Director, Broker-Dealer Operations
$173k - $189k USD
About Betterment
Betterment is a leading, technology-driven financial services company that offers investing, savings and retirement solutions for retail investors and investment advisors as well as financial wellness solutions, including a 401(k) for small and medium-sized businesses. Our team is passionate about our mission, to empower people to build wealth with confidence and ease. We’re headquartered in NYC and offer hybrid NY-based positions (four days/ week in-office, with no required office days during the summer and winter holidays).
About the role
The Broker-Dealer Operations Team at Betterment oversees and operates Betterment’s broker-dealer entity that safeguards over $65B in assets for over one million customers. The team is responsible for firm-level dividend and corporate action processing, reconciliations, design and operation of internal controls, and regulatory and financial reporting to maintain compliance with relevant FINRA and SEC financial responsibility rules.
The team works collaboratively across departments to improve and automate processes, as well as owns the relationships with various third parties including the broker-dealer’s auditors, clearing firm, and banking institutions. Additionally, the team partners with Product and Engineering to design and operate new products, such as Self-Directed Investing, Securities Lending, and more.
As Director of Broker-Dealer Operations you will lead the team and oversee all financial and operational aspects of our broker dealer business. You will collaborate cross-functionally to ensure compliance with industry regulations, maintain accurate financial records, build new products, and optimize operational processes to support our growth.
This role is based out of our NYC office. For jobs based out of our NYC HQ, we require in office attendance Monday through Thursday, weekly. Below we've reflected the base salary range we would offer for this position. Actual salaries may vary depending on factors including but not limited to location, experience, and performance. The range listed is just one component of Betterment’s total compensation package for employees.
- New York City: $173,000 - $189,000
We offer a competitive equity package, health, dental and vision benefits, life and AD&D, short-term and long-term disability insurance, EAP, commuter and parking benefits FSA/HSA, and 401(k) with employer match as well as a flexible PTO policy. This job may also be eligible for variable compensation in the form of a company incentive bonus.
A day in the life
The ideal candidate for this role will be an experienced manager who possesses a strong understanding of broker-dealer operations, financial reporting, regulatory compliance, and product development, particularly in financial services and technology. They are comfortable in a spreadsheet, talking to auditors and regulators, and working with our Product and Engineering teams to build out new products. On any given day you will:
- Manage the broker-dealer operations team, providing feedback and coaching, partnering to solve a complex issue, and overseeing the completion of all required tasks
- Design new systems to improve and enhance procedures for corporate action processing, control operation, net capital monitoring, and other key responsibilities
- Maintain partner relationships for key banking and securities servicing vendors
- Partner with our Legal and Compliance teams determine how best to structure a new product, design a control, or remediate an issue
- Whiteboard with Product and Engineering on how to implement a new process
- Collaborate with finance to on reporting and budgets
What we’re looking for
- Experience working in and knowledge of financial service operations, specifically related to securities products (e.g. corporate actions, margin, transfers, etc)
- 5+ years of management experience of an operational or related team
- A track record of launching new products and processes, as well as building out ongoing support
- FINRA Series 7, 24, and/or 27, or the ability to rapidly obtain
- Exceptional communication skills, both written and verbal
- Nice to haves: experience working in FinTech or interacting with auditors and regulators
What being at Betterment means for you
We change lives
Join a community of innovators working to transform financial outcomes for real people. Your work will make an impact, always laddering up to our mission: making people's lives better.
We set audacious goals
We set them for the company, our customers, and ourselves—and we won’t stop until we reach them. We don’t just show up; we give our all, then celebrate our wins.
We value all perspectives
When we collaborate, we're at our best. We believe diverse perspectives lead to better outcomes and strive to uphold our supportive and inclusive community.
We invest in you with:
- A competitive suite of benefits, including: medical, dental, and vision insurance; life and AD&D insurance; STD and LTD benefits, including infertility support and World Professional Association for Transgender Health approved benefits; and generous parental leave.
- Flexible paid time off (and encouragement to use it!)
- Meaningful opportunity for community building through our 7 Employee Resource Groups
- Empowerment to own and lead change and affect the business
- Dedicated professional development opportunities
- Lunch from our in-house chef at our NYC headquarters
What happens next
We’ll take a few weeks to review all applications. If we’d like to spend more time with you, we’ll reach out to arrange next steps, which will include 3-4 sets of meetings with your future colleagues.
In the interview process, we’ll look to learn more about your skills, experiences, capabilities, and motivators. Many of our questions will be aimed at understanding how you might operate here at Betterment. Depending on the role, we may ask you to complete a case study exercise or technical assessments, as we want to collect a robust set of data points to better inform our decisions.
On average, it takes us around 3-5 weeks to make a hiring decision, depending on your availability and sense of urgency. As a best practice, we aim to interview at least 2-3 final round candidates before making a hiring decision. Please note that, as we usually receive an overwhelming number of applications for open positions, we’re unable to offer individual feedback during the interview process.
We recognize that interviewing for a new role is a big deal. We appreciate you considering Betterment as the next step in your career, and our Recruiting Team is here to support and advocate for you through the interview process!
Betterment is dedicated to providing accommodations to candidates upon request. If you need accommodations at any point throughout the interview process, please reach out to your recruiter.
Please note that in any materials you submit, you may redact or remove age-identifying information such as age, date of birth, or dates of school attendance or graduation. You will not be penalized for redacting or removing this information.
Come join us!
We’re an equal opportunity employer and comply with all applicable federal, state, and local fair employment practices laws. We strictly prohibit and do not tolerate discrimination against employees, applicants, or any other covered persons because of race, color, religion, creed, national origin or ancestry, ethnicity, sex, gender (including gender nonconformity and status as a transgender or transsexual individual), sexual orientation, marital status, age, physical or mental disability, citizenship, past, current or prospective service in the uniformed services, predisposing genetic characteristic, domestic violence victim status, arrest records, or any other characteristic protected under applicable federal, state or local law.
E-Verify Statement
Betterment participates in E-Verify. We will provide the Social Security Administration, and if necessary, the Department of Homeland Security, with information from each new employee’s Form I-9 to confirm work authorization. Please note that we do not use this information to pre-screen job applicants.
E-Verify Notice
E-Verify Notice (Spanish)
Right to Work Notice
Right to Work Notice (Spanish)
CPRA Language - CA Applicants ONLY
We collect and store personal information for the purposes of candidate tracking (for this role and future opportunities). The information you provide in the course of completing your application will be kept for up to 24 months. We use tools provided by third-party service providers but do not share candidate information for any purpose other than for recruiting. To access the data that is collected, request deletion or to make updates to your candidate profile, please email team.hire@betterment.com.