Head of Index Adoption

About the Role:

Grade Level (for internal use):

15

The Team:

Index Adoption helps our clients build, position, and grow the index-linked products they take to market.

The team brings together three functions under one leader. Index Investment Strategy produces the research, data, and commentary that investors, allocators, and financial intermediaries trust, and carries our voice through paid, owned, and earned media. Marketing builds interest in our indices through campaigns, content, events, and scaled engagement that reach our clients’ target audiences. The Client Solutions Group works alongside our clients' distribution teams and joins them in the field, turning interest into adoption and flows into S&P DJI-affiliated investable products.

This role will lead and influence highly cross-functional, globally oriented teams focused on building scalable market development programs, deepening stakeholder relationships, and elevating S&P DJI's external voice in passive investing and index innovation.

Responsibilities and Impact:

This role reports to the S&P DJI Chief Commercial Officer and serves as a member of the S&P DJI Commercial Leadership Team.

S&P Dow Jones Indices is seeking a strategic, commercially minded Head of Index Adoption to lead client partnership efforts that expand the reach, relevance, and adoption of S&P DJI index solutions across priority markets, client segments, and stakeholder ecosystems.

This leader oversees a global team of approximately 75+ professionals across Marketing, Index Investment Strategy, and the Client Solutions Group, including senior functional leaders reporting directly. The role partners across S&P DJI and S&P Global — closely with sales, product, and regional leadership — to bring the full weight of the firm behind shared commercial outcomes, operating at the intersection of commercial strategy, product commercialization, client engagement, and industry education.

Unify the Team Around Revenue

• Lead Marketing, Index Investment Strategy, and the Client Solutions Group as one team, aligned to shared revenue outcomes rather than three separate function scorecards.
• Own asset-linked fee revenue growth from flows and build a durable, repeatable ROI framework to measure and maximize success.
• Champion a culture of accountability and evidence-based decision-making, ensuring every market development initiative has a defined success metric tied to revenue.

Prove and Present the ROI Connection

• Translate scaled engagement, thought leadership, and client solutions investments into quantifiable revenue impact, using clear attribution models that link campaigns, research, and client engagement to revenue growth, and present this narrative confidently to senior leadership.
• Build and defend the business case for continued investment in Marketing, Index Investment Strategy, and Client Solutions by demonstrating a track record of ROI-positive outcomes, using data-driven storytelling that resonates with commercial leaders and other senior stakeholders.
• Proactively communicate wins (and lessons learned) to build sustained executive sponsorship and cross-functional buy-in.

Set and Execute Index Adoption Strategy

• Develop and execute global and regional market development strategies aligned with S&P DJI's commercial priorities, growth ambitions, and brand positioning.
• Identify priority markets, client segments, distribution channels, asset classes, and strategic themes to expand adoption of index-based investment solutions.
• Partner with sales, product, business intelligence, and other teams to translate market opportunities into actionable go-to-market plans.
• Create scalable market development frameworks, playbooks, engagement plans, and performance measures that can be adapted across regions.

Enable Client Distribution and Deepen Relationships

• Help our clients' distribution teams succeed by putting trusted research in their hands, coordinated scaled engagement, and standing alongside them in front of the investors, allocators, and financial intermediaries they serve.
• Build senior relationships with asset managers, wealth platforms, financial intermediaries, consultants, associations, and other ecosystem partners.

Elevate External Voice and Thought Leadership

• Serve as a senior external voice for S&P DJI on passive investing, index innovation, benchmarking, asset allocation, thematic investing, and market trends.
• Lead market education, thought leadership, client engagement, events, and partner initiatives that strengthen S&P DJI's visibility and influence.
• Sponsor the external media strategy and scale our broadcast and press presence, working closely with Corporate Communications.

Inform Strategy with Analytics

• Use analytics, market share analysis, competitor insights, regulatory developments, and client feedback to inform commercial priorities and strategy.
• Support product commercialization by identifying market opportunity, stakeholder readiness, adoption barriers, education needs, and launch strategies.

Drive Innovation and Lead the Organization

• Drive AI adoption across research, content, and commercial execution, and own the roadmap for it.
• Provide leadership in a global matrixed environment, influencing cross-functional teams and aligning stakeholders around shared market development priorities.
• Build and lead a high-performing global leadership team.

Compensation/Benefits Information: (This section is only applicable to US candidates)

S&P Global states that the anticipated base salary range for this position is $207,060 to $320,000. Final base salary for this role will be based on the individual’s geographic location, as well as experience level, skill set, training, licenses and certifications.

In addition to base compensation, this role is eligible for an annual incentive plan. This role is not eligible for additional compensation such as an annual incentive bonus or sales commission plan.

What We're Looking For:

Basic Required Qualifications

Location & Travel

This role is based in New York. Given the global, client-facing nature of this role, regular travel should be expected to support client meetings, industry events, and regional team engagement.

Background and Experience

• 15+ years of progressive experience developing and executing market growth, market development, or commercial strategies within financial services, asset management, index solutions, exchanges, ETFs, wealth management, institutional investing, or capital markets.
• Experience owning revenue or P&L targets, with direct accountability for commercial outcomes.
• Experience building B2B2B distribution models, with a clear grasp of how a component provider creates demand through a client's distribution force.
• Experience working across multiple geographies or leading region-specific market development initiatives in a global, matrixed environment.

Domain Expertise

• Deep understanding of passive investing, index construction, ETFs, benchmarks, asset allocation, institutional investment processes, and the broader index ecosystem.

Relationship-Building and Communication

• Proven ability to build trusted senior relationships with clients, exchanges, asset managers, ETF issuers, financial intermediaries, consultants, industry bodies, and associations as well as key internal stakeholders.
• Strong executive presence with experience representing an organization in client meetings, conferences, roundtables, webinars, and other public or senior-level forums.
• Excellent communication skills, including the ability to translate complex market and investment concepts into clear, persuasive narratives for varied audiences.

Analytical Rigor and ROI Accountability

• Analytical capability to interpret and act on market data, market share trends, investor behavior, competitor activity, and regional market dynamics.
• Strong judgment in aligning research output with commercial impact without compromising its credibility.
• Demonstrated ability to connect marketing and thought leadership to revenue and to defend that connection with evidence.
• Proven track record of securing senior leadership or Board-level buy-in for commercial investments by presenting clear, evidence-based ROI narratives.

Cross-Functional Influence and Leadership

• Demonstrated success influencing across commercial, product, research, marketing, communications, analytics, legal, compliance, and regional leadership teams.
• Fluency in applying AI to commercial and research workflows.
• Track record of building and leading high-performing teams.
• Experience leading teams directly or through a matrixed structure.

Right to Work Requirements:

This role is limited to persons with indefinite right to work in the United States.

We require all external candidates who reach the final stage of our interview process to attend at least one in-person interview, which is ordinarily at your nearest S&P Global office. This must be completed before we can proceed to an offer.

What’s In It For You?

Our Mission:

Advancing Essential Intelligence.

Our People:

We're more than 35,000 strong worldwide—so we're able to understand nuances while having a broad perspective. Our team is driven by curiosity and a shared belief that Essential Intelligence can help build a more prosperous future for us all.From finding new ways to measure sustainability to analyzing energy transition across the supply chain to building workflow solutions that make it easy to tap into insight and apply it. We are changing the way people see things and empowering them to make an impact on the world we live in. We’re committed to a more equitable future and to helping our customers find new, sustainable ways of doing business. Join us and help create the critical insights that truly make a difference.

Our Values:

Integrity, Discovery, Partnership

Throughout our history, the world's leading organizations have relied on us for the Essential Intelligence they need to make confident decisions about the road ahead. We start with a foundation of integrity in all we do, bring a spirit of discovery to our work, and collaborate in close partnership with each other and our customers to achieve shared goals.

Benefits:

We take care of you, so you can take care of business. We care about our people. That’s why we provide everything you—and your career—need to thrive at S&P Global.

Our benefits include: 

• Health & Wellness: Health care coverage designed for the mind and body.

• Flexible Downtime: Generous time off helps keep you energized for your time on.

• Continuous Learning: Access a wealth of resources to grow your career and learn valuable new skills.

• Invest in Your Future: Secure your financial future through competitive pay, retirement planning, a continuing education program with a company-matched student loan contribution, and financial wellness programs.

• Family Friendly Perks: It’s not just about you. S&P Global has perks for your partners and little ones, too, with some best-in class benefits for families.

• Beyond the Basics: From retail discounts to referral incentive awards—small perks can make a big difference.

For more information on benefits by country visit: https://spgbenefits.com/benefit-summaries

Global Hiring and Opportunity at S&P Global:

At S&P Global, we are committed to fostering a connected and engaged workplace where all individuals have access to opportunities based on their skills, experience, and contributions. Our hiring practices emphasize fairness, transparency, and merit, ensuring that we attract and retain top talent. By valuing different perspectives and promoting a culture of respect and collaboration, we drive innovation and power global markets.

Recruitment Fraud Alert:

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