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William Blair & CompanyRIA · Chicago, IL

Associate I, CRU Risk

  • Chicago, IL
  • On-site
$60K–$85Ka year · pay range posted by William Blair & Company

Posted September 14, 2026Verified live today on William Blair & Company’s careers site

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About the role

Role
Operations associate or manager
Seniority
Entry
Mentioned
  • Series 7
  • Series 9/10
  • SIE

Solutions for Today’s Challenges. Vision for Tomorrow’s Opportunities.

Join William Blair, the Premier Global Partnership.

The Associate I, CRU Risk is responsible for developing foundational knowledge of supervisory, compliance, operational, reputational, and other risk functions. In conjunction with Risk, Compliance, Legal, Operations, Technology, and business colleagues, the Associate I supports a consistent control environment through adherence to business ethics and practices, all applicable Federal, State and Local laws, William Blair’s Private Wealth Management ("PWM") policies, and other regulations. The role also supports risk analytics, trend monitoring, and the appropriate use of approved technology and automation tools to improve supervisory effectiveness and consistency.

Essential Responsibilities:

  • Learn and understand responsibilities related to all risk, supervisory, and compliance functions for home office and branch location(s).
  • Monitor progress of any supervisory inquiry or process that requires escalation of review.
  • Develop a sound understanding of and adhere to business ethics and regulatory and compliance practices.
  • Assist with ensuring that supervisory approvals are handled appropriately and timely.
  • Reply to inquiries related to William Blair’s Private Wealth Management policies and other regulations.
  • Collaborate with the Legal and Compliance Department for customer complaints and litigation.
  • Provide support in response to audits, and ensure that any audit findings are appropriately responded to and remediated.
  • Learn how to monitor people risk, and the process for escalating concerns to management.
  • Handle and maintain confidential information with utmost care.
  • Learn how to perform the risk review and onboarding of Wealth Advisor recruits. Ensure full understanding of the process and tasks involved.
  • Assist in gathering, validating, and analyzing supervisory data to identify exceptions, emerging risks, trends, and opportunities for process improvement.
  • Use approved technology, automation, and AI-enabled tools to improve the efficiency, consistency, and effectiveness of supervisory processes.
  • Partner with Risk, Legal, Compliance, Operations, Technology, and business colleagues to support investigations, corrective actions, and strategic initiatives.
  • Additional responsibilities as requested

Qualifications:

  • Bachelor's degree required, or equivalent education or experience
  • A minimum of 1 year of previous experience required in a related role or field.
  • SIE Exam, Series 7 and 66 preferred; SIE exam and Series 7, 66 will need to be completed within 120 days (new hires - post 10/1/2018, for US only)
  • Series 9 & 10 licenses preferred
  • Basic knowledge of SEC, FINRA and Firm Compliance Policies and Procedures
  • Effective written and verbal communication skills
  • Strong attention to detail
  • Ability to prioritize and identify complex problems and escalate as necessary
  • Basic analytical capabilities
  • Ability to organize and prioritize workflow and assignments in a deadline-oriented environment
  • Ability to interact with Wealth Advisors and clients
  • Excellent judgment and the ability to be discreet in all matters
  • Strong work ethic
  • Ability to learn and effectively use approved supervisory technology, data analytics, automation, and AI-enabled tools.

#LI-MW1

A reasonable estimate of the current base salary range at time of posting is below. Base salary does not include other forms of compensation or benefits. Actual base salary within the specified range is based on several factors, including but not limited to applicant's skills, prior relevant experience, specific degrees and certifications, job responsibilities, market considerations and, if applicable, the location of the position.

This role is eligible for either a discretionary annual bonus (based on company, business unit and individual performance) and/or commission-based incentives.

Our featured benefit offerings include medical, dental and vision coverage, employer paid short & long-term disability and life insurance, 401(k), profit sharing, paid time off, Maven family & fertility benefit, parental leave (including adoption, surrogacy, and foster placement), as well as other voluntary benefits.

Salary Range $60,000—$85,000 USD

About Our Firm

William Blair strives to attract qualified candidates who specialize in investment banking, investment management, private wealth management, and other strategic resource groups. We are committed to empowering our colleagues to deliver client success and engage in our communities. Our firm has delivered trusted advice for nine decades, continuing to deepen our expertise and relationships across asset classes and markets throughout North America, Europe, and Asia. We provide advisory services, strategies, and solutions to meet clients’ evolving needs amid dynamic market conditions and varying industries. What sets us apart is that we are an independent partnership, with colleagues who have unique experiences, perspectives, and backgrounds. We empower our people to bring their best thinking so we can deliver the tailored, thoughtful work and problem-solving abilities that our clients expect. We invite you to learn more about us by visiting williamblair.com.

William Blair is an equal opportunity employer. It complies with all laws and regulations that prohibit discrimination in employment practice because of race, color, religion, creed, ancestry, marital status, gender, age, national origin, sexual orientation, unfavorable discharge from the military service or on the basis of a physical or mental disability that is unrelated to the employee's ability to perform the duties of the job applied for. EOE m/f/d/v

Be aware of hiring scams: William Blair has clear processes and guidelines with regards to recruiting. We do not request personal financial information in connection with an employment application nor does William Blair extend any employment offers without first conducting an interview through one of its registered offices. William Blair does not use instant messaging services such as WhatsApp, Telegram, or iMessage as part of the recruiting or interviewing process.

Note to External Recruiters / Search Firms: William Blair does not accept unsolicited resumes and will not pay for any placement resulting from the receipt of an unsolicited resume. Any unsolicited resumes received will not be considered as a valid submission.

Download William Blair's privacy policies for job applicants:

Contact us should you have any questions or concerns.

Posted on William Blair & Company’s careers site and shown here in full, as the firm wrote it. Open the original posting

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