Digital Assets Product Lead – Executive Director

Wealth Management Platforms
Purchase, NY

Morgan Stanley Wealth Management is seeking an Executive Director to serve as the Digital Assets Product Lead, responsible for defining and executing the digital assets product strategy and roadmap to enable Morgan Stanley Wealth Management to offer competitive digital asset products to its clients. This leader will serve as a subject matter expert (SME) on digital assets for Wealth Management and will own the end-to-end product lifecycle, from strategy through launch and ongoing optimization, partnering closely with Technology, Risk, Legal/Compliance, Operations, and business stakeholders.

The Digital Assets Product Lead will operate with strong execution discipline in a highly regulated environment, translating market and client needs into scalable product capabilities, clear governance, and measurable business outcomes.

About Morgan Stanley

Morgan Stanley is a leading global financial services firm providing a wide range of investment banking, securities, investment management and wealth management services. The Firm’s employees serve clients worldwide including corporations, governments and individuals from more than 1,200 offices in 43 countries.

Morgan Stanley is committed to helping its employees build meaningful careers and we strive to be a place for people to learn, achieve and grow.

Department Overview

In the Wealth Management division, we help people, businesses and institutions build, preserve, and manage wealth so they can pursue their financial goals

Wealth Management (WM) Platforms manages industry-leading platforms, across all WM channels and client segments, to provide a unified digital experience, unlock growth, and deliver efficiencies for Advisors, Clients, and Institutions. WM Platforms consists of nine sub-teams including: Field Experience & Platforms, Digital Client Experience & Platforms, Workplace Platforms, Automation & Workflow Solutions, Digital Trading & Investing, UX Design & Research, Strategy & Execution. Business Control & Support, and the Chief Operating Office.

What you’ll do in the role:

Product Strategy and Roadmap

• Design and own the product vision, strategy, and multi-year roadmap for digital assets capabilities within Wealth Management, including near-term priorities, sequencing, dependencies, and investment needs.

• Identify and evaluate opportunities across client segments, advisor workflows, and channels; translate competitive and market insights into actionable product priorities.

• Develop a roadmap guided by business cases and outcome-based prioritization, including adoption targets, revenue/AUM impact, client outcomes, and service/operational metrics.

Digital Assets Subject Matter Expertise

• Serve as a digital assets SME across topics like cryptocurrencies, tokenization concepts, stablecoins, market structure, custody/settlement models, and the evolving regulatory environment.

• Provide guidance to internal stakeholders (e.g., Wealth Management leadership, platform owners, advisors, and product partners) on product capabilities, client suitability considerations, and operational implications.

• Maintain a forward-looking point of view on market and regulatory developments and translate those insights into roadmap recommendations and internal education.

Product Development and Cross-Functional Delivery

• Lead execution of multiple cross-functional digital assets initiatives across Wealth Management, managing delivery from discovery and requirements through design, build, launch, and enhancements.

• Partner with Technology and Architecture to define platform capabilities, integration requirements, scalability, and resiliency standards.

• Establish success metrics and dashboards to measure product performance and inform continuous improvement (e.g., adoption, utilization, client experience, operational KPIs, and risk indicators).

Client, Advisor, and Stakeholder Engagement

• Support complex client and advisor leadership engagements as a digital assets SME, participating in senior leadership meetings to align product capabilities to client objectives and ensure successful client outcomes.

• Build and maintain strong partnerships across Wealth Management leadership, distribution stakeholders, platform owners, service and operations teams, and key enterprise partners.

External Thought Leadership and Industry Engagement

• Serve as a visible external representative for Morgan Stanley Wealth Management’s digital assets strategy, acting as a credible, compliant, and well-prepared spokesperson to help position the firm as an industry leader.

• Represent the business at industry conferences, podcasts, roundtables, and executive forums; participate in panels, keynotes, and fireside chats to communicate the firm’s perspective on digital assets product innovation and client outcomes.

• Build and maintain relationships with relevant external stakeholders, including industry groups/associations, market infrastructure providers, academic/think-tank communities, and strategic partners, to keep Morgan Stanley at the center of key ecosystem developments.

• Monitor and synthesize market and regulatory developments from external engagement, feeding insights back into product strategy, roadmap prioritization, and internal education.

Skills Required:

• 10+ years of relevant experience in product strategy, business strategy, or related roles within financial services; Wealth Management experience strongly preferred.

• Demonstrated deep expertise in digital assets, including product structures and ecosystem fundamentals (e.g., cryptocurrencies, tokenization concepts, custody/settlement considerations, market structure).

• Proven ability to lead complex initiatives in a highly regulated environment, partnering effectively across Technology, Risk, Legal/Compliance, Operations, and business stakeholders.

• Action-oriented problem solver with strong execution discipline, capable of leading through influence in a matrixed organization.

• Outstanding written and verbal communication skills, including experience producing executive-ready memos, product narratives, and structured analysis.

• Strong organizational and time-management skills, attention to detail, and ability to manage multiple concurrent initiatives.

Preferred

• Experience launching or scaling digital assets capabilities for Wealth Management clients and/or advisor-led channels.

• Familiarity with regulatory and supervisory frameworks relevant to digital assets in a U.S. wealth management, broker-dealer, and/or investment advisory context.

• Experience evaluating and managing third-party vendors and partnerships, including commercial, operational, and third-party risk considerations.

Leadership Characteristics

• High intellectual curiosity and a strong external orientation; continuously monitors market developments and translates them into practical product action.

• Strong judgment and risk awareness, with an ability to balance innovation and control.

• Executive presence and the ability to influence senior stakeholders with clarity, structure, and credibility.

• Collaborative, low-ego leadership style with a bias toward measurable outcomes and delivery excellence.

WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT FROM MORGAN STANLEY:

At Morgan Stanley, we raise, manage and allocate capital for our clients – helping them reach their goals. We do it in a way that’s differentiated – and we’ve done that for 90 years.  Our values - putting clients first, doing the right thing, leading with exceptional ideas, committing to diversity and inclusion, and giving back - aren’t just beliefs, they guide the decisions we make every day to do what's best for our clients, communities and more than 80,000 employees in 1,200 offices across 42 countries. At Morgan Stanley, you’ll find an opportunity to work alongside the best and the brightest, in an environment where you are supported and empowered. Our teams are relentless collaborators and creative thinkers, fueled by their diverse backgrounds and experiences. We are proud to support our employees and their families at every point along their work-life journey, offering some of the most attractive and comprehensive employee benefits and perks in the industry. There’s also ample opportunity to move about the business for those who show passion and grit in their work.

To learn more about our offices across the globe, please copy and paste https://www.morganstanley.com/about-us/global-offices​ into your browser.

Expected base pay rates for the role will be between $150,000 and $250,000 per year at the commencement of employment. However, base pay if hired will be determined on an individualized basis and is only part of the total compensation package, which, depending on the position, may also include commission earnings, incentive compensation, discretionary bonuses, other short and long-term incentive packages, and other Morgan Stanley sponsored benefit programs.

Morgan Stanley's goal is to build and maintain a workforce that is diverse in experience and background but uniform in reflecting our standards of integrity and excellence. Consequently, our recruiting efforts reflect our desire to attract and retain the best and brightest from all talent pools. We want to be the first choice for prospective employees.

It is the policy of the Firm to ensure equal employment opportunity without discrimination or harassment on the basis of race, color, religion, creed, age, sex, sex stereotype, gender, gender identity or expression, transgender, sexual orientation, national origin, citizenship, disability, marital and civil partnership/union status, pregnancy, veteran or military service status, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by law.

Morgan Stanley is an equal opportunity employer committed to diversifying its workforce (M/F/Disability/Vet).