrixed environment.
- Understanding of buy-side investment management workflows (portfolio management, trading, investment operations, and risk/analytics) and the ability to translate workflow needs into vendor deliverables.
- Strong organizational, prioritization, and problem-solving skills, with the ability to navigate ambiguity and make sound, risk-based decisions.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with demonstrated ability to influence vendors and internal stakeholders and to communicate clearly during high-severity incidents/ material service disruptions.
Preferred:
- MBA or other advanced degree.
- Professional certifications such as CFA or equivalent.
- Experience developing business cases, success metrics, and adoption plans for platform enhancements and vendor-delivered capabilities.
- Broad understanding of the end-to-end functions of an investment management organization and how strategic vendors enable those workflows.
- In office three days a week strongly preferred.
Additional Information
- This position requires you to work on-site in Minneapolis, MN a minimum of three days a week.
Pay Transparency
Thrivent’s long-term growth depends on attracting, rewarding, and retaining people who are committed to helping others thrive with purpose. We accomplish this by offering a wide variety of market competitive compensation programs to attract, reward, and retain top talent. The applicable salary or hourly wage range for this full-time role is $139,139.00 - $188,247.00 per year, which factors in various geographic regions. The base pay actually offered will be determined by a variety of factors including, but not limited to, location, relevant experience, skills, and knowledge, business needs, market demand, and other factors Thrivent deems important.
Other
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 [email protected] or call 800-847-4836 and request Human Resources.