The Successor Pipeline & Acquisition Readiness Lead serves as the enterprise owner of successor readiness at Thrivent, responsible for building the systems, standards, and development pathways that prepare financial advisors to successfully acquire, lead, and scale practices. This role ensures that acquiring advisors are not only transition-ready, but fully capable of delivering client continuity, driving growth, leading teams, and sustaining an advice-focused business.
This can be a remote position within the US.
DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES: - Own and ensure application of the enterprise acquisition readiness standard, translating the Acquisition Readiness Framework into measurable capability development and demonstrated readiness across leadership, growth, and practice ownership.
- Design and scale structured successor development pathways aligned to the Acquisition Readiness Framework, including cohort-based, experiential, and graduated responsibility models that build capability toward full acquisition readiness.
- Integrate successor readiness into the Advisor Legacy Program, ensuring readiness is assessed early, developed intentionally, and aligned to transition timelines to improve transition outcomes and confidence.
- Establish and evolve team-based successor pathways, defining progression from supporting advisor roles into leadership positions across team maturity stages.
- Partner with Virtual Advice to build and operationalize an acquisition pathway, including readiness criteria, development milestones, and integration expectations for advisors transitioning into practice leadership.
- Create and maintain enterprise visibility into the successor-ready pipeline, including bench strength, capacity gaps, and forward-looking readiness trends.
- Establish and track successor readiness and transition performance metrics, using data to assess program effectiveness, inform decisions, and drive continuous improvement.
- Collaborate across enterprise stakeholders (Teaming, Transition Planning, Virtual Advice, Recruiting, and Field Leadership) to align on readiness standards, development expectations, and execution.
- Leverage and integrate external successor development frameworks into Thrivent-specific systems, accelerating capability while building internally sustainable models.
Describe below the audience this role will interact with and level of influence they will have on those roles.
This role operates at the intersection of strategy, design, and collaboration, interacting with a wide range of internal and external stakeholders to ensure seamless transitions and impactful outcomes. Working closely with the Director of Advisor Practice Strategies and the Transition Planning Program Manager this role will:
- Collaborate cross-functionally with:
- Advisor Practice Strategies and Programs Manager
- National Practice Program Manager
- Lead Practice Growth Director
- Advisor Practice Coaching / Capability team
- Virtual Advice leadership
- Recruiting and Capacity teams
- Practice Growth Directors and Area Leadership
The role will have responsibility to align stakeholders around a consistent definition of readiness and our development approach
- Influence leaders without direct authority through expertise, data, and structured frameworks
QUALIFICATIONS & SKILLS: Required: - Bachelor's degree in finance, business administration, or a related field.
- A minimum of 7 years of experience in financial services, with significant experience in succession planning, mergers and acquisitions, teaming, or a related field.
- A minimum of 3 years of experience coaching and leading succession and acquisition plans, with a proven ability to develop talent and drive performance in a high-stakes environment.
- Demonstrated experience in practice management, succession, acquisition, and transition readiness expectations.
- Strategic mindset with the ability to build and maintain enterprise programs.
- Ability to identify and analyze trends in advisor succession and acquisition planning to drive data-informed strategies.
- In-depth knowledge of teaming and best practices in developing financial advisors to successfully acquire a practice and build the business post-acquisition.
- Familiarity with advisor business models, client retention strategies, and regulatory considerations affecting succession and teaming strategies.
- Strong interpersonal and communication skills to engage and educate advisors, stakeholders, and cross-functional teams effectively.
Preferred: - Experience creating and executing on new programming across an organization.
- Advanced degree or designation (e.g., MBA, CFP®).
- Strong understanding of practice valuations, industry trends, and the financial principles underpinning advisor business transitions.
Pay Transparency
Thrivent's long-term growth depends on attracting, rewarding, and retaining people who are committed to helping others thrive with purpose. We accomplish this by offering a wide variety of market competitive compensation programs to attract, reward, and retain top talent. The applicable salary or hourly wage range for this full-time role is $109,268.00 - $147,832.00 per year, which factors in various geographic regions. The base pay actually offered will be determined by a variety of factors including, but not limited to, location, relevant experience, skills, and knowledge, business needs, market demand, and other factors Thrivent deems important.
Thrivent is unique in our commitment to helping people to be wise with money and live balanced and generous lives. That extends to our benefits.
The following benefits may be offered: various bonuses (including, for example, annual or long-term incentives); medical, dental, and vision insurance; health savings account; flexible spending account; 401k; pension; life and accidental death and dismemberment insurance; disability insurance; supplemental protection insurance; 20 days of Paid Time Off each year; Sick and Safe Time; 10 paid company holidays; Volunteer Time Off; paid parental leave; EAP; well-being benefits, and other employee benefits. Eligibility for receipt of these benefits is subject to the applicable plan/policy documents. Thrivent's plans/policies are subject to change at any time at Thrivent's discretion.
