Senior Wealth Management Fiduciary Advisor

About the role

The Senior Wealth Management Fiduciary Advisor will serve as a senior relationship and fiduciary professional responsible for managing complex high-net-worth and ultra-high-net-worth client relationships, delivering sophisticated trust and estate administration services, and supporting continued business growth.

Responsibilities

• Manage complex wealth management relationships for high-net-worth and ultra-high-net-worth clients, with primary responsibility for overall client satisfaction, service quality, issue resolution, and coordination of client needs.
• Work closely with the client service team, clients, and their professional advisors to develop a thorough understanding of each client’s objectives, family dynamics, governing documents, account agreements, and long-term planning goals.
• Apply deep knowledge of fiduciary duties, applicable trust and estate laws, tax considerations, estate planning techniques, financial planning, asset management, and prudent investment principles.
• Lead client conversations regarding life-driven wealth management needs, emerging issues, regulatory and tax changes, and appropriate advisory solutions.
• Explain complex fiduciary, estate, tax, and investment concepts in clear, practical language that clients and beneficiaries can understand.
• Provide proactive, responsive, diplomatic, and tactful client service through written and verbal communication at an appropriate frequency.
• Recognize fiduciary risk issues, exercise sound judgment, and seek appropriate resolution in accordance with internal policies, processes, and procedures.
• Collaborate with internal partners and external professional advisors to identify client needs, develop advice-driven solutions, and deliver exceptional service.
• Cultivate relationships with referral sources, attorneys, accountants, family offices, and other centers of influence to support business development and identify new opportunities.
• Represent Grove Bank & Trust in community and professional organizations and identify opportunities to showcase the Bank’s fiduciary expertise and thought leadership.
• Travel to meet with clients and advisors when appropriate based on revenue, new business opportunity, complexity, or servicing requirements.
• Teach and mentor less experienced team members, provide leadership on fiduciary projects and committees, and support initiatives involving multiple disciplines or ambiguous issues.

Estate Settlement and Administration

• Support complex and sensitive probate estates and taxable trusts involving sophisticated estate plans, sensitive family situations, and complex investment, tax, legal, or administrative issues.
• Marshal and administer assets in complex estates and taxable trusts, ensuring fiduciary responsibilities are fulfilled throughout the administration and settlement process.
• Address substantive estate administration questions, including tax elections, tax reserves, asset disposition, valuation and collection of assets, cash management, liability resolution, audits, and litigation matters.
• Coordinate administration of unusual assets, including closely held stock, concentrated investments, significant real estate holdings, qualified plans, deferred compensation arrangements, business interests, and other special assets.
• Support preparation of estate, gift, generation-skipping transfer, fiduciary income, and personal income tax returns by locating and marshaling assets, arranging valuations, quantifying expenses, and securing financial records.
• Work with internal partners, outside counsel, co-fiduciaries, and advisors to evaluate tax elections and determine appropriate tax reporting strategies.
• Advise investment partners regarding estate liquidity needs, cash requirements, beneficiary objectives, and fiduciary considerations affecting investment decisions.
• Coordinate beneficiary needs during the estate settlement period and ensure clear communication of decisions with internal teams and external parties.
• Review and implement fundings and distributions, review accounting documentation, and oversee preparation and filing of required court documents.
• Coordinate or initiate litigation when appropriate, working with outside counsel, internal legal and tax partners, and senior administrators on technical matters.
• Serve as a resource to the Wealth Management team by providing training, consultation, and guidance on estate administration matters.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in business, finance, economics, accounting, or a related field.
• Seven to ten years of experience as a relationship manager, trust administrator, estate administrator, estate planning professional, or in a related fiduciary advisory role.
• Five to eight years of experience working in financial planning, accounting, legal, trust administration, or another organization that provides relevant experience, or an equivalent combination of education and experience in a proactive, successful sales and service role within the financial services industry.
• Experience working with high-net-worth and ultra-high-net-worth clients, complex family structures, sophisticated estate plans, and significant fiduciary relationships.
• Demonstrated ability to manage a complex portfolio involving substantial assets under management, including multimillion-dollar and larger client relationships.
• Strong knowledge of fiduciary and financial products and services needed to manage client accounts and deliver comprehensive advisory solutions.
• Solid knowledge of trust principles and regulatory and tax matters relating to the administration of trust accounts.
• Knowledge of investments, tax, legal, trust operations, estate settlement, and fiduciary administration, acquired through formal education, professional training, or related experience.
• Knowledge of fiduciary standards, principles, applicable laws, and regulatory requirements affecting trust, estate, and wealth management relationships.
• Strong skills in negotiation, problem solving, delegation, leadership, client communication, and business development.
• Professional credentials are strongly preferred, including attorney licensure, Certified Public Accountant designation, Certified Financial Planner, Certified Private Wealth Advisor, Certified Trust and Fiduciary Advisor, or other related professional designations.
• Leadership and organizational skills necessary to support department goals, assess resource needs, mentor staff, and help develop the skills of team members.