Manager, Estates and Trusts - Ottawa

Scotiabank; Ottawa; On-site; CAD 110,000 - 170,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Performance Bonus

Employee Share Ownership Program

Pension Plan Matching

Banking Benefits

Health Benefits from day one

Job summary

Scotiabank is seeking a Manager, Estates and Family Trust in Ottawa to provide strategic and operational leadership for the Estates and Family Trust function within Global Wealth Management. You will drive high-quality estate and trust administration, strengthen controls, and modernize processes to meet client and advisor needs.

The role requires extensive estate and trust experience, strong people leadership, and a focus on regulatory compliance and risk management.

Qualifications

• Extensive experience in estate and trust administration.
• Proven people leadership with team development.
• Strong knowledge of Canadian estate and trust taxation and CRA reporting.
• Client-service mindset with ability to balance efficiency and regulatory needs.
• Sound judgment, problem-solving and risk awareness.

Responsibilities

• Lead and develop a high-performing team; coach, mentor and empower employees.
• Foster accountability, collaboration, learning, sound judgment, and client service.
• Strengthen team capabilities; document processes and succession planning.
• Oversee estate and trust administration with compliant, timely processing.
• Enhance tax, regulatory and risk oversight; work with Tax, Legal and Compliance.
• Modernize operating model with technology, automation and data.
• Drive service excellence; set standards and measure performance.
• Build partnerships with internal and external stakeholders to resolve matters.
• Lead change while maintaining service quality and continuity.

Skills

Estate & trust leadership

People leadership

Regulatory & tax knowledge

Client service mindset

Strategic transformation

Cross-functional collaboration

Education

University degree in Business/Finance/Accounting

TEP/STEP designation (asset)

Job description

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Title: Manager, Estates and Trusts - Ottawa

Requisition ID: 278111

Join a purpose driven winning team, committed to results, in an inclusive and high-performing culture.

The Manager, Estates and Family Trust provides strategic and operational leadership to the Estates and Family Trust function within Global Wealth Management, supporting MD Financial Management’s lines of business. The role is accountable for delivering high-quality estate and trust administration, maintaining strong operational and regulatory controls, and evolving the function to meet changing client, advisor, and business needs.

The successful candidate will bring extensive industry knowledge and strong people leadership, challenge traditional ways of working, and leverage technology and data to modernize processes, improve service delivery and build a high-performing, knowledgeable and resilient team.

Is this role right for you? In this role, you will:

• Lead and develop a high-performing team: Coach, mentor and empower employees, build technical expertise and establish clear ownership of operational activities
• Foster a culture of accountability, collaboration, continuous learning, sound judgment and exceptional client service
• Strengthen team capabilities and resilience: Drive knowledge sharing, cross-training, process documentation and succession planning to reduce key-person dependencies
• Oversee estate and trust administration: Ensure accurate, timely and compliant processing of estate settlements, beneficiary distributions and family trust administration, with a strong focus on the client and advisor experience
• Strengthen tax, regulatory and risk oversight: Apply sound knowledge of estate and trust taxation, including CRA requirements, T3 and trust reporting, tax documentation and the implications of distributions. Proactively manage operational, financial, regulatory and reputational risks, partnering with Tax, Legal and Compliance to resolve complex matters
• Modernize the operating model: Apply industry expertise and leverage technology, automation and data to simplify workflows, eliminate manual activities, strengthen controls, reduce processing times and build scalable, sustainable practices
• Drive service excellence: Set clear service standards and performance measures, and use operational data, client feedback and industry practices to close service gaps, improve turnaround times and deliver consistent, high-quality outcomes
• Build strong partnerships: Develop effective relationships with internal stakeholders, advisors, legal and tax specialists, external service providers and industry partners to resolve complex matters and support business objectives
• Lead change: Translate strategic priorities into practical initiatives and support employees through change while maintaining service quality and business continuity.

Do you have the skills that will enable you to succeed in this role? We’d love to work with you if you have:

• Extensive experience in estate and trust administration, preferably within a trust company, wealth management organization, financial institution or related professional services environment
• Proven People leadership experience, with a track record of coaching and developing employees, building high-performing teams, implementing cross-training and succession planning, and reducing reliance on individual subject-matter experts
• Strong knowledge of Canadian estate and trust taxation, including CRA reporting requirements, T3 returns, beneficiary distributions and related compliance obligations.
  A forward-looking mindset and experience leading operational transformation, with the ability to challenge established practices, bring external industry insights and implement sustainable, technology-enabled solutions such as workflow management, automation, digital documentation and data analytics
• A strong client-service mindset, with experience improving service standards and managing complex client situations while balancing efficiency with quality, accuracy and regulatory requirements
• Sound judgment and problem-solving skills, with the ability to navigate complex estate and trust matters, assess risks and make informed recommendations.
  Strong relationship-building and influencing skills, with the ability to collaborate with advisors, legal and tax professionals, business partners and external stakeholders.
  Excellent organizational and execution skills, with the ability to manage competing priorities, lead to change and deliver results in a complex, deadline-driven environment
• A university degree in Business, Finance, Accounting or a related discipline is preferred. Designations such as TEP (STEP) or other recognized trust, estate or financial planning qualifications are an asset.

What's in it for you?

The opportunity to join a forward-thinking and collaborative team, surrounded by innovative thinkers. Your career matters! You will have access to career development and progression opportunities. An inclusive working environment that encourages creativity, curiosity, and celebrates success! You will get our help to save for your future and to invest in your total wellbeing through our Scotiabank benefits** such as Performance Bonus, Employee Share Ownership Program, Pension Plan Matching, Banking Benefits, and Health Benefits from day one! You will relish work-life balance, team events, and opportunities to participate in the community

Location(s): Canada : Ontario : Ottawa

Scotiabank is a leading bank in the Americas. Guided by our purpose: "for every future", we help our customers, their families and their communities achieve success through a broad range of advice, products and services, including personal and commercial banking, wealth management and private banking, corporate and investment banking, and capital markets.

At Scotiabank, we value the unique skills and experiences each individual brings to the Bank, and are committed to creating and maintaining an inclusive and accessible environment for everyone. If you require accommodation (including, but not limited to, an accessible interview site, alternate format documents, ASL Interpreter, or Assistive Technology) during the recruitment and selection process, please let our Recruitment team know.