Role SummaryAmerican Century seeks an experienced distribution executive to lead a team of institutional consultant sales, bank channel sales, and platform development professionals. This newly created role will be a critical driver of the firm's growth with institutional clients, professional buyers, banks, and strategic platforms. The successful candidate will set the integrated channel strategy, establish clear priorities and accountability, coach and develop a high-performing team, and ensure disciplined execution that advances investment strategy ratings, expands platform access, strengthens strategic relationships, and drives sustainable asset and revenue growth.
The role requires broad and deep relationships across institutional consulting firms, banks, and key distribution platforms; experience across a range of investment products and vehicles; and a demonstrated record of leading multi-channel sales and business development teams. The ideal candidate is a disciplined, strategic leader who has successfully built senior-level relationships with consultant firms, bank executives, research and due diligence teams, home offices, and platform gatekeepers. This leader must also foster a collaborative, accountable culture and strong partnerships across the organization.
The candidate will engage across all levels of the American Century and Avantis businesses, including senior leadership, investments, product, marketing, client service, operations, and distribution. This leader will align resources and priorities across the institutional consultant, bank, and platform channels; translate market intelligence into coordinated action; and build a world-class team recognized for consultative selling, strategic relationship management, disciplined execution, and measurable business results. The individual must be inclusive, energetic, decisive, and highly effective at developing talent and leading through change.
This position can be based in New York, Kansas City or remote.
How You Will Make an Impact- Lead, coach, and develop a team of institutional consultant sales, bank channel sales, and platform development professionals; set clear expectations, reinforce accountability, strengthen succession and talent development, and foster a collaborative, high-performance culture.
- Develop and execute an integrated U.S. distribution strategy across institutional consultants, banks, and investment platforms, with channel-specific plans designed to advance ratings and recommendations, secure or expand platform access, create qualified opportunities, and drive asset, revenue, and retention outcomes.
- Establish disciplined business management practices, including market segmentation, account prioritization, pipeline governance, activity and outcome metrics, resource allocation, and regular performance reviews.
- Build and maintain senior-level relationships with consultant firm leaders, research and field consultants, bank executives, due diligence teams, home-office leaders, platform gatekeepers, and other key decision makers.
- Direct the team's engagement strategy for priority relationships, ensuring coordinated coverage, clear account plans, consistent messaging, and effective follow-through across institutional consultant, bank, and platform constituencies.
- Translate client, consultant, and platform insights into actionable recommendations for investment strategy positioning, product and vehicle development, pricing, marketing, sales enablement, and service delivery.
- Partner closely with broader U.S. distribution teams and investment professionals to align channel strategies, leverage relationships and expertise, and convert ratings, approvals, and placements into durable sales opportunities.
- Represent the firm in senior-level client meetings, due diligence reviews, industry conferences, and strategic negotiations, while maintaining executive sponsorship of the most important relationships and opportunities.
- Foster an environment of teamwork, exceptional client service, prudent risk management, and compliance in support of American Century's values and mission.
What You Bring to the Team (Required)- Multi-Channel Distribution Expertise: Deep knowledge of institutional consultant, bank, and platform distribution models, including the distinct decision makers, sales cycles, information needs, economics, and approval processes within each channel.
- People Leadership and Talent Development: Proven ability to lead experienced sales and business development professionals, set a compelling direction, coach for stronger performance, build complementary capabilities, address performance issues, and create an accountable and inclusive team culture.
- Strategy and Execution: Demonstrated success converting channel insights and senior relationships into ratings, approvals, placements, qualified pipeline, asset growth, revenue, and retention. Strong discipline in prioritization, forecasting, pipeline management, and measurement.
- Executive Influence and Communication: Exceptional written, verbal, presentation, and negotiation skills, with the credibility to represent the firm with senior external decision makers and align internal executives around strategic priorities.
- Collaboration and Enterprise Leadership: Ability to lead through influence across investment, product, marketing, legal, compliance, operations, client service, and distribution teams, ensuring coordinated execution and effective use of firm resources.
- A minimum of 15 years of relevant investment management distribution experience spanning institutional consultant sales, bank or financial institution channels, platform development, or closely related areas.
- Significant people-management experience leading senior sales, relationship management, or business development professionals across multiple channels or client segments.
- Demonstrated success setting strategy and delivering measurable asset, revenue, ratings, approval, placement, and retention outcomes.
- Experience influencing senior decision makers and peers throughout a complex asset management organization.
- Established network across institutional consulting firms, banks, research and due diligence organizations, and strategic investment platforms.
- Broad investment knowledge across multiple asset classes, products, and vehicles, with the ability to articulate investment strategy, process, performance, and portfolio relevance.
- Bachelor's degree required; MBA, CFA, CIMA, or comparable advanced credential preferred.
- Series 24 required or attainment within 120 days of hire date.
- Strong intellectual capacity and curiosity. Passion for the industry.
- Entrepreneurial, energetic and enthusiastic. Driven and accountable to deliver outcomes.
- Established credibility with institutional consultants, bank executives, platform decision makers, and peers throughout the investment management industry.
- High personal and professional standards. Unassailable integrity and ethics.
- Significant travel required.
The above statements are not intended to be a complete list of all responsibilities, duties, and skills required.
What We Offer- Competitive compensation package with bonus plan
- Generous PTO and competitive benefits
- 401k with 5% company match plus annual performance-based discretionary contribution
- Tuition reimbursement, formal mentorship program, live and online learning
Learn more about our benefits and perks.
