Institutional Sales Director – Growth Market

The Institutional Sales Director – Growth Market will be responsible for driving new retirement plan sales and market-share growth across the nonprofit marketplace. This is a high-volume institutional sales role focused on originating, developing, and closing retirement plan opportunities across healthcare, higher education, associations, private education, foundations, cultural institutions, research organizations, and other tax-exempt and mission-driven organizations. The primary go-to-market solution for this segment will be TIAA’s new retirement plan recordkeeping offering that provides a scalable, modern, and competitive administrative solution for small to mid-sized institutions.

The Director will also have access to TIAA’s core recordkeeping platform for opportunities where plan complexity, product requirements, participant needs, investment structure, or other considerations make the core platform a better fit. The role will combine direct and focused intermediary distribution, including retirement plan consultants, RIAs, advisors, aggregators, and other centers of influence. Success will require disciplined territory management, significant prospecting activity, strong intermediary relationships, efficient sales execution, and the ability to manage a large pipeline of opportunities simultaneously.

Key Responsibilities and Duties
 

Territory & Pipeline Management

• Develop and execute an annual territory growth plan
• Build and maintain a significant pipeline of qualified opportunities
• Achieve asset production and sales goals
• Identify and prioritize nonprofit market segments with the greatest growth potential and strongest right-to-win
• Maintain accountability for pipeline health, RFP activity, finalist opportunities, close rates, and assets sold
• Maintain accurate opportunity information and forecasts in CRM
• Support broader efforts to expand TIAA's presence beyond traditional higher-education relationships

Direct Sales Execution

• Conduct prospect discovery and identify sponsor priorities and retirement plan objectives
• Develop opportunity-specific sales strategies
• Present TIAA's small/mid-market value proposition to prospects and sponsors
• Coordinate pricing and proposal development with internal partners
• Lead sponsor and intermediary sales meetings
• Manage RFP and proposal processes; lead finalist presentations
• Negotiate appropriate business terms
• Coordinate internal approval and business acceptance processes
• Transition successful sales into implementation
   

Intermediary Distribution Strategy

• Build a defined intermediary coverage plan across the assigned territory
• Identify and segment high-producing advisors, consultants, and firms by opportunity potential
• Establish and maintain regular engagement with priority intermediary partners
• Educate intermediaries on TIAA's small-market capabilities and modern recordkeeping solution
• Generate referrals and RFP invitations through intermediary relationships
• Develop joint prospecting initiatives with intermediary partners
• Participate in advisor and consultant meetings and support intermediary education/training
• Maintain disciplined follow-up and ongoing relationship management with intermediary partners

Educational Requirements

• University (Degree) Preferred

Work Experience

• 5+ Years Required; 7+ Years Preferred

FINRA Registrations

• SRC Indicator: Series 6 or 7; Series 63

Licenses and Certifications

• Life Insurance License (Resident State) required
• Life Insurance License (Non-Resident State for states in which associate is conducting business) required

Physical Requirements

• Physical Requirements: Sedentary Work

Career Level
8IC

This role requires extensive travel within an assigned region - Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, South, Midwest, Southwest, or Northwest - to support business development and expand our opportunity base. Candidates should be prepared for frequent regional travel as a core function of this position.

Related Skills

Business Acumen, Business Development, Commercial Mindset, Consultative Communication, Customer Insights, Deals Strategy, Influence, Market/Industry Dynamics, Negotiation, Practice Management Strategy, Sales, Sales Planning, Story Telling

Anticipated Posting End Date:

Base Pay Range: $100,000/yr - $157,000/yr

Actual base salary may vary based upon, but not limited to, relevant experience, time in role, base salary of internal peers, prior performance, business sector, and geographic location.  In addition to base salary, the competitive compensation package may include, depending on the role, participation in an incentive program linked to performance (for example, annual discretionary incentive programs, non-annual sales incentive plans, or other non-annual incentive plans). 

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Company Overview

Every worker deserves a secure retirement. For more than 100 years, TIAA has delivered it for millions of people. Founded to help educators retire with dignity, today weʼre a market-leading retirement company fueled by world-class asset management. But weʼre not just another legacy financial services firm. Weʼre fighting harder than ever before for our clients and the many Americans who need us.

Our Culture of Impact

At TIAA, we're on a mission to build on our 100+ year legacy of delivering for our clients while evolving to meet tomorrow's challenges. We equip our associates with future-focused skills and AI tools that enable us to advance our mission. Together, we are fighting to ensure a more secure financial future for all and for generations to come. We are guided by our values: Champion Our People, Be Client Obsessed, Lead with Integrity, Own It, and Win As One. They influence every decision we make and how we work together to serve our clients every day. We thrive in a collaborative in-office environment where teams work across organizational boundaries with shared purpose, accelerating innovation and delivering meaningful results. Our workplace brings together TIAA and Nuveen's entrepreneurial spirit, where we work hard and work together to create lasting impact. Here, every associate can grow through meaningful learning experiences and development pathways—because when our people succeed, our impact on clients' lives grows stronger.

Benefits and Total Rewards

The organization is committed to making financial well-being possible for its clients, and is equally committed to the well-being of our associates. That’s why we offer a comprehensive Total Rewards package designed to make a positive difference in the lives of our associates and their loved ones. Our benefits include a superior retirement program and highly competitive health, wellness and work life offerings that can help you achieve and maintain your best possible physical, emotional and financial well-being. To learn more about your benefits, please review our Benefits Summary.

Equal Opportunity

We are an Equal Opportunity Employer. TIAA does not discriminate against any candidate or employee on the basis of age, race, color, national origin, sex, religion, veteran status, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, or any other legally protected status.

Our full EEO & Non-Discrimination statement is on our careers home page, and you can read more about your rights and view government notices here.

Accessibility Support

TIAA offers support for those who need assistance with our online application process to provide an equal employment opportunity to all job seekers, including individuals with disabilities. 

If you are a U.S. applicant and desire a reasonable accommodation to complete a job application please use one of the below options to contact our accessibility support team: 

Phone: (800) 842-2755

Email: [email protected]

Drug and Smoking Policy

TIAA maintains a drug-free and smoke/free workplace.

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