VP, Distribution and Service – Investment Advisory

Why USAA?

At USAA, our mission is to empower our members to achieve financial security through highly competitive products, exceptional service and trusted advice. We seek to be the #1 choice for the military community and their families.

Embrace a fulfilling career at USAA, where our core values – honesty, integrity, loyalty and service – define how we treat each other and our members. Be part of what truly makes us special and impactful.

We are proud to support active-duty military spouses. USAA roles may offer remote or hybrid flexibility for active-duty military spouses consistent with applicable policy and business needs.

The Opportunity

Reporting directly to the Senior Vice President & General Manager, Investment Advisory, the Vice President, Distribution and Service of Investment Advisory will provide executive leadership and strategic direction for the newly created direct-to-member distribution and service organization. This leader will be responsible for building and leading a team to develop and optimize a seamless, digital-first experience encompassing robo-advisory, managed accounts, financial planning tools, and personalized advice. They will play an integral part in the development of the strategy and the creation of this business, recruiting member-obsessed advisors to the team. This leader will lead and drive growth, market-competitive delivery, and marketing integration in the direct channel, while prioritizing member service satisfaction. The VP will develop and implement strategic and operational plans to enhance member acquisition, deepen relationships, deliver exceptional service, and ensure a consistent, world-class member experience for investment products and referrals for life insurance, health, and annuities. In addition, this executive will partner with key business partners (i.e. Marketing, Digital, Technology, Property & Casualty (P&C) and Bank lines of business) to ensure a leading distribution experience and achieve sales and service objectives.

Responsibilities:

• Spearhead the creation and implementation of a comprehensive Investment Advisor Distribution and Service Model for the developing Investment line of business, encompassing the strategic design and execution of the operating and organizational structure, teaming model, and compensation framework, while also leading the recruitment and onboarding of key leadership and advisory talent to drive a unified "One-USAA" approach to member financial planning and advice across all lines of business (Life Company, P&C, and Bank) to ensure seamless member interactions and service delivery.
• Develop and execute a comprehensive direct channel strategy for service and distribution, to accelerate growth and enhance member satisfaction.
• Monitor and analyze key performance indicators (KPIs) for sales, service, member acquisition, deepening, and retention; identify improvement areas and provide data-driven recommendations.
• Champion a digital-first, advisor-supported service delivery model, integrating virtual, digital, and phone channels for onboarding, nurturing, and member experience to drive retention, revenue growth, and organic member acquisition.
• Oversee distribution initiatives aligned with the member value proposition, leveraging real-time market intelligence from all channels to inform marketing and sales strategies. Resolve system and process gaps and collaborate with Product Management to deliver competitive products and services.
• Establish and manage strategic relationships with external distribution partners as needed (e.g., technology vendors) to ensure seamless integration and optimal performance.
• Partner with the Product Management and Member Value organizations to help create, maintain and deliver integrated advice offerings.
• Lead the execution of business transformation and innovation initiatives for USAA’s distribution and service strategy, aligning with overarching USAA business objectives.
• Define and implement talent development strategies for direct distribution teams, focusing on identifying, developing, and retaining individuals with strong sales and service capabilities.
• Build and lead a high-performing team through effective recruiting, development, coaching, performance management, and retention strategies.
• Lead the development, maintenance, testing, and monitoring of internal controls, including information systems and preventative and detective controls, to effectively manage material risks.
• Ensure risks associated with business activities are effectively identified, measured, monitored, and controlled in accordance with risk and compliance policies and procedures.

USAA is seeking a senior, “leader of leaders” executive to build and scale USAA’s Investment Advisory distribution and service capability into a destination wealth offering, shifting the business from an accommodation product to a primary channel for member acquisition and relationship deepening. This leader will bring deep experience from scaled, direct-to-client wealth platforms, with a strong orientation toward an RIA-like model that emphasizes advice, planning, and client outcomes over product manufacturing. They should have experience navigating a complex and evolving regulatory landscape, and positioning the business to compete effectively across the mass affluent through high-net-worth segments. Critically, this individual is able to combine strategic vision with operational rigor, owning the development of a digital-first, advisor-supported model that integrates self-directed brokerage with tiered advice offerings and delivers a seamless, high-quality member experience across channels.

Equally important, this executive will be a builder and culture-setter, tasked with standing up and scaling a high-performing organization from the ground up, growing an initial team of about 45 to 100+ over time. They will bring a track record of leading large, licensed advisor teams within contact center and hybrid environments, with the ability to attract, develop, and align talent across advisors, planners (CFPs), and emerging leaders. This leader understands how to establish the operating model, leadership bench, and compensation structures necessary to drive performance, engagement, and consistency, while partnering closely with product, digital, marketing, and risk stakeholders to deliver a one-firm experience. The ideal candidate is both strategic and hands-on, capable of setting the vision while building the infrastructure, processes, and leadership team required to bring it to life, and energized by the opportunity to create a scaled wealth platform from inception.

Education and Additional Experience:

• 10 years of progressive experience developing and implementing successful distribution strategies across direct and/or omnichannel models within a complex matrix environment is required.
• 8 years of people leadership experience in building, managing and/or developing high-performing teams required.
• Proven ability to drive market differentiation, lead with a design-thinking approach, deliver member value, and leverage market and member insights.
• Deep understanding of distribution economics, channel mix optimization, and member needs to maximize effectiveness.
• Extensive financial acumen, including P&L ownership, KPI management, budgeting, and forecasting experience.
• Comprehensive knowledge of life, annuity, and investment product management, with a proven ability to collaborate with product development teams to align distribution strategies.
• Demonstrated experience in managing in-force books of business using a data-driven approach to drive member retention and deepening across the product portfolio.
• Exceptional problem-solving skills, with adaptability and resilience in tackling operational challenges.
• Proven ability to collaborate with key stakeholders at all levels, influence decisions, and manage work to achieve strategic goals.
• Exceptional communication, presentation, and interpersonal skills, with a demonstrated ability to articulate product vision and roadmaps to diverse audiences and gain stakeholder buy-in.
• Extensive experience collaborating with business partners and key stakeholders at all levels, influencing decisions, and managing work to achieve strategic goals.
• Experience in identifying and mitigating regulatory risks associated with investment products including an understanding of key investment industry guidelines and regulations. Proven ability to ensure product development and ongoing operations are compliant with applicable regulations.
• Successfully acquire FINRA Series 7, 66 (or 65 & 63) and FINRA Series 24 licenses within 120 days of hire. The FINRA Securities Industry Essentials Exam (SIE) may be required as a prerequisite to the FINRA Series 7 exam, if not already acquired. Additional securities exams may be warranted based on role and responsibilities.
• Bachelor’s degree; OR 4 years of related experience (in addition to the minimum years of experience required) may be substituted in lieu of degree.

In terms of the performance and personal competencies required for the position, we would highlight the following:

Setting Strategy

• The ability to create and articulate an inspiring vision for USAA, not only for the areas they are directly responsible for, but the enterprise as a whole.
• The inclination to seek and analyze data from a variety of sources to support decisions and to align others with USAA’s overall strategy.
• An entrepreneurial and creative approach to developing new, innovative ideas that will stretch USAA and push the boundaries within the industry.
• The ability to effectively balance the desire/need for broad change with an understanding of how much change USAA is capable of handling, to create realistic goals and implementation plans that are achievable and successful.

Executing for Results

• The ability to set clear and challenging goals while committing USAA to improved performance; tenacious and accountable in driving results.
• Comfortable with ambiguity and uncertainty; the ability to adapt nimbly and lead others through complex situations.
• A risk-taker who seeks data and input from others to foresee possible threats or unintended circumstances from decisions; someone who takes smart risks.
• A leader who is viewed by others as having a high degree of integrity and forethought in their approach to making decisions; the ability to act in a transparent and consistent manner while always taking into account what is best for USAA.

Leading Teams

• The ability to attract and recruit top talent, motivate the team, delegate effectively, celebrate diversity within the team, and manage performance; widely viewed as a strong developer of others.
• The ability to persevere in the face of challenges, and exhibit a steadfast resolve and relentless commitment to higher standards, which commands respect from followers.
• A leader who is self-reflective and aware of their own limitations; leads by example and drives USAA’s performance with an attitude of continuous improvement by being open to feedback and self-improvement.

Relationships and Influence

• Naturally connects and builds strong relationships with others, demonstrating strong emotional intelligence and an ability to communicate clearly and persuasively.
• An ability to inspire trust and followership in others through compelling influence, powerful charisma, passion in their beliefs, and active drive.
• Encourages others to share the spotlight and visibly celebrates and supports the success of the team.
• Creates a sense of purpose/meaning for the team that generates followership beyond their own personality and engages others to the greater purpose for USAA as a whole.

Driving Sustainability

• Firmly believes that both sustainability and profit are in USAA’s best long-term interest.
• Integrates economic, societal, and environmental factors into a purpose-driven strategy, turning sustainability into a competitive advantage.
• Understands and incorporates viewpoints from all key stakeholders to drive decision making and share the benefits.
• Delivers breakthrough innovations and business models that create value for all stakeholders, continually challenging traditional approaches.
• Sets audacious business and sustainability goals, driving concerted action and investments, and stays the course in the face of setbacks or push-back from short-term oriented stakeholders.

Compensation: USAA has an effective process for assessing market data and establishing ranges to ensure we remain competitive. You are paid within the salary range based on your experience and market data of the position.

Employees may be eligible for pay incentives based on overall corporate and individual performance and at the discretion of the USAA Board of Directors.

The above description reflects the details considered necessary to describe the principal functions of the job and should not be construed as a detailed description of all the work requirements that may be performed in the job.

Long Term Incentive Plan: Cash payment for Executive level roles only, representing a cash payment which is both time and performance based.

Benefits: At USAA our employees enjoy best-in-class benefits to support their physical, financial, and emotional wellness. These benefits include comprehensive medical, dental and vision plans, 401(k), pension, life insurance, parental benefits, adoption assistance, paid time off program with paid holidays plus 16 paid volunteer hours, and various wellness programs. Additionally, our career path planning and continuing education assists employees with their professional goals.

For more details on our outstanding benefits, visit our benefits page on USAAjobs.com.

Applications for this position are accepted on an ongoing basis, this posting will remain open until the position is filled. Thus, interested candidates are encouraged to apply the same day they view this posting.

USAA is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or status as a protected veteran.