Head of Paraplanning

W1M Wealth & Investment Management; Greater London; On-site; GBP 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

W1M Wealth & Investment Management seeks a Head of Paraplanning to lead, develop and manage the Paraplanning function, while shaping the Client Executive pathway.

As the senior Paraplanning representative, you will align with senior stakeholders to embed strategic direction, ensure technical excellence, regulatory compliance and best-in-class service for clients, with ongoing expansion plans and future hires.

Qualifications

• Extensive paraplanning and wealth planning experience within a wealth management or financial planning environment.
• Strong technical knowledge of pensions, investments, taxation, trusts and estate planning.
• Proven experience managing and developing professional teams.
• Strong people leadership, coaching and performance management skills.
• Excellent stakeholder management and influencing capabilities.
• Strong understanding of regulatory and compliance requirements relevant to financial advice businesses.
• Excellent communication, decision-making and problem-solving skills.
• Chartered Financial Planner status.
• Advanced professional qualifications in financial planning or wealth management.
• Experience supporting HNW and UHNW client propositions.
• Experience developing paraplanning quality assurance frameworks and technical governance standards.

Responsibilities

• Provide overall leadership, management and development of the Paraplanning function.
• Define and implement the strategic direction and objectives of the department.
• Develop a high-performing team culture focused on technical excellence, quality and continuous improvement.
• Establish departmental goals, priorities and key performance indicators aligned to broader business objectives.
• Act as the senior representative of the Paraplanning function across the business.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with Wealth Managers and other key stakeholders to ensure effective service delivery.

Skills

Paraplanning leadership

Wealth planning

Team leadership

Regulatory compliance

Stakeholder management

Education

Chartered Financial Planner status

Advanced professional qualifications in financial planning

Job description

As part of our ongoing expansion we are looking to appoint a Head of Paraplanning to lead, develop and manage our Paraplanning function while also having input into our Client Executive pathway.

Serving as the senior representative of the Paraplanning function, working closely with senior stakeholders to embed the strategic direction ensuring the function provides technical excellence to support business growth, regulatory obligations and delivers best in class service to our clients.

We currently have 17 Paraplanners who will report into this role but with additional hires planned expect this number to increase steadily over the next few years.

About the Company

W1M was formed in 2024 through the merger of London & Capital and Waverton, two established wealth managers with over 40 years of history. Since then, the business has grown to over 400 employees and manages approximately £29+ billion in assets under management.

We are a UK wealth management firm operating in a regulated environment, providing investment and wealth management services to private clients, families, charities and institutions.

Our values underpin how we work together and with our clients, shaping a culture focused on high standards, collaboration, integrity and adaptability.

We have a collaborative working environment where people are given the opportunity to contribute meaningfully to the development of the business.

Key Accountabilities

FUNCTION, LEADERSHIP & STRATEGY

• Provide overall leadership, management and development of the Paraplanning function.
• Define and implement the strategic direction and objectives of the department.
• Develop a high-performing team culture focused on technical excellence, quality and continuous improvement.
• Establish departmental goals, priorities and key performance indicators aligned to broader business objectives.
• Act as the senior representative of the Paraplanning function across the business.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with Wealth Managers and other key stakeholders to ensure effective service delivery.

OPERATING MODEL, ORGANISATIONAL DESIGN & CAPACITY MANAGEMENT (20%)

• Define, implement and continually evolve the operating model for the Paraplanning function.
• Determine the appropriate organisational structure to support current and future business needs.
• Oversee resource planning, workload allocation and capacity management across the team.
• Ensure appropriate service levels, workflow management and productivity measures are in place.
• Drive operational efficiencies through process optimisation, standardisation and technology adoption.
• Identify opportunities to increase scalability and enhance the effectiveness of the function.

PEOPLE LEADERSHIP, RECRUITMENT & SUCCESSION PLANNING (20%)

• Lead, motivate and develop a high-performing Paraplanning team.
• Set performance objectives and conduct regular performance reviews.
• Develop and maintain clear career pathways and development plans for all team members.
• Lead recruitment activities and workforce planning to ensure appropriate capability and capacity within the function.
• Foster a culture of collaboration, accountability, inclusion and continuous learning.

TECHNICAL GOVERNANCE, QUALITY & RISK MANAGEMENT (15%)

• Maintain oversight of the technical quality and consistency of paraplanning outputs.
• Ensure robust quality assurance and peer review processes are embedded within the team.
• Partner with Compliance and Risk functions to ensure adherence to relevant regulatory and internal standards.
• Monitor technical standards and identify areas for improvement.
• Oversee the management and resolution of technical, suitability and operational risks within the function.
• Ensure changes in legislation, taxation and regulatory requirements are appropriately reflected in paraplanning practices.

STAKEHOLDER MANAGEMENT & LEADERSHIP REPRESENTATION (10%)

• Represent the Paraplanning function at leadership, management and governance forums.
• Participate in leadership meetings and contribute to wider business planning and decision-making.
• Provide management information and reporting on departmental performance, capacity, quality and service metrics.
• Act as a trusted partner to Wealth Management leadership and other business functions.
• Support strategic initiatives and cross-functional change programmes.

CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT & CHANGE DELIVERY (10%)

• Lead initiatives to improve processes, systems, controls and service delivery.
• Promote best practice and innovation within the Paraplanning function.
• Ensure lessons learned and feedback are incorporated into future operating practices.
• Drive operational excellence and a culture of continual improvement

Background/Experience and Competencies Required

• Extensive paraplanning and wealth planning experience within a wealth management or financial planning environment.
• Strong technical knowledge of pensions, investments, taxation, trusts and estate planning.
• Proven experience managing and developing professional teams.
• Strong people leadership, coaching and performance management skills.
• Excellent stakeholder management and influencing capabilities.
• Strong understanding of regulatory and compliance requirements relevant to financial advice businesses.
• Excellent communication, decision-making and problem-solving skills.
• Chartered Financial Planner status.
• Advanced professional qualifications in financial planning or wealth management.
• Experience supporting HNW and UHNW client propositions.
• Experience developing paraplanning quality assurance frameworks and technical governance standards.

About You

You will have a mixture of Paraplanning and team management experience, being able to act as an escalation point for complex queries, while also being able to define and embed a concise strategy of performance and individual growth within your team, ensuring we are adequately staffed to deal with client demand.

As a business we take pride in our collaborative, team oriented, approach and being able to help people achieve their individual goals, so being a strong mentor and advocate to enable staff progression is essential.

Highly approachable you will have a strong desire to provide best in class service to colleagues while appreciating the need to enjoy some down-time as well.

Why Join W1M?

We are on a successful growth journey having increased from c.200 people to over 400 people in 2 years and on track to achieve our target of £50bn AUM by 2030.

While we continue to grow we retain the core values of the business that has taken us to this point; those of teamwork, collaboration and a general attitude to help one another so we can all do our best and in turn make the company as successful as possible.

With the success of the firm there are many opportunities for personal and career development and growth within a supportive culture.

Equal Opportunity Statement

W1M is an equal opportunities employer and in accordance with the rules regarding discrimination in the Equality Act 2010, we welcome applications from all suitably qualified persons.