Onboarding Specialist

Who we are:

Sequoia Financial Group is a growing Registered Investment Advisor (RIA), headquartered in Northeast Ohio, offering financial planning and wealth management services. At Sequoia, we exist with a singular purpose: to enrich lives. Our values define how we behave and guide us through the pursuit of our purpose to enrich lives. At Sequoia, our core values are:

• Integrity. We act in the best interests of others by providing an honest, consistent experience for our clients and team. 
• Passion. We pursue our full potential, seeking to continually enhance and evolve our ability to serve  our clients and team.
• Teamwork. We subordinate our egos to work together for the benefit of our clients. 

Our promise to team members is that you will grow with us. From experienced advisors to new college grads to transitioning principals, every team member will find Sequoia a place to refine their professional mission, move into new opportunities, go deeper, and lead further. We are built to help you build a career here as a long-term contributor in our work to enrich lives for generations.

Position Summary:

We are seeking a proactive, detail-oriented Onboarding Specialist to serve as the primary coordinator of the prospect-to-client experience. This role is responsible for guiding prospective clients through the onboarding journey, ensuring a seamless transition from initial engagement through account opening and successful handoff to the long-term service team.

The Onboarding Specialist acts as the central point of coordination between advisors, prospects, custodians, and internal operational teams to deliver a timely, accurate, and exceptional onboarding experience. Through strong project management, communication, and follow-up, this individual plays a critical role in converting prospects into clients while reinforcing Sequoia's commitment to service excellence.

Key Responsibilities

Prospect & Onboarding Experience Management

• Serve as the primary point of contact for prospects throughout the onboarding process.
• Guide prospective clients through onboarding requirements, timelines, and next steps.
• Create a positive and professional onboarding experience that reflects Sequoia's service standards.
• Proactively communicate status updates and expectations to prospects and advisors.
• Identify and resolve onboarding obstacles to ensure a smooth client transition.

Onboarding Process Ownership

• Accountable for the end-to-end onboarding experience from prospect engagement through successful account establishment.
• Coordinate account opening, transfer, and funding activities across internal teams and custodians.
• Gather, organize, and track required documentation and information needed for onboarding.
• Monitor account opening and transfer progress, ensuring timely completion of all onboarding activities.
• Maintain detailed records and workflow updates within Salesforce and other internal systems.
• Ensure adherence to firm policies, regulatory requirements, and operational procedures.

Internal Coordination & Relationship Management

• Act as the liaison between Centers of Excellence, advisors, prospects, custodians, and operations teams to ensure a seamless onboarding experience.
• Facilitate regular communication regarding onboarding progress, outstanding requirements, and next steps.
• Coordinate the successful transition of newly onboarded clients to their ongoing service team.

Custodian & Referral Network Expertise

• Develop and maintain expertise in custodian onboarding processes and requirements.
• Understand and support custodian-specific processes for Schwab and Fidelity referral programs, including SAN and WAS relationships.
• Ensure onboarding activities are completed accurately and efficiently according to custodian requirements.
•  Assist in the preparation of proposals for prospective clients, ensuring accuracy and completeness

Required Skills & Experience

• Minimum of 2 years of experience in a project coordination, administrative, operations, or client service role requiring strong attention to detail and organization.
• At least 2 years of customer service or client-facing experience.
• Strong organizational, time management, and follow-up skills.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and deadlines in a fast-paced environment.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Strong problem-solving skills and ability to work independently.

Preferred Skills & Experience

• Experience within financial services, wealth management, banking, or a related industry.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Outlook, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
• Experience with Salesforce or other CRM systems.
• Experience managing workflows, projects, or onboarding processes.
• Familiarity with account opening and transfer processes is preferred.

Competencies

• Client-focused mindset
• Strong attention to detail
• Organization and prioritization
• Effective communication and follow-up
• Relationship building and collaboration
• Accountability and ownership
• Adaptability and flexibility
• Problem-solving and critical thinking
• Ability to thrive in a dynamic, fast-paced environment

Work Authorization & Sponsorship:
Applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States on a full-time basis without requiring employer sponsorship to commence or continue employment at any point in time. Unfortunately, we are not able to provide sponsorship.

EEO Statement:
At Sequoia, we value and respect differences in our workforce. We actively encourage everyone to apply. Sequoia 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, genetics, disability, age, veteran status or any other characteristic protected by law.

Working Conditions:
Frequent minimal physical effort such as sitting, prolonged periods working on a computer, standing and walking is required for this role. Depending on location, occasional moving and lifting light equipment and/or furniture may be required. This role may require occasional travel, including travel to client sites, company offices, or industry events, as needed.

Employer Rights:
This job description does not list all of the job duties of the job. You may be asked by your supervisors or managers to perform other duties. You may be evaluated in part based upon your performance of the tasks listed in this job description. The employer has the right to revise this job description at any time. This job description is not a contract for employment and either you or the employer may terminate your employment at any time for any reason.