For firms hiring
Regional Director search for the RIA channel
You need someone who can walk into an RIA in your territory next month and get a second meeting. That's the only kind of Regional Director I go looking for.
What I look for in a Regional Director
A good Regional Director in the RIA channel isn't just a good salesperson. He knows how an investment committee at a $2 billion RIA makes decisions, and how that's different from a solo advisor who picks funds himself. He can talk about the product at the level a CIO expects, and he can still book the meeting.
So before I call anyone, I want to understand your product, who buys it, and what the first year in the seat really looks like. A Regional Director selling a small-cap SMA lives a different life from one selling an interval fund, and I recruit for the one you actually have.
The questions we answer before the search starts
- Territory. Which metros, how much travel, and whether the person has to live there.
- Coverage model. Are they opening doors, or covering relationships you already have?
- Support. Is there an internal wholesaler, a marketing budget, and a reporting line that makes sense?
- Fit with the product. What has to be true for an RIA to put your strategy on its platform?
If any of those answers make the seat a hard sell, I'll tell you before we sign anything. It's easier to fix a seat than to fill a bad one.
How the search runs
I keep a live map of RIA-channel wholesalers and Regional Directors by metro, and I watch who moved, who got promoted and who's stuck. That's where the search starts. I call the people who fit, not the ones answering job posts, and most of them weren't looking until we talked.
You meet a short slate: a few people worth your time, each with notes from me on why they fit and what to push on. I stay in it through the offer and the start date.
What you get from me
Before the search, you get a straight read on the seat: whether the territory, the product and the support line up, and what kind of person will actually win there. During the search, you get regular updates in plain language, including who said no and why. Those no's tell you a lot about how the market sees your firm.
When you meet a candidate, you already know why I think he fits, where he's strong, and what to push on in the interview. After the offer, I stay close to both sides through the notice period and the first weeks in the seat, because that's when good hires get talked out of moving.
The terms
Replacement Guarantee. If the hire leaves or is let go within 90 days (6 months for leadership roles), I run the search again free.
Exclusivity. 90 days on the search.
Your people. I won't recruit from my clients.
Questions I get
How long does a Regional Director search take?
It depends on the territory and the product. I'll give you an honest read on timing on our first call, once I know the seat.
Do you only recruit in California?
No. I'm based in Newport Beach, but I recruit nationwide, wherever the territory is.
Can you recruit a Regional Director for a firm under 300 people?
Yes. That's where I focus: boutique asset managers, ETF issuers, interval-fund and alts shops, and SMA firms under 300 people.
Let's talk
Tell me the territory and when you need someone. daniel@kelchnersearch.com or use the contact form.
Daniel