Associate Director, Client Service

About the Client Service Department

The goal of Client Service is to build and grow meaningful relationships with the world's largest, most sophisticated investors and help clients achieve their goals through high quality return streams and tailored insights. To this end, we aim to deeply understand the global pools of capital, develop strategies to effectively develop relationships, and partner with clients on their most difficult investment and portfolio construction problems. We help our clients broaden their understanding of our investment process, strategies, and performance as well as deepen their understanding of financial markets more generally.

About the Role

The Associate Director plays a pivotal role within the Client Service organization, advancing the firm's mission to build enduring partnerships with the world's largest and most sophisticated pools of capital. Sitting at the center of client relationships, this role combines strategic thought partnership, investment fluency, and operational excellence to help clients achieve their objectives through high-quality returns and differentiated insights. In close partnership with Client Advisors, the Associate Director develops a deep understanding of each client's goals, constraints, and governance structures, translating that insight into engagement strategies that strengthen relationships and drive commercial outcomes. External Impact In partnership with the Client Advisor, the Associate Director plays a critical role in advancing and executing client strategy. They build and deepen relationships with key client counterparts, serve as a trusted day-to-day thought partner, and help reinforce the firm's brand through clear and compelling communication of complex investment strategies. By cultivating strong working relationships and second-level advocacy across client organizations, Associate Directors help sustain and grow mandates while identifying opportunities to expand partnerships in alignment with broader team objectives. Internal Leadership Internally, the Associate Director acts as a critical nexus between clients and the broader organization. They lead day-to-day management of a client book, quarterback complex portfolio initiatives, and drive cross-functional collaboration to execute against strategic goals. Success in the role requires rigorous investment fluency, strong commercial judgment, and the ability to translate sophisticated portfolio concepts into actionable client solutions. Through disciplined execution and strategic insight, Associate Directors contribute meaningfully to both client outcomes and the long-term growth of the business. They also join a cohort responsible for driving internal improvements and initiatives in areas of content, training, and operations.

What Defines Excellence in This Role

• Strategic relationship understanding and judgment
• Marrying of client needs with Bridgewater strategy and offerings
• Intellectual rigor and investment fluency
• Commercial instinct aligned with long-term partnership building
• Effective key stakeholder management
• Clear, compelling communication of complex ideas
• Strong project leadership and collaboration with cross-functional teams
• Managing a high volume of tasks with varying complexity and timelines

Minimum Qualifications

• Minimum 5 years professional or equivalent experience
• Experience working with institutional clients
• Bachelor's degree with a strong academic record
• Effective written and oral communication skills, with strong detail orientation
• A high degree of proficiency in Outlook, PowerPoint, Word, and Excel; general comfort with learning and using new software tools

Physical Requirements

This role will be Westport, CT, based for the first year of training at a minimum and will follow a hybrid schedule of four days per week in the office, with occasional requirement to work out of our NYC office to participate in client engagements. From there, there will be an option to discuss location options that meet business and collaboration needs.

Wage Range

The total compensation range for this position is $350,000 – $650,000. Actual base salary will be dependent on the individual's skills, experience, and qualifications. This role may also be eligible for other forms of compensation, including but not limited to a cash bonus.

Why Choose Bridgewater?

It takes all types to make Bridgewater great. We seek a diverse group of innovative thinkers and push them to engage in rigorous and thoughtful inquiry. We develop people through an honest examination of their abilities and performance, enabling personal growth and professional development. We strive to provide you opportunities that will challenge you and unlock your potential. One of our core priorities at Bridgewater is to enable our employees to build a great life and career, and we believe our benefits are an important extension of that philosophy. As such, currently Bridgewater offers a competitive suite of benefits. Explore more information about Bridgewater's benefits on our website here.