Bluespring Wealth Partners (Bluespring) is part of Kestra Holdings, an industry-leading wealth management platform for independent financial professionals nationwide. Bluespring acquires successful, growing wealth management businesses from inside and outside of the Kestra Holdings ecosystem, promoting advisor autonomy and entrepreneurship while providing operation scale and efficiencies for its partner firms. Our advisor-focused culture is built on innovation and advocacy, enabling advisors to offer comprehensive securities and investment advisory solutions to their clients.
Lead with Purpose. Partner with Impact. The Head of Merger & Integration Management Office is responsible for leading and executing the integration of acquired financial advisory firms into Bluespring’s regional platforms. This role will oversee all aspects of mergers, sub-acquisitions, and post-merger integration, ensuring that financial, operational, cultural, and technological synergies are realized efficiently and effectively. The ideal candidate will have deep expertise in M&A integration, strong leadership skills, and the ability to collaborate cross-functionally to drive seamless transitions that enhance advisor and client experience.
What you’ll Do:
- Integration Strategy & Execution: Develop and execute comprehensive integration plans for acquisitions and sub-acquisitions, ensuring alignment with Bluespring’s growth objectives.
- Participate in due diligence and pre-merger planning to identify risks, synergies, and operational efficiencies. Lead post-merger integration activities, ensuring smooth transitions for people, processes, systems, and technology.
- Track and report on key integration milestones, financial performance, and synergy realization.
- M&A Leadership: Partner with corporate development and executive leadership to lead post-close integration efforts for mergers and sub-acquisitions. Ensure operational, cultural, and technological alignment across all entities.
- Stakeholder Management & Leadership: Act as the primary point of contact for integration efforts, coordinating with executives, functional leaders, and external advisors. Build and lead cross-functional integration teams, including Finance, HR, IT, Legal & Compliance, and Operations. Communicate integration progress, risks, and challenges to senior leadership and key stakeholders.
- Change Management & Cultural Alignment: Develop and implement strategies to ensure cultural alignment between merging entities. Establish communication and training programs to support employees through the transition. Address and resolve integration-related conflicts, ensuring a unified company culture.
- Process Optimization & Performance Measurement: Identify opportunities to streamline operations and optimize business processes post-merger. Establish metrics to measure integration success and ensure continuous improvement. Conduct post-integration reviews and apply learnings to future M&A activities.
What You Bring:
- Experience in Wealth Management and/or RIA industry in a growth-oriented role.
- Proven track record of successfully managing large-scale strategic initiatives or integrations in complex organizations.
- Strong leadership, project management, and problem-solving skills.
- Excellent communication and stakeholder management abilities.
- Experience in change management and cultural integration.
- Familiarity with legal frameworks, operational due diligence, and synergy modeling
- Will lead Office of Integration Management and cross-functional integration teams
- Bachelor’s degree required; MBA preferred.
- 10+ years of experience in wealth management, financial advisory services, or a related industry, with a strong track record of driving business transformation.
- 5+ years of M&A/Integration experience.
Key Performance Indicators (First 12 months)
- Successfully integrate all assigned acquisitions within agreed timelines and budgets.
- Achieve advisor retention rate of 95% or higher post-integration.
- Ensure 100% compliance with regulatory and fiduciary standards during integration.
- Deliver operational cost synergies as outlined in M&A business case.
- Implement standardized technology platforms across all integrated firms.
Disclosure By applying to a job at Kestra Financial, Inc., you are agreeing to the following statements:
- You acknowledge that if hired, Kestra Financial, Inc. may, obtain and use background information concerning your credit, character, general reputation, personal characteristics, work habits, performance and experience for evaluation for your potential employment.
- It is the policy of Kestra Financial to ensure equal employment opportunity without discrimination or harassment on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender, identity or expression, age, disability, marital status, citizenship, national origin, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by law. Kestra Financial prohibits any such discrimination or harassment.
