Senior Strategic Implementation Manager

About the role

Kestra Financial is a wealth management platform dedicated to empowering independent financial professionals—including traditional and hybrid RIAs—to grow their businesses and deliver exceptional client service. We combine advanced business management technology with personalized consulting to provide unmatched scale, efficiency, and support. Our advisor-focused culture is built on innovation and advocacy, enabling advisors to offer comprehensive securities and investment advisory solutions to their clients.

This role serves as a pivotal execution leader accountable for the disciplined delivery of Kestra Wealth Management’s highest-priority strategic initiatives in investment products and platform capabilities. You will drive the successful launch of new investment products and manage end-to-end launch campaigns while coordinating complex cross-functional projects spanning technology, compliance, business development, and operations.

Responsibilities

• Own the end-to-end governance and planning that results in successful delivery of priority investment product launches and strategic platform implementation initiatives from concept through post-launch optimization and benefits realization.
• Lead the coordination and execution of comprehensive launch campaigns, aligning go-to-market activities including sales enablement, marketing communications, advisor training and onboarding programs, distribution strategy, and adoption tracking to drive rapid uptake and sustained engagement.
• Establish and maintain a prioritized portfolio of strategic initiatives for Investment Platforms & Products; drive rigorous sequencing, capacity alignment, funding discipline, and proactive trade-off decisions aligned to Kestra’s business objectives and growth priorities.
• Partner with Product Management to translate product strategy and roadmap into executable implementation plans with clear milestones, dependencies, and success criteria.
• Support Wealth Management platform and product leads by facilitating high-performing cross-functional project teams and workstreams involving technology, compliance, business, operations, and finance.
• Map and manage complex dependencies, risks, and interdependencies across teams; proactively identify and remove blockers while fostering alignment and shared ownership in a matrixed environment.
• Ensure every initiative incorporates appropriate compliance guardrails, risk controls, audit readiness, and change management from the start.
• Design, implement, and continuously mature agile delivery operating models tailored to regulated investment product and platform initiatives.
• Drive adoption of modern agile/project tools and best practices to improve delivery velocity, predictability, collaboration, and quality across technology and business teams.
• Build and operate a portfolio “control tower” capability: deliver timely, credible, decision-oriented reporting and dashboards on initiative status, milestones, risks/issues, dependencies, financial performance, and leading indicators of business impact.
• Define, track, and report on key business outcome metrics tied to each strategic initiative.
• Proactively surface execution risks, capacity constraints, and recommended trade-offs to senior leadership; lead structured issue resolution, corrective action planning, and recovery efforts to protect delivery commitments and protect/enhance business results.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Economics, Business, or Software Engineering.
• 2+ years experience in technical product management in an Agile environment.
• 5+ years of experience in wealth management, investment operations, or trading.
• 3-5+ years of progressive leadership experience in strategic program/portfolio management, product implementation, launch execution, or enterprise transformation roles within wealth management, RIA platforms, investment product development, fintech, asset/wealth platforms, or similarly complex, regulated financial services environments.
• Demonstrated success leading multiple end-to-end launches of investment products or major platform capabilities, including coordination across technology builds, compliance/regulatory approvals, and go-to-market execution.
• Direct experience with alternatives/private markets access, model portfolios, structured solutions, or advisor-facing technology platforms within a broker dealer organization is strongly preferred.
• Track record of successfully implementing or significantly maturing agile delivery practices in product development or regulated contexts, with quantifiable improvements in predictability, velocity, and time-to-value.
• Series 7, 63 or 66 required within 2 years. Series 65 preferred.

Benefits

• Competitive pay and benefits with a large employer (over 1600 employees nationwide).
• 401(k), health insurance, and a competitive benefits package.
• Work in a supportive, collaborative environment committed to professional excellence.
• Help clients navigate meaningful financial decisions with confidence.
• Opportunities for training, development, and long-term growth within the firm.
• Tuition reimbursement for qualified expenses.