Strategic Relationship Manager

OPENING SUMMARY

Choreo is seeking an experienced Strategic Relationship Manager to serve as the owner of a portfolio of CPA firm partnerships. This person will work alongside lead advisors to strengthen partner engagement, translate relationship goals into coordinated action and ensure that commitments, follow-up and partner activity are managed with consistency and discipline. The lead advisor will continue to own relationship trust, senior CPA connectivity and client-facing opportunity development; the Strategic Relationship Manager will own the operating cadence, activation orchestration, CRM discipline and follow-through that allow those relationships to progress.

This is not a traditional sales, client service or networking role. It requires someone with experience owning complex institutional, strategic or enterprise relationships and understands that strong partnerships depend on both trust and execution.  The Strategic Relationship Manager will proactively identify opportunities to deepen engagement, anticipate risks and gaps, and step in decisively when friction or service issues require immediate coordination and resolution.

As an early member of a centralized relationship-management capability, this person will also help Choreo move from partnership success driven primarily by individual advisor effort to a more repeatable and scalable operating model. The role will introduce appropriate consistency across partners while preserving the judgment and customization required by each firm, market and relationship.

ROLE MANDATE

Create consistency, accountability and operating discipline required to turn successful advisor-led CPA relationships into a scalable institutional partnership channel.

What Success Looks Like

• CPA partners participate more consistently; activation plans progress and relationships broaden beyond one individual.
• CRM records, partner plans, actions, owners, deadlines, reviews and reporting remain current and reliable.
• Advisors can focus on trust, technical dialogue and opportunity development rather than coordination and administrative follow-through.
• Risks and friction are identified early, issues are resolved responsively and partner confidence is protected.
• Effective practices are captured, shared and applied across partnerships without forcing a one-size-fits-all approach.

Key Responsibilities:

Own a portfolio of strategic CPA relationships

• Serve as the primary day-to-day relationship owner for assigned CPA firms, offices, markets or other distinct partnership relationships.
• Build trusted relationships across multiple levels of each partner organization and develop a clear understanding of its priorities, stakeholders, operating dynamics and client needs.
• Establish a proactive engagement cadence that keeps partnerships active and progressing rather than relying on inbound requests or individual advisor initiative.
• Prepare for and lead regular partner reviews, roadmap discussions and operating check-ins in partnership with the lead advisor and other internal stakeholders.

Drive activation and coordinated execution

• Translate partnership objectives into documented activation plans, defined actions, accountable owners, deadlines and measurable next steps.
• Orchestrate internal resources across advisors, marketing, operations, leadership and subject matter experts to deliver against partner commitments.
• Coordinate partner education, workshops, communications, events, reporting and other activation motions, ensuring that each activity connects to a clear relationship objective and follow-up action.
• Maintain momentum between formal meetings by tracking commitments, prompting owners and closing execution gaps.

Maintain rigorous CRM and portfolio discipline

• Own the completeness, accuracy and timeliness of CPA partner records in the CRM. Advisors and supporting teams will provide input, but the Strategic Relationship Manager is accountable for the record.
• Maintain partner contacts, stakeholder roles, relationship stage, engagement history, opportunities, meeting notes, commitments, next actions, owners and due dates.
• Build and maintain a reliable portfolio view that surfaces upcoming activity, overdue actions, engagement gaps, relationship risks and opportunities requiring attention.
• Prepare clear partner and internal reporting that supports business reviews, investment decisions and leadership visibility.

Create consistency and scalable practices

• Apply a common relationship-management and activation process across assigned partners while adapting the approach to each relationship’s opportunity, readiness and needs.
• Identify patterns, gaps and successful practices across the portfolio and translate them into actionable recommendations, reusable tools and improved ways of working.
• Help reduce dependence on a single advisor or CPA champion by broadening engagement appropriately across priority stakeholders, practices, offices or markets.
• Partner with institutional growth leadership as the activation model, service levels, reporting approach and relationship-management capability continue to evolve.

Resolve issues and restore momentum

• Anticipate relationship friction, delivery concerns and execution risks before they escalate.
• When issues arise, step in quickly to clarify the problem, coordinate the right resources, communicate responsively and drive the issue through resolution.
• Escalate material risks or barriers appropriately while remaining accountable for follow-through and partner communication.
• Capture lessons from issues, referrals and partner activity so that Choreo can improve the experience across the broader partnership portfolio.

Basic Qualifications:

• 8+ years of relevant experience in strategic relationship management, institutional relationship management, strategic account management, enterprise account management, channel partnerships, alliances or a closely related field.
• Demonstrated experience serving as the primary, accountable owner of complex external relationships or a portfolio of institutional, enterprise, strategic, channel or partner accounts. The scale and number of relationships may vary by business model; direct ownership and complexity matter more than a specific portfolio size.
• Experience leading recurring business reviews, relationship planning, stakeholder coordination, issue resolution and ongoing engagement management.
• Proven ability to combine proactive relationship stewardship with hands-on execution, rigorous follow-through and responsive problem solving.
• Demonstrated CRM discipline, including maintaining accurate relationship records, actions, notes, reporting and next steps. Experience with enterprise CRM platforms is required.
• Ability to navigate multiple stakeholders, exercise sound judgment and influence action without relying on formal authority.
• Strong executive presence, meeting facilitation, presentation, written communication and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to recognize patterns, capture lessons and help translate relationship experience into repeatable practices.
• Ability and willingness to travel regularly to partner meetings, planning sessions, events and Choreo offices.
• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent relevant professional experience.

Preferred Experience:

• Experience managing relationships in wealth management, financial services, fintech, professional services or another business built around complex institutional partnerships.
• Experience working with CPA firms, financial advisors, referral partners or professional-services organizations.
• Experience supporting partner adoption, engagement, activation or expansion across a multi-stakeholder organization.
• Experience bringing subject matter experts and senior leaders into relationships at the right moments to support credibility, problem solving or progress.
• Experience helping a growing organization introduce common processes, reporting and relationship-management practices across a partner portfolio.

The Candidate We Hope to Attract

• You have built your career owning consequential external relationships, not simply contributing to them.
• You are equally comfortable preparing an executive review, maintaining the CRM, coordinating an SME, pressing for an overdue action and stepping into a difficult partner issue.
• You understand that relationships grow when trust is supported by consistent execution.