Job Summary:The Institutional Innovation Lead will be responsible for leading and continuing to build out innovative impact and sustainable investing solutions for institutional and sophisticated private wealth clients, with a particular focus on Impact Private Markets and alternative investments.
This is a senior, client-facing and strategic role. The individual will lead the team responsible for impact private markets research, alternative investment due diligence, impact-first product innovation, thematic thought leadership, impact reporting strategy, and institutional client engagement. The role requires strong investment judgment, commercial orientation, client presence, and the ability to work cross-functionally across investment teams, asset managers, Financial Advisors, Legal, Risk, Compliance, Operations and senior leadership.
We are looking for an exceptionally talented individual with a clear passion for using capital markets to scale solutions to global and domestic economic, environmental and social challenges. The successful candidate will be equally comfortable reviewing private markets strategies, engaging with asset managers, advising on client strategy, shaping a thematic research agenda, and leading a team through complex approval and innovation processes.
Responsibilities:Platform leadership, strategy and innovation- Lead the Institutional Innovation agenda for Investing with Impact, with a focus on building and scaling innovative impact and sustainable investing solutions for institutional and sophisticated private wealth clients.
- Help shape the strategic roadmap for the Impact Private Markets platform, including priority themes, product gaps, manager engagement, client demand and areas for future innovation.
- Partner with internal stakeholders across Legal, Risk, Compliance, investment teams, product, platform and other control partners to move new ideas from concept to approval and implementation.
Alternatives research, due diligence and manager engagement- Lead the team responsible for Impact Private Markets research, impact-first alternatives product evaluation, thematic innovation and related client and advisor engagement.
- Oversee diligence and approval work for impact-focused alternative investment funds and private markets opportunities, partnering closely with GIMA, investment due diligence teams, Legal, Risk, Compliance and platform partners.
- Develop and maintain rigorous standards for evaluating private markets strategies, including investment merit, impact credibility, manager quality, risks, client fit and platform relevance.
- Build and deepen relationships with asset managers, general partners and strategic partners across impact private markets and alternatives; source and evaluate new ideas that may enhance the platform.
Impact reporting and client-facing insights- Work with team leadership to drive the strategic vision for impact reporting in private markets, including how reporting can be more useful, credible, scalable and compelling for clients and advisors.
- Help translate complex impact themes, manager activity and client outcomes into clear, high-quality insights, reporting and narrative that can support client engagement.
Advisor, client and field engagement- Act as a senior client-facing representative of the Impact Private Markets and Institutional Innovation platform with institutional clients, sophisticated private wealth clients, Financial Advisors and internal partners.
- Partner with advisors and relationship teams to identify client needs, deliver tailored insights and translate client feedback into priorities for manager research, innovation, reporting and thought leadership.
- Help ensure advisors understand what the team is building, why it matters and how to communicate impact private markets opportunities effectively with clients.
- Oversee the development of clear, compelling materials for advisors, clients and internal teams, partnering with communications, marketing, field engagement and distribution colleagues.
Distribution, CRM and commercial discipline- Help build a more systematic approach to current clients, prospects, advisor engagement, CRM and pipeline tracking.
- Partner with current and future distribution resources to support commercialization of the institutional alts and impact private markets platform, including advisor and client targeting, follow-up, events and sales enablement.
Industry presence and external partnerships- Help identify which external events, industry forums, asset manager relationships and sponsorship opportunities are most worth pursuing and aligned with platform growth.
- Represent the team with external partners and industry participants, connecting external engagement back to client needs, investment priorities and business objectives.
Team leadership and cross-firm partnership- Manage and develop team members, set priorities, allocate resources and create leverage through clear processes, decision frameworks and repeatable approaches to diligence, client engagement and platform development.
- Engage with partners across the Firm including Investment Solutions, Technology, Marketing, Legal, Risk, Compliance, the Global Sustainability Office and the Institute for Sustainable Investing.
Qualifications:- Bachelor's degree; Master's degree, MBA or CFA strongly preferred; focus on sustainability, impact investing or private markets a plus.
- 10+ years of work experience in financial services, private markets, alternative investments, impact investing, sustainable investing, institutional investing, investment research, product strategy or a related field.
- Strong understanding of private markets and alternative investment structures, manager due diligence, institutional client needs and investment approval processes.
- Demonstrated ability to evaluate investment strategies through both financial and impact-oriented lenses, including assessment of manager quality, risk, client fit and impact credibility.
- Proven track record in client service and relationship management, especially with complex clients, senior advisors, asset managers and multiple internal stakeholders.
- Credible senior presence with the ability to engage with institutional clients, sophisticated private wealth clients, asset managers, Financial Advisors and internal leadership.
- Experience leading teams, managing complex projects and influencing across a matrixed organization.
- Familiarity with ESG data, impact measurement frameworks, impact reporting approaches and sustainable investing products across public and private markets.
- Understanding of impact measurement and management best practices in private markets; familiarity with impact-first investing, catalytic capital or blended finance strongly preferred.
- Excellent communication skills, including the ability to make complex investment ideas clear, compelling and actionable in both written materials and presentations.
- Strong commercial judgment and ability to connect investment ideas to client demand, advisor engagement and business growth.
- Ability to manage multiple deadlines and priorities, including both short-term client requests and long-term strategic initiatives.
- Strong PC skills, especially PowerPoint and Excel; experience with financial market data sources such as Bloomberg, Morningstar or FactSet a plus.
- Experience navigating a large firm and building consensus among various business units preferred.
- Series 7 and 66 required within first 90 days.
Expected base pay rates for the role will be between 175,000 and 265,000 per year at the commencement of employment. However, base pay if hired will be determined on an individualized basis and is only part of the total compensation package, which, depending on the position, may also include commission earnings, incentive compensation, discretionary bonuses, other short and long-term incentive packages, and other Morgan Stanley sponsored benefit programs.
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