What are the responsibilities and job description for the Due Diligence Operations Manager position at Cetera Financial Group?
Job Description
The Due Diligence Operations Manager is responsible for the operational execution, governance, and continuous improvement of processes that support the firm’s product due diligence team. This role partners closely with Due Diligence,Risk, Compliance, Legal, Product Management, National Sales, the Trading Desk and Operations to ensure due diligence activities are performed in a consistent, timely, welldocumented, and regulatorready manner. The role focuses on operational discipline, workflow management, issue tracking, data integrity, and reporting—enabling riskbased product decisions while ensuring alignment with regulatory expectations (e.g., FINRA, SEC) and internal policies.
What You Will Do
About Us
ABOUT US
What We Give You In Return
Not many teams can say that they support people’s dreams coming to life… We happen to do that every day. And as important as we know your career is, we recognize that there’s a whole lot more to life. To ensure that our Employees can make the most of their time outside of working hours, we offer a competitive salary and for full-time roles, a benefits package including:
Cetera Financial Group ® ("Cetera") is a leading network of independent retail broker-dealers empowering the delivery of objective financial advice to individuals, families and company retirement plans across the country through trusted financial advisors and financial institutions. Cetera is one of the largest independent financial advisor networks in the nation by number of advisors, as well as a leading provider of retail services to the investment programs of banks and credit unions.
Through its multiple distinct firms, Cetera offers independent and institutions-based advisors the benefits of a large, established broker-dealer and registered investment adviser, while serving advisors and institutions in a way that is customized to their needs and aspirations. Advisor support resources offered through Cetera include award-winning wealth management and advisory platforms, comprehensive broker-dealer and registered investment adviser services, practice management support, and innovative technology.
" Cetera Financial Group " refers to the network of independent retail firms encompassing, among others, Cetera Advisors LLC , Cetera Wealth Services LLC (f/k/a Cetera Advisor Networks), Cetera Investment Services LLC (marketed as Cetera Financial Institutions, or Cetera Investors . All firms are members FINRA/SIPC.
Cetera Financial Group is committed to providing an equal employment opportunity for all applicants and employees. For us, this is the only acceptable way to do business. Accordingly, all employment decisions at Cetera Financial Group, including those relating to hiring, promotion, transfers, benefits, compensation, and placement, will be made without regard to race, color, ancestry, national origin, citizenship, age, physical and/or mental disability, medical condition, pregnancy, genetic characteristics, religion, religious dress and/or grooming, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, marital status, U.S. military status, political affiliation, or any other class protected by state and/or federal law.
Agencies please note: this recruitment assignment is being managed directly by Cetera’s Talent Acquisition team. We will reach out to our preferred agency partners in the rare instance we require additional talent options. Your respect for this process is appreciated.
Please review our Workforce Privacy Policy for further details on what information we collect and the purposes for collection.
The Due Diligence Operations Manager is responsible for the operational execution, governance, and continuous improvement of processes that support the firm’s product due diligence team. This role partners closely with Due Diligence,Risk, Compliance, Legal, Product Management, National Sales, the Trading Desk and Operations to ensure due diligence activities are performed in a consistent, timely, welldocumented, and regulatorready manner. The role focuses on operational discipline, workflow management, issue tracking, data integrity, and reporting—enabling riskbased product decisions while ensuring alignment with regulatory expectations (e.g., FINRA, SEC) and internal policies.
What You Will Do
- Operational Oversight & Execution
- Own and manage end‑to‑end operational workflows supporting product due‑diligence reviews, approvals, renewals, and ongoing monitoring.
- Ensure due‑diligence processes are executed consistently in accordance with internal policies, supervisory procedures, and regulatory requirements.
- Coordinate intake, prioritization, and tracking of new product requests and material product changes.
- Maintain operational readiness for audits, exams, and internal reviews by ensuring documentation, evidence, and approvals are complete and accessible.
- Identify opportunities to streamline workflows, improve cycle times, and enhance transparency across due‑diligence activities.
- Develop, maintain, and enhance standard operating procedures (SOPs), controls, and operational playbooks.
- Partner with stakeholders to implement scalable solutions as product complexity, volume, or regulatory expectations evolve.
- Support technology enablement efforts, including workflow tools, data repositories, and reporting platforms.
- Review and respond to requests regarding product agreements/availability from auditors (both internal and external) and regulators
- Support the firm’s product governance framework by ensuring appropriate escalation, issue tracking, and decision documentation.
- Monitor adherence to service‑level expectations, internal controls, and risk‑based review standards.
- Track and report operational risks, process gaps, and remediation efforts related to product due diligence.
- Partner with Compliance and Legal to ensure regulatory interpretations are operationalized effectively.
- Help manage the pipeline of requested product approvals.
- Manage the publication of Cetera’s approved product lists
- Develop and maintain dashboards, KPIs, and management reporting related to due‑diligence volume, turnaround times, exceptions, and trends.
- Provide clear, concise reporting to Risk & Compliance leadership and governance committees.
- Use data and insights to inform capacity planning, prioritization, and continuous improvement efforts.
- Process Design & Continuous Improvement
- Identify opportunities to streamline workflows, improve cycle times, and enhance transparency across due‑diligence activities.
- Develop, maintain, and enhance standard operating procedures (SOPs), controls, and operational playbooks.
- Partner with stakeholders to implement scalable solutions as product complexity, volume, or regulatory expectations evolve.
- Support technology enablement efforts, including workflow tools, data repositories, and reporting platforms.
- Risk, Governance & Controls
- Review and respond to requests regarding product agreements/availability from auditors (both internal and external) and regulators
- Support the firm’s product governance framework by ensuring appropriate escalation, issue tracking, and decision documentation.
- Monitor adherence to service‑level expectations, internal controls, and risk‑based review standards.
- Track and report operational risks, process gaps, and remediation efforts related to product due diligence.
- Partner with Compliance and Legal to ensure regulatory interpretations are operationalized effectively.
- Help manage the pipeline of requested product approvals.
- Reporting & Metrics
- Manage the publication of Cetera’s approved product lists
- Develop and maintain dashboards, KPIs, and management reporting related to due‑diligence volume, turnaround times, exceptions, and trends.
- Provide clear, concise reporting to Risk & Compliance leadership and governance committees.
- Use data and insights to inform capacity planning, prioritization, and continuous improvement efforts.
- Cross‑Functional Collaboration
- Act as a key operational liaison between Product Due Diligence, Compliance, Risk, Legal, Product, Operations, and Technology teams.
- Work with Cetera IT to troubleshoot any issue with data feeds that share approved product information to AdviceWorks (our internal website) and to our approved custodians
- Assist recruiting team in researching whether older products were approved by Cetera or if we have a servicing agreement, and determining if products can be transferred/held at Cetera.
- Facilitate alignment across stakeholders to support informed product decisions while balancing risk, compliance, and business needs.
- Support governance forums, committees, and working groups as needed.
- Manage the AI Insight training and education system for alternative investments.
- Respond to general department inquiries, as needed.
- Prepare product activation notices for approved products
- Maintain documentation related to product compensation and interface with commission/operations teams to provide necessary information.
- Bachelor's degree in finance or a related field or equivalent.
- Minimum of 5 years of due diligence experience in a broker-dealer.
- Operational Excellence: Strong ability to design, execute, optimize complex workflows, manage high volumes under tight deadlines.
- Risk & Control Mindset: Comfort operating within a highly regulated, risk ‑ based environment.
- Stakeholder Influence: Ability to partner effectively across functions without direct authority.
- Analytical & Detail ‑ Oriented: Strong attention to accuracy, documentation, and data integrity.
- Communication: Clear, concise communicator capable of translating complex issues for diverse audiences.
- Change Leadership: Able to drive improvement while balancing speed, quality, and compliance.
- Salesforce experience preferred
- FINRA registrations, risk/compliance credentials preferred
About Us
ABOUT US
What We Give You In Return
Not many teams can say that they support people’s dreams coming to life… We happen to do that every day. And as important as we know your career is, we recognize that there’s a whole lot more to life. To ensure that our Employees can make the most of their time outside of working hours, we offer a competitive salary and for full-time roles, a benefits package including:
- Inclusive health, dental, vision and life insurance plans built to support diverse lifestyles, offer preventative care, and protect against hardship.
- Easy access to mental health benefits to meet our team members and their families where they are.
- 20 plus days of paid time off (PTO), paid holidays, and 2 paid wellness days to give our employees the time they need to stay close with their loved ones, recharge, and give back to their communities.
- 401(k) Savings plan with a generous company contribution (up to 5%), and access to a financial professional to offer our employees the opportunity to plan-ahead for a strong financial future well beyond their working years.
- Paid parental leave to support all team members with birth, adoption, and foster.
- Health Savings and Flexible Spending Account options to help you save money on healthcare, daycare, commuting, and more.
- Employee Assistance Program (EAP), LifeLock, Pet Insurance and more.
Cetera Financial Group ® ("Cetera") is a leading network of independent retail broker-dealers empowering the delivery of objective financial advice to individuals, families and company retirement plans across the country through trusted financial advisors and financial institutions. Cetera is one of the largest independent financial advisor networks in the nation by number of advisors, as well as a leading provider of retail services to the investment programs of banks and credit unions.
Through its multiple distinct firms, Cetera offers independent and institutions-based advisors the benefits of a large, established broker-dealer and registered investment adviser, while serving advisors and institutions in a way that is customized to their needs and aspirations. Advisor support resources offered through Cetera include award-winning wealth management and advisory platforms, comprehensive broker-dealer and registered investment adviser services, practice management support, and innovative technology.
" Cetera Financial Group " refers to the network of independent retail firms encompassing, among others, Cetera Advisors LLC , Cetera Wealth Services LLC (f/k/a Cetera Advisor Networks), Cetera Investment Services LLC (marketed as Cetera Financial Institutions, or Cetera Investors . All firms are members FINRA/SIPC.
Cetera Financial Group is committed to providing an equal employment opportunity for all applicants and employees. For us, this is the only acceptable way to do business. Accordingly, all employment decisions at Cetera Financial Group, including those relating to hiring, promotion, transfers, benefits, compensation, and placement, will be made without regard to race, color, ancestry, national origin, citizenship, age, physical and/or mental disability, medical condition, pregnancy, genetic characteristics, religion, religious dress and/or grooming, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, marital status, U.S. military status, political affiliation, or any other class protected by state and/or federal law.
Agencies please note: this recruitment assignment is being managed directly by Cetera’s Talent Acquisition team. We will reach out to our preferred agency partners in the rare instance we require additional talent options. Your respect for this process is appreciated.
Please review our Workforce Privacy Policy for further details on what information we collect and the purposes for collection.