Director of Investment Research

Description

Larson Financial Holdings, LLC, is seeking a Director of Investment Research to lead and scale the operational and strategic functions of our rapidly growing RIA platform. This individual will oversee investment research, portfolio construction, risk management, market strategy, and advisor facing initiatives. 

We are looking for someone who can build macroeconomic frameworks, manage factor-based risk programs, and communicate complex strategies clearly to advisors and clients, while driving operational excellence across a multi-strategy investment platform. 

This is a senior leadership role for a dynamic, analytically rigorous professional who can both vision-cast and execute - someone who has built investment research from the ground up and is energized by the challenge of scaling it further. 

Key Responsibilities 

Investment Research & Macro Strategy 

• Lead all macroeconomic research, including development and maintenance of proprietary nowcasting models, heatmaps, and cyclical forecasts to inform tactical asset allocation decisions. 
• Build and manage a comprehensive risk management program using factor analysis, tracking-error volatility, and portfolio optimization frameworks. 
• Author regular market commentary, including weekly or monthly updates delivered firm-wide to advisors and OCIO clients. 
• Partner directly with firm leadership on multi-asset allocation decisions and investment policy. 

Investment Management & Portfolio Oversight 

• Oversee strategic and tactical asset allocation across the investment platform spanning equities, fixed income, and alternatives. 
• Manage and continuously improve a suite of strategic, income, factor, and individual stock models. 
• Oversee held-away asset integration and monitoring. 
• Supervise and optimize the firm's options overlay program. 
• Drive performance against benchmark with disciplined tracking error management. 

Advisor & Client Engagement 

• Serve as a trusted investment resource for advisors, delivering in-depth portfolio analysis and participating in face-to-face meetings with high-net-worth clients. 
• Produce and contribute to market commentary and thought leadership content, positioning the firm as an authoritative voice on economic and market trends. 
• Collaborate with marketing to develop investment-related materials for both client and advisor use. 
• Assist advisors with analytical requests, including portfolio reviews, model comparisons, and ad hoc research. 

Team & Platform Development 

• Build, mentor, and lead the investment research team; foster a culture of analytical rigor and continuous improvement. 
• Research, implement, and optimize portfolio management and analytics tools (Orion, Bloomberg, Y-Charts, FactSet, etc.). 
• Partner with leadership to develop and expand proprietary investment programs and reporting infrastructure. 
• Drive innovation in internal systems, investment solutions, and data-driven decision-making. 

Requirements

Experience 

• Proven leadership experience managing investment operations at a mid-sized RIA, including direct responsibility for AUM across multiple strategies and hundreds of accounts. 
• Direct experience working with independent financial advisors, including analytical support and client-facing engagements. 
• Strong track record building and managing asset allocation strategies — strategic, tactical, factor-based, and income-oriented. 
• Demonstrated success scaling investment programs and growing AUM through research-driven investment excellence and strategic initiatives. 
• Experience building macroeconomic frameworks, including proprietary models that translate economic data into actionable portfolio positioning. 

Technical Skills 

• Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel; experience with quantitative programming (preferred) for economic modeling, data analysis, and portfolio analytics. 
• Hands-on experience with portfolio management and analytics platforms: Orion, Black Diamond, Koyfin, Y-Charts, Kwanti, or similar. 
• Familiarity with Schwab or comparable custodial platforms. 
• Bloomberg or FactSet experience is highly advantageous. 
• Experience with data visualization tools (Tableau or similar) is a plus. 

Credentials & Education 

• Bachelor's degree in Finance, Economics, or a related quantitative field required; advanced degree (MS, MBA) is a meaningful differentiator. 
• Series 65 (or equivalent) required. 

Ideal Candidate Profile 

We are looking for someone who has experience building. Specifically, the ideal candidate: 

• Has built quantitative macroeconomic models from scratch and deployed them in live portfolio management. 
• Thinks in factors, tracks tracking error, and has driven meaningful outperformance against benchmark with disciplined risk budgeting. 
• Is a credentialed expert across investment domains: equities, fixed income, risk management, and alternatives. 
• Communicates with the clarity of a trusted advisor — able to take a 22-variable Python model and explain its implications on a client call. 
• Is an entrepreneurial, growth-minded leader with strong drive and initiative — equally at home building a team and doing the work themselves. 
• Brings intellectual curiosity, published or distributed market views, and a genuine passion for markets. 
• Is adept at both high-level strategy and hands-on problem-solving; does not require hand-holding to execute. 

Why Join Larson Financial Holdings 

This is an opportunity to step into a leadership role at a fast-growing RIA platform where your expertise and vision will directly shape the firm's trajectory. You'll have the resources of an established organization combined with the agility to build forward-looking, proprietary investment solutions — and a leadership team that values quantitative depth, intellectual rigor, and genuine ownership.

Larson offers a generous employee benefits & perks package:

• Profit Sharing Bonus Program
• 401(k) Employer Match up to 4%
• Medical Insurance (HDHP HSA plans are 100% paid for the employee)
• ER PD Telehealth
• Dental Insurance
• Vision Insurance
• ER PD Life, Disability & EAP Insurance
• Supplemental Insurance
• Paid time Off (112 hours after 90 days)
• Holiday Pay (12 Holidays)
• Training & Education
• ER Events, Awards, Activities