Head of Succession Planning

First Equitable; West Kirby; Hybrid; GBP 90,000 - 140,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Lead a new area

Established client bank

Inheritance tax opportunities

Build and lead team

Self-employed fee-sharing

Job summary

First Equitable is seeking an experienced private client professional to lead and grow a new succession planning proposition within an established financial planning firm.

You will build and lead a team focused on wills, trusts, estate planning, probate support and estate administration, with access to an existing client bank and a steady stream of opportunities. The role offers a self-employed fee-sharing arrangement and potential longer-term partnership for the right person.

Qualifications

• Requires full STEP qualification and/or TEP status.
• Ideally 5+ years' experience across estate planning, wills, trusts, probate or estate administration.
• Strong technical knowledge of inheritance tax, trusts and succession planning.
• Experience leading private client and estate cases; client-facing relationships.

Responsibilities

• Lead and develop the First Equitable Succession proposition.
• Advise and support clients across wills, LPAs, trusts, estate planning, probate and estate administration.
• Manage inheritance tax planning, lifetime gifting and post-death planning.

Skills

Leadership

Client-facing

Entrepreneurial

Business development

Education

STEP qualification

TEP status

Tools

Arken (Wills)

Exizent (Estate administration)

Job description

Looking for a career opportunity with unlimited earning potential? This is your chance to build and lead a succession planning business, backed by an established client bank, strong demand and the opportunity to begin a long-lasting Private Client partnership.

Head of Succession Planning - Wills, Trusts & Probate

• Location: Liverpool / Chester / Hybrid
• Engagement: Self-employed / Partnership
• Remuneration: Competitive fee-sharing arrangement, with partnership opportunity

This is a unique, partnership-style opportunity to build and develop a new team, so remuneration is flexible and will be shaped around the right person, their experience and the value they bring.

About First Equitable is an independent financial advisory firm providing financial planning and wealth management advice to individuals, families and business owners across the UK and internationally.

We have an established client bank with growing demand for inheritance tax, estate planning and intergenerational wealth services. We are now developing a dedicated succession planning proposition covering wills, trusts, estate planning, probate support and estate administration.

We are looking for an experienced private client professional to lead and grow this area of the business.

The Opportunity

This is an opportunity to build and lead a new succession planning proposition within an established financial planning firm.

You will benefit fromaccess to the First Equitable brand, office infrastructure, an existing client bank and a regular source of potential estate planning and probate work.

Working closely with our Managing Partner and wider financial planning team, you will help shape the development of First Equitable Succession, including its services, processes, pricing, client proposition and future team structure.

For the right individual who successfully develops and grows the proposition, there will also be scope to discuss a longer-term partnership opportunity within the succession planning proposition.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead and develop the First Equitable Succession proposition.
• Advise and support clients across wills, LPAs, trusts, estate planning, probate and estate. administration using dedicated software such as Arken (Wills) and Exizent (Estate administration).
• Deal with inheritance tax planning, lifetime gifting and post-death planning.
• Support executors, trustees and beneficiaries through the estate administration process.
• Prepare estate information, inheritance tax documentation and estate accounts.
• Manage complex and high-net-worth estate cases.
• Liaise with HMRC, financial institutions and other professional advisers.
• Coordinate with authorised external professionals where reserved legal activities arise.
• Identify succession planning opportunities within the existing client bank.
• Build relationships with solicitors, accountants and other professional introducers.
• Generate new business and support networking, professional and client events.
• Provide technical guidance and mentoring across the wider financial planning team.

About You

We are looking for an experienced private client professional who combines strong technical knowledge with commercial ambition and an entrepreneurial mindset.

• Full STEP qualification and/or current TEP status.
• Ideally at least 5 years' relevant experience across estate planning, wills, trusts, probate or estate administration.
• Strong technical knowledge of inheritance tax, trusts and succession planning.
• Significant practical experience managing a variety of private client and estate cases.
• Experience dealing directly with executors, trustees, beneficiaries and families.
• Ability to manage complex cases independently.
• Previous leadership, management or senior technical responsibility.
• Strong client-facing and relationship-building skills.
• Commercially minded and entrepreneurial.
• Ability and willingness to generate new business.
• Experience developing professional referral relationships.
• Confidence working collaboratively with financial planners and other professional advisers.

What We Offer

• The opportunity to lead and build a new business area from an early stage.
• Access to an established financial planning client bank.
• Existing inheritance tax and estate planning opportunities.
• Opportunity to build and lead a future succession planning team.
• A commercially attractive self-employed fee-sharing arrangement.
• Potential longer-term partnership opportunity for the right individual based on the growth and success of the business.

Other suitable skills and experiences include: Estate Planning Consultant, Private Client Adviser, Wills and Probate Practitioner, Trust and Estate Manager, Probate Manager, Senior Estate Administrator, Head of Private Client, Succession Planning Adviser, Inheritance tax planning, Business development, Head of Private Client, Head of Wills and Probate, Wills, Trusts & Probate - Head of Department, Private Client Partner