Business Development Strategy Associate

About AQR Capital Management

Founded in 1998, AQR is a global systematic investment management firm. As quantitative investors, research is the foundation of everything we do. We manage a range of alternative and long-only strategies designed to meet the needs of institutional and wealth investors around the world.

AQR’s culture reflects the firm’s academic roots and entrepreneurial spirit. Our collaborative environment fuels innovation and encourages employees to ask thoughtful questions, think creatively and bring new ideas forward. Continuous learning is an important part of the employee experience, helping our people build skills and grow throughout their careers. Employees at every level have opportunities to contribute, regardless of title or tenure.

The firm has 800 employees with headquarters in Greenwich, Connecticut and offices in London, Frankfurt, Dubai, Hong Kong, Sydney and Bengaluru.

The Team

AQR is looking to hire a full-time Associate on our U.S. Wealth Team, within the Business Development group in a Business Development Strategy role. The Business Development group works with AQR’s clients in North America, Europe, Australia and the Middle East to provide solutions to achieve their investment objectives. AQR clients include a cross-section of the world’s largest institutional investors, such as public and corporate pension funds, sovereign wealth funds, and foundations and endowments. AQR also serves the private-wealth community and Registered Investment Advisors.

• U.S. Wealth - The U.S. Wealth group was created to engage with taxable U.S. investors and their advisors. The group is responsible for education, awareness and managing new and current client relationships for AQR strategies through dedicated coverage to the Family Office community, Registered Investment Advisor community, as well as elite advisors and teams within the major Broker-Dealer segment.

Role Overview

As a member of the U.S. Wealth Business Development Strategy team, you will work directly with senior leadership to support the strategic priorities that drive growth across AQR’s U.S. Wealth distribution business. You will synthesize data and stakeholder input, develop recommendations, and help coordinate the execution of key initiatives. Because the team’s priorities evolve with the business, you will work on a variety of strategic and analytical projects across the RIA, Broker-Dealer, and Family Office channels, with a focus on improving decision-making, organizational alignment, and execution.

You will work closely with the leaders of AQR’s U.S. Wealth channels and partner across Business Development, corporate functions, operations, technology, and portfolio management. The role may also support select strategic initiatives across Institutional and International Wealth, as needed.

Key Responsibilities

• Assess and help prioritize key strategic initiatives across U.S. Wealth; coordinate execution details, track progress, and ensure follow-through
• Synthesize pipeline, client, market, competitor, and financial data to identify trends, opportunities, and recommendations for leadership
• Build analytical models and business cases to support distribution strategy, growth initiatives, resource allocation, and new business opportunities
• Design and manage governance processes for key business priorities, including KPI tracking, information flow, and escalation of issues or trade-offs requiring leadership attention
• Prepare leadership meeting materials and business updates that are clear, decision-oriented, and aligned with strategic goals
• Document key decisions, actions, owners, and timelines, and work across teams to drive execution and accountability
• Partner with U.S. Wealth channel leaders and sales teams across RIAs, Broker-Dealers, and Family Offices to evaluate pipeline, client trends, segmentation, coverage opportunities, and distribution priorities
• Support market and competitor analysis to inform go-to-market strategy and identify opportunities to strengthen AQR’s distribution efforts
• Partner with senior leadership and relevant teams on initiatives that improve organizational alignment and visibility into strategic priorities and goals
• Support ad hoc strategic projects across other Business Development channels, including but not limited to Institutional and International Wealth, as needed

What You’ll Bring

• A Bachelor’s degree; Exceptional academic performance demonstrating achievement and commitment to excellence
• 3-5 years of experience in top-tier management consulting (MBB or equivalent; experience in Financial Institutions or Wealth & Asset Management practices is highly desirable)
• Basic knowledge of the Wealth & Asset Management industry
• Strong quantitative skills
• Strong project management skills, with exceptional attention to detail
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills; must be able to build and maintain strong relationships with a variety of internal colleagues across teams
• High proficiency in Excel and PowerPoint
• Experience in Salesforce CRM is a plus
• Experience in managing large data sets
• Ability to function at a high level of autonomy and be a self-starter
• Ability to handle a wide array of issues – needs to multi-task and be willing to roll up sleeves and do whatever is needed

Who You Are

• Committed to intellectual curiosity and integrity, with a high degree of ethics
• Mature and thoughtful, with the ability to operate within a collaborative, team-oriented culture as well as operate independently
• Hard working and eager to learn in a highly intellectual, innovative environment
• Well-organized, detail oriented; able to multi-task and keep track of various deadlines
• Look beyond the surface level to understand the underlying details

The salary range for this role is expected to be $120,000 to $140,000. This is the range that we in good faith believe is accurate for this role at the time of this posting. We may ultimately pay more or less than the posted range, depending upon factors such as skills, experience, location, or other business and organizational needs. This wage range may also be modified in the future.

This job is also eligible for an annual discretionary bonus. We offer comprehensive package of benefits including paid time off, medical/dental/vision insurance, 401(k), and any other benefits to eligible employees.

Note: No amount of pay is considered to be wages or compensation until such amount is earned, vested, and determinable. The amount and availability of any bonus, commission, benefits, or any other form of compensation and benefits that are allocable to a particular employee remains in the Company's sole discretion unless and until paid and may be modified at the Company’s sole discretion, consistent with the law.

AQR is an Equal Opportunity Employer. EEO/VET/DISABILITY