Chief of Staff to Mrs. Soumya Rajan (Founder and CEO, Waterfield Advisors)

Waterfield Overview:

Waterfield Advisors is India’s leading Independent Multi-Family Office and Wealth Advisory Firm. Established in 2011, we advise on over USD 4.5 Billion of assets on behalf of several prominent Indian business families whom we serve from 6 offices in India.

Built on the fundamentals of trust, integrity, and transparency, Waterfield was one of the first boutique financial services firms, in the country, to introduce and pioneer the concept of investment advisory in wealth management.

Drawing from decades of experience in private banking, Soumya Rajan, Founder and CEO recognized the need for holistic services, to the UHNI community, which were without any conflict of interest. Thus, Waterfield Advisors was set up as India’s first pure financial advisory company taking on established banks and financial institutions that considered distribution as a norm in wealth management.

Description:

Waterfield is seeking an agile, thoughtful, and resilient early-career professional who is driven by the opportunity to contribute to the impact Waterfield seeks to make, and has long term aspirations to be a leader in the organisation. This person will work directly with the Founder and CEO on strategic and operational priorities, over a two-year period.

Goals and responsibilities

1. Leadership support. Your primary goal is to help the CEO, and thus, the organisation be more effective. In doing so, you will play a number of roles “as an air traffic controller for the leader and the senior team; as an integrator connecting work streams that would otherwise remain siloed; as a communicator linking the leadership team and the broader organization; as an honest broker and truth teller when the leader needs a wide-ranging view; and as a confidant without an organizational agenda,” as this HBR article puts it. This includes but is not limited to preparing and reviewing material for internal and external priorities, maintaining operational rhythms – moving agendas forward and anticipating and working through risks, as well as drafting well-articulated communications, often under significant time pressure. This is a demanding role.

2. Organisational effectiveness. Help incubate/ refine and run essential systems and processes for the firm and the MD, such as all-hands and leadership meetings, preparation of material for board meetings and internal and external communications. Support the fostering of the organisational culture. Sense and implement opportunities for process improvements.

3. Strategic initiatives. As you grow in the role, incubate and manage new, cross-functional initiatives and projects that emerge, working alongside the CEO or a leadership team member.

What you can gain from this role:

1. Leadership training

2. Experience in organisational growth and development, early in your career

3. Professional effectiveness, including skills such as nimbleness, managing multiple agendas, judgement, working under pressure, as well as communication and presence

4. Career opportunities

Desired candidate attributes:

There is no ideal candidate for this role. The role is in part defined by the characteristics, goals, and skills of the person. That being said, all great candidates should demonstrate:

· Values: alignment with Waterfield’s purpose, approach, and values (more information here)

· Character: agility, thoughtfulness, resilience, integrity

· Skills: ability to work well under pressure (this is a demanding role), top-notch communication skills (written and verbal), nimble implementation, structured problem-solving, management of multiple agendas, working with ambiguity.

This could come through 2-5 years of experience in either top-tier management consulting/ large business/ start-up/foundations / non-profit organizations.

Preferable: (1) Experience working directly with senior leadership; (2) Exposure to financial services industry and in particular wealth management, (3) Fluency in Microsoft Office.

An undergraduate or graduate degree in any area is eligible; strong academic achievement is helpful for the application.