Job Description The Director, RIA Channel Marketing is a strategic, data-driven marketing leader responsible for building and scaling the marketing engine that drives growth across Cetera's RIA and Branches Channel.
The Director will play a central role in delivering brand, digital, consumer demand generation, advisor-enablement, and content programs that accelerate AUM growth and improve client and advisor acquisition, retention, and productivity. This includes owning the RIA channel marketing roadmap and developing scalable frameworks that can be replicated across additional RIA partners. This role leads strategy, execution, and ongoing optimization of all marketing initiatives supporting all communities within the RIA and Branches Channel.
This is a highly collaborative leadership role requiring strong strategic judgment, performance orientation, advisor-channel fluency, and the ability to build, sequence, and scale marketing capability in a growth-stage environment.
What You Will Do: - RIA & Branches Channel Marketing Leadership
- Lead marketing strategy, planning, and execution for the RIA and Branches channel.
- Own any end-to-end branding, as needed, from positioning and identify through digital, client communication, collateral, advisor enablement, signage, and launch execution.
- Build a scalable, tested marketing framework that can be applied across multiple RIAs, including demand generation, local marketing, digital presence, content, and advisor engagement.
- Demand Generation & Lead Engine Development
- Build and optimize the RIA channel lead generation engine across paid media, SEO/AEO, content, events, partner programs, and referral/advocacy programs.
- Partner with Salesforce, analytics, technology teams, and other cross-functional teams to strengthen attribution, funnel visibility, and performance reporting (e.g., site ? lead ? booked appt ? AUM).
- Evaluate channel performance using CAC, LTV, set rate, conversion rate, and AUM contribution; use insights to prioritize and scale high-ROI channels.
- Oversee testing and performance optimization across Google, Meta, LinkedIn, webinars, local marketing infrastructure, etc.
- Advisor Enablement & Local Market Marketing
- Develop and scale advisor-focused marketing toolkits, campaigns, workflows, and playbooks to support local growth in each RIA office or market.
- Lead training, adoption programs, and 1:1 consultations with advisors to improve execution across SEO, Google Business profiles, paid media, events, and digital presence.
- Build mechanisms to support advisor micro-events, reviews, referral programs, and conversion enablement.
- Oversee development and distribution of channel-specific content in partnership with Comms Team(s): guides, calculators, webinars, videos, leadership commentary, advisor bios, and persona-based funnels.
- Ensure alignment between RIA-specific brand narratives, the RIA growth vision, and corporate Cetera positioning.
- Analytics, Measurement & Optimization
- Build a data-driven decisioning approach for channel performance-in partnership with analytics-including dashboards, KPI frameworks, reporting standards, and quarterly business reviews.
- Use CAC, channel ROI, and attribution to guide budget allocation and channel prioritization.
- Translate data insights into action plans, recommendations, and strategic adjustments.
- Team Leadership & Cross-Functional Partnership
- Develop and manage a high-performing team (growing over time) with capabilities across paid media, content, analytics, and advisor marketing.
- Partner closely with RIA and Branches Channel and Community leadership, advisors, technology, analytics, Salesforce, compliance, and corporate marketing teams to ensure smooth execution and unified growth strategy.
- Manage vendor relationships, agency partners, and platform solutions aligned to channel growth objectives.
- M&A Integration & Market Expansion
- Support integration and onboarding of new RIAs, including brand alignment, digital presence, local marketing, lead gen activation, and advisor engagement.
- Lead marketing due diligence inputs and transition planning for future acquisitions.
What You Need to Have: - Bachelor's degree in Marketing, Communications, Business, or related field.
- 10+ years of relevant experience, with at least 5+ in leadership roles.
- 10+ years of progressive marketing leadership experience, including demand generation, digital marketing, and advisor-led or channel marketing.
- Deep understanding of RIA/wealth management marketing, including SEO, SEM, AEO, social, content, CRM/Salesforce, email, and digital presence optimization.
- Demonstrated ability to operate effectively within a matrixed, shared-services organization, partnering across centralized functions (e.g., channel teams, analytics, creative, compliance) to drive coordinated marketing outcomes.
- Proven track record building scalable lead engines, retargeting, nurture, and conversion optimization.
- Strong command of marketing analytics, including CAC, LTV, attribution models, conversion funnels, and KPI management.
- Exceptional communication and presentation skills; ability to influence, advise, and engage advisors and executives.
- Strong project leadership, with the ability to manage complex, multichannel initiatives such as rebrands, and platform rollouts.
- High attention to detail, self-starter, collaborative, solutions-oriented, highly organized, and comfortable leading through transformation and ambiguity.
- Travel up to 15%.
What's Nice to Have: - Experience executing brand, signage, and physical-location transformations (e.g., branch offices), including onsite marketing activation and local market presence building.
- Experience in a scaled RIA, wealth management, retirement services, or private client organization (e.g., Mariner, Creative Planning, Mercer, Edelman Financial Engines, Wealth Enhancement Group).
- Experience leading major marketing transformation and large-scale campaign or platform launches.
- Digital media and performance marketing fluency in channels such as Google Performance Max, LinkedIn, streaming, webinars, and local market activation.
- Experience with Salesforce Marketing Cloud, distributed marketing tools, or advisor marketing platforms.
- Familiarity with AEO (Answer Engine Optimization), SEO schema, AI-driven content strategy, or next-generation search.
Compensation: The base annual salary range for this role is $190,000 to $261,000, plus a competitive performance-based bonus. Base annual salary depends on a wide array of factors, including but not limited to skill set, years and depth of experience, certifications, and location. Base annual salary may also differ significantly due to geography and cost of labor considerations.
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