Strategic Partnership Director

AI overview

Lead the development of AJ Bell's national strategy, building long-term partnerships and overseeing key strategic initiatives to drive sustainable growth in investment solutions.

AJ Bell is looking for a senior, commercially driven leader to shape and deliver our national strategy across National Adviser Groups, Networks and Consolidators.

This is a high impact, enterprise level role. You will lead how AJ Bell penetrates, positions and grows across the UK’s most strategically important intermediary segments, accelerating sustainable growth across platform, custody and investment solutions.

You will act as AJ Bell’s senior representative to national firms, building long term partnerships with executive stakeholders and aligning internal Product, Proposition, Marketing, Operations and Distribution teams behind a single, unified national strategy.

Key accountabilities include:

  • Ownership of the UK-wide national strategy across Nationals, Networks and Consolidators, accelerating penetration of F&SS, Custody Solutions and AJ Bell Investments
  • Strategic leadership of AJ Bell Investcentre positioning within national and consolidator segments, ensuring propositions are embedded, differentiated and commercially aligned
  • Development of long-term joint business plans and partnership frameworks that translate insight into measurable growth
  • Executive oversight of asset flows, trading performance and retention trends, with decisive intervention where required
  • Utilisation of MI, CRM discipline and external intelligence tools such as Finscape and FE to maximise firm-level penetration and commercial leverage
  • Alignment of Product, Proposition, Marketing, Operations and Distribution behind a single coordinated national approach
  • Senior representation of AJ Bell at board-level engagements, national forums and industry events
  • Oversight of conduct, regulatory alignment and Consumer Duty considerations across all national channel activity

What we’re looking for

  • Extensive senior level experience in IFA facing sales, strategic business development or national accounts leadership
  • A strong track record of influencing large adviser firms, consolidators and networks
  • Proven commercial success across platform, custody, SIPP or investment distribution
  • Established senior relationships across UK intermediary markets
  • Deep understanding of the advised platform and investment market, including regulatory and distribution dynamics
  • Strong strategic planning capability and experience leading across multiple stakeholders
  • Exceptional influencing, negotiation and executive level relationship skills
  • High standards of governance, conduct and risk awareness
  • Excellent presentation and public speaking capability
  • Diploma in Regulated Financial Planning (Level 4) or equivalent is desirable.

About us: 

AJ Bell is one of the fastest-growing investment platform businesses in the UK offering an award-winning range of solutions that caters for everyone, from professional financial advisers to DIY investors with little to no experience. We have over 644,000 customers using our award-winning platform propositions to manage assets totalling more than £103.3 billion. Our customers trust us with their investments, and by continuously striving to make investing easier, we aim to help even more people take control of their financial futures.

Having listed on the Main Market of the London Stock Exchange in December 2018, AJ Bell is now a FTSE 250 company.

Headquartered in Manchester with offices in central London and Bristol, we now have over 1,500 employees and have been named one of the UK's 'Best 100 Companies to Work For’ for six consecutive years and in 2025 named a Great Place to Work®.

At AJ Bell you can expect a friendly working environment with a strong sense of teamwork, we have a great sense of pride in what we do, and this is reflected in our guiding principles.

Our perks and benefits

  • Starting holiday entitlement of 28 days, increasing up to 31 days with length of service plus a holiday buy and sell scheme
  • A choice of pension schemes with matched contributions up to 8%
  • Discretionary bonus scheme
  • Buy As You Earn (BAYE) Scheme
  • PMI
  • Health Cash Plan – provided by SimplyHealth
  • Discounted private healthcare scheme and dental plan
  • Free gym membership
  • Employee Assistance Programme
  • Bike loan scheme
  • Sick pay+ pledge
  • Enhanced maternity, paternity, and shared parental leave
  • Loans for travel season tickets
  • Death in service scheme
  • Paid time off for volunteer work
  • Charitable giving opportunities through salary sacrifice
  • Calendar of social events, including monthly payday drinks, annual Christmas party, summer party and much more
  • Ongoing technical training
  • Professional qualification support
  • Talent development programmes
  • Peer recognition scheme, with rewards including restaurant and shopping vouchers or time off
  • Monthly leadership breakfasts and lunches
  • Casual dress code
  • Access to a range of benefits from our sponsorship deals

Hybrid working

At AJ Bell, our people are the heart of our culture. We believe in building strong connections by working together. That's why we offer a hybrid working model, where you’ll spend a minimum of 50% of your working time per month in the Manchester office. For new team members, an initial period will be full-time in the office to help you immerse yourself in our business and build valuable relationships with your colleagues.

AJ Bell is committed to providing an environment of mutual respect where equal employment opportunities are available to all applicants and all employees are empowered to bring their whole self to work.

We do not discriminate on the basis of race, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, pregnancy, religion, physical and mental disability, marital status and any other characteristics protected by the Equality Act 2010. All decisions to hire are based on qualifications, merit and business need.

If you like the sound of the above, or just want to know more about the company and the role, we'd love to speak to you.

 

Perks & Benefits Extracted with AI

  • Flexible Work Hours: Casual dress code
  • Health Insurance: Health Cash Plan – provided by SimplyHealth
  • Learning Budget: Ongoing technical training and Professional qualification support.
  • Peer recognition rewards: Peer recognition scheme, with rewards including restaurant and shopping vouchers or time off
  • Paid Time Off: Starting holiday entitlement of 28 days, increasing up to 31 days with length of service plus a holiday buy and sell scheme

We're now recruiting a Head of Customer Marketing (D2C) to be responsible for the acquisition, engagement and analysis of customers across the AJ Bell retail platform, taking ownership for the deployment of the company’s acquisition strategy, with a lens on delivering excellent customer outcomes and marketing budget. Working directly with the Head of Brand and Marketing Director, the role requires an excellent understanding of brand, marketing and customer behaviours in a digital marketing environment. The position is a strategically senior role, leading the setting of acquisition budgets, communication with customers, deployment of marketing spend and analysis of customer data whilst providing leadership of the retail customer team.What does the job involve?Overall responsibility for creation and deployment of customer acquisition budgetsResponsibility for retail customer communications strategy, with a focus on giving clear and accurate informationLeadership of retail customer team.Deployment of marketing spend to achieve agreed customer acquisition and cross-sell targetsAnalysis of customer behaviour trends, including presentations to executive management and BoardOwnership of media buying agency relationshipOwnership of internal relations with Brand, Product, Strategic Partnerships and Strategic Planning & GovernanceInteraction with Strategic Partnerships on customer pricing and retention strategiesSupporting and enabling the business to deliver good outcomes for retail customers by helping achieve any regulatory requirements, including consumer duty.Key Responsibilities:Execution of customer acquisition strategy, in line with regulatory requirementsWorking with Brand to maximise new funded customer conversionsDelivery of customer communicationsManagement of customer marketing teamReporting and development of customer behaviour modelsParticipation in senior management function for D2C platformCreation and delivery of MI reports for areas of responsibilityAbout you:You'll have the ability to acquire customers effectively in a heavily regulated environmentExcellent knowledge of customer marketing techniques in a digital marketing settingStrong leadership skills and ability to drive results against agreed budget envelopesAbility to negotiate effectively with external partiesEffective management of internal relationships across both D2C and Advised platformsAbility to anticipate trends in customer needsExcellent statistical knowledge and ability to communicate complex data effectively.Strategic planning skillsAbout us:AJ Bell is one of the fastest-growing investment platform businesses in the UK offering an award-winning range of solutions that caters for everyone, from professional financial advisers, to DIY investors with little to no experience. We have over 484,000 customers using our award-winning platform propositions to manage assets totalling more than £76.2 billion. Our customers trust us with their investments, and by continuously striving to make investing easier, we aim to help even more people take control of their financial futures.Having listed on the Main Market of the London Stock Exchange in December 2018, AJ Bell is now a FTSE 250 company.Headquartered in Manchester with offices in central London and Bristol, we now have over 1300 employees and have been named one of the UK's 'Best 100 Companies to Work For’ for six consecutive years.What we offer:Starting salary of £90,000 - £110,000 (DOE)Generous holiday allowance increasing up to 31 days with service, plus bank holidaysHoliday buy/sell schemeHybrid working policyCasual dress codeDiscretionary bonusContributory pension schemeHealthcare Cash PlanBuy as you earn share schemeFree annual share schemePaid study support for qualificationsEnhanced maternity/paternity scheme from day oneBike loanSeason ticket loan portalDiscounted PMI and DentalFree gymPaid volunteering opportunities, free social events and moreAJ Bell is committed to providing an environment of mutual respect where equal employment opportunities are available to all applicants and all employees are empowered to bring their whole self to work.We do not discriminate on the basis of race, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, pregnancy, religion, physical and mental disability, marital status and any other characteristics protected by the Equality Act 2010. All decisions to hire are based on qualifications, merit and business need.

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