Director, Institutional Relationships - West Region

The Director, Institutional Relationships is responsible for delivering TIAA-CREF at the most senior levels of our client institutions in the West region. The Director is responsible for TIAA-CREF's overall institutional relationship with Higher Education institutions and their decision makers. The Director manages a team of institutional Relationship Managers and partners closely with client teams across business units to ensure service delivery excellence to all clients. The Director is chiefly responsible for all aspects of the client relationship, and delivers on the segment strategy and value proposition to achieve corporate goals.
Responsibilities:
- Provides leadership, coaching, and mentoring for a team of Relationship Managers, under the direction of the Managing Director.
- Defines, with the Managing Director, the differentiated value proposition and manages an assigned book of business in a way that distinctively showcases the leadership position of TIAA-CREF
- Evaluates the strategic importance and potential of largest accounts internally
- Formulates/implements institutional relationship strategies that are consistent with the differentiated value proposition and overall business objectives
- Allocates resources appropriate to the relational mix
- Provides leadership in the delivery of services to our largest and most complex clients
- Builds relationships with key executives including President, Provost/CFO/HR
- Develops in-depth understanding of the client's needs
- Develops strategic plans with clients to meet long term objectives
- Leverages relationships to create additional business development opportunities
- Drives targeted business development efforts across business functions and products
- Responsible for strategic deployment of all TIAA-CREF resources including IC's and Wealth Management, aligned to client needs
- Recommends and assists product management and marketing in the development of new products/services.
- Serves as registered principal for NASD compliance purposes
- Required to travel approximately 30% of time

- Minimum ten (10) years of related financial industry consultative sales and client relationship management experience with major clients.
- Master's Degree in Finance or Business preferred
- People management experience in the Financial Services Industry preferred
- Proven track record of managing key relationships and projects of a critical and complex nature
- Expert knowledge of the financial markets, products and services
- Expert relationship development and team building skills, including the ability to work across the organization, both horizontally and vertically
- Demonstrated business development skills
- Expert analytical, strategic/advisory skills and understanding of consulting skills
- Exceptional interpersonal and leadership skills. Ability to lead, coach, motivate and collaborate with associates at all levels throughout the organization
- Superior communication, negotiating, networking and listening skills
- Demonstrated innovation, business acumen, and understanding of the higher education marketplace
- Requires NASD Series 6, 63 and 26 registrations
- Requires resident state insurance license, and non-resident licenses for all states in which the Director will sell insurance products within six months of assuming position. Must be appointed as an agent by TIAA and T-C Life.