Job Description
Your Opportunity
Managing Director, Workplace Executive Advisor
The Managing Director role leads the development of thought leadership within the Schwab Center for Financial Research (SCFR) for topics related to Workplace Services. Schwab’s Workplace Services (WS) enterprise supports employers who sponsor workplace financial programs and the employees who participate in them. WS partners with plan sponsors and their advisors to deliver solutions across retirement plans, equity compensation, and related workplace investing and engagement capabilities—helping organizations meet fiduciary responsibilities while improving participant outcomes and experience.
This role will be accountable for defining Schwab’s perspectives on high-impact topics on the minds of senior executives at organizations sponsoring these programs. The role will also translate complex internal insights into externally credible perspectives and strengthening senior-level relationships with plan sponsors, consultants, and other key influencers.
The role influences outcomes across multiple business lines and represents Schwab at the highest external levels.
Key Stakeholders & Partners
- Internal: Workplace Services leadership, sponsor coverage teams, consultant relations, Schwab Center for Financial Research (SCFR), Schwab Asset Management (SAM), Marketing/Communications, Legal/Compliance/Risk, and digital product/experience teams.
- External: plan sponsors (CFO/CHRO/benefits leaders), investment committees, consultants, advisors, and industry bodies influencing plan design, governance, and participant engagement practices.
Measures of Success
- Increased executive-level engagement with priority sponsors and influencers (depth, frequency, and quality of interactions).
- Adoption of WS thought leadership narratives in sponsor and consultant dialogues, conferences, and media placements.
- Demonstrable contribution to growth and retention of complex sponsor relationships (in partnership with coverage teams).
- Improved participant outcomes and experience indicators (e.g., engagement, savings behaviors, advice utilization, retirement readiness, distribution outcomes) as available through internal analytics.
- Consistent alignment with risk, regulatory, and brand standards across published materials and executive messaging.
Key Accountabilities
Enterprise, Executive, & Industry Influence
- Serve as an enterprise-level advisor to senior executives (CFO, CHRO, investment committee members) at Schwab’s largest and most complex WS clients.
- Represent Schwab in high‑stakes external forums including C‑suite engagements, consultant briefings, industry conferences, and media interactions.
- Establish Schwab as a proactive strategic partner within the WS ecosystem.
Thought Leadership Strategy & Ownership
- Set enterprise priorities for WS thought leadership and retain decision authority over narratives and positioning.
- Develop original perspectives that are research-driven, forward looking, and practical.
- Topics coverage includes improving participant outcomes, plan design, investment selection, portfolio construction, withdrawals, and regulation.
- Ensure consistency, quality, and executive relevance across all external outputs.
Research Integration & Governance
- Integrate insights from Workplace client data, consulting, sponsor coverage, asset management, and participant engagement functions.
- Apply SCFR research rigor to ensure analytical defensibility and credibility.
- Provide governance to ensure alignment with Schwab risk, regulatory, and brand standards.
People, Influence & Operating Model
- Provide functional leadership to a virtual team that draws in resources from a variety of Schwab business units (e.g., rest of SCFR, SAM, WS, Marketing).
- Drive outcomes by integrating research findings throughout Workplace Services, Marketing, and Schwab Asset Management.
- Operate in a leverage-based model that scales impact using existing Schwab capabilities.
What you have
Required Experience and Key Skills:
- 15+ years of progressively responsible experience in investment, retirement, or wealth management domains.
- Demonstrated success operating at the Managing Director or equivalent senior leadership level.
- Proven ability to build relationships with and influence the decision making of senior executive leaders.
- Exceptional executive communication, judgment, and presence.
- Ability to influence industry-wide discourse.
Preferred Experience
- Deep expertise in retirement strategy, participant behavior, investments, regulatory policy, equity compensation plans, and related wellness topics
- Established external thought leadership through publications, speaking, or advisory roles.
- Advanced degree or comparable designations.
What’s in it for you
At Schwab, you’re empowered to shape your future. We champion your growth through meaningful work, continuous learning, and a culture of trust and collaboration—so you can build the skills to make a lasting impact. Our Hybrid Work and Flexibility approach balances our ongoing commitment to workplace flexibility, serving our clients, and our strong belief in the value of being together in person on a regular basis.
We offer a competitive benefits package that takes care of the whole you – both today and in the future:
- 401(k) with company match and Employee stock purchase plan
- Paid time for vacation, volunteering, and 28-day sabbatical after every 5 years of service for eligible positions
- Paid parental leave and family building benefits
- Tuition reimbursement
- Health, dental, and vision insurance