Onboarding Project Manager, AVP

Introducing Morgan Stanley At Work: We know a lot about investing and are certain that there’s no better investment a company can make than in its employees. People don’t just drive a company, they are the company. So when people work at their best, companies do too. Morgan Stanley at Work, a division of Morgan Stanley Wealth Management, provides workplace financial solutions that build employee financial confidence, foster loyalty and help our corporate clients attract and retain top talent. Our end-to-end offering spans Equity, Financial Wellness and Retirement Solutions. Plus, we provide all employees with Financial Empowerment, so they have the knowledge, tools and support needed to make the most of their workplace financial benefits.

About the role

The Onboarding Project Manager will be part of the U.S. Public Equity Solutions group within the Morgan Stanley at Work organization. This group is responsible for the engagement, onboarding, and day-to-day service management of corporate clients and their equity administration plan terms and associated service offerings. The candidate will work cross-functionally toward the goal of successful end-to-end delivery of onboarding projects, bringing a willingness to do what it takes to complete projects in a timely and accurate manner. This role involves building relationships with both immediate and cross-functional teams while thriving in a fast-paced, evolving environment. The position focuses on all aspects of client readiness and support as clients move through the full lifecycle of implementation activities onto Morgan Stanley at Work’s equity administration platforms.

This role is responsible for managing several concurrent projects, including the implementation of Stock Plan Administration and Employee Broker Services for corporate clients. The Project Manager will manage client relationships, ensure team members understand and perform their responsibilities, maintain high client satisfaction, and continuously assess project risks. This highly visible position involves interacting with individuals internally and externally at all levels of the organization.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the primary contact for assigned corporate clients throughout the onboarding process, maintaining a client-focused yet firm approach.
• Act as the key contact between new clients and internal stakeholders to establish project requirements and timelines using established tools and processes.
• Engage in scoping and requirements gathering, understanding customer needs and relaying them to the onboarding technical specialist or software development team as appropriate.
• Establish and meet goals, assign and direct the work of others, and manage multiple requests with minimal direction.
• Enforce project schedules, deadlines, and standards.
• Lead project reviews to assess schedules, processes, risks, and facilitate communication and negotiation.
• Provide regular reporting to managers, the executive team, and clients as required.
• Audit, monitor, and lead correction processes to ensure project and resource data aligns with standards and methodologies.
• Actively participate in resolving issues and conflicts, both internally and with clients or vendors, escalating as needed in a timely and tactful manner.

Requirements

• 2+ years of experience in stock plan benefits and/or financial services.
• Strong client engagement skills with Fortune 500 companies.
• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Finance, or a similar field (preferred).
• PMP Certification or in the process of working toward its completion.
• Certified Equity Professional designation (strongly preferred).
• In-depth knowledge of Equity Compensation.
• Brokerage Industry Knowledge (preferred).
• Ability to travel up to 10% of the time.

Skills

• Leadership: Able to take charge and lead projects with minimal supervision, modeling the way for the broader team.
• Business Knowledge: Exhibits depth of knowledge in equity plan administration and recordkeeping software applications.
• Analytical Skills: Utilizes well-developed problem-solving skills to research and troubleshoot inquiries through interaction with all departments.
• Decisiveness: Makes high-quality decisions based on analysis, wisdom, experience, and judgment.
• Program & Project Management: Demonstrates strong organizational skills and project management disciplines, including scope definition, schedule development, resource planning, quality control, team development, communications, and risk management.
• Communication: Excellent written and verbal communication skills for interacting with external clients and internal stakeholders.
• Client Relationship Building: Meets customer needs in a timely manner, building productive relationships and taking responsibility for satisfaction and loyalty.
• Customer Focus: Dedicated to meeting the expectations of both internal and external customers.
• Resilience: Works under high pressure with tight timeframes, maintains composure, and eases tension in stressful situations.
• Knowledge of Shareworks/Equity Edge Online or relative administrative software (a plus).
• Salesforce and Jira application knowledge (a plus).
• Strong proficiency in MS Office (Project, Word, Excel, Visio, PowerPoint, Access, and Outlook).

Benefits

At Morgan Stanley, we offer some of the most attractive and comprehensive employee benefits and perks in the industry. We support and empower our employees and their families at every point along their work-life journey. There’s also ample opportunity to move about the business for those who show passion and grit in their work.

Pay

For New York only: Expected base pay rates for the role will be between $100,000 to $140,000 per year at the commencement of employment. Base pay is determined on an individualized basis and is part of the total compensation package, which may also include commission earnings, incentive compensation, discretionary bonuses, other short- and long-term incentive packages, and other Morgan Stanley-sponsored benefit programs.