Trust Administrator

Aotearoa New Zealand Association of Social Workers; Linwood-Central-Heathcote Community; Hybrid; NZD 70,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

Northland Group seeks a capable Trust Administrator to support the Director of the Trust Group with day-to-day trustee administration for an offshore pension fund. The role involves establishing and administering trust structures, asset contributions, account openings, benefit payments and compliance matters, while digitising processes and aligning workflows across the business.

The successful candidate will be highly accurate, organised, with confidentiality and strong written English.

Qualifications

• Experience handling detailed documentation and formal administrative processes.
• Strong written English and professional communication skills.
• Ability to work independently with confidential information.
• Comfort with MS Office, email, and digital filing systems.
• Experience in process documentation and workflow improvement.
• Experience in trust, legal or financial services is advantageous.

Responsibilities

• Assist with establishment and administration of trust and pension fund structures.
• Coordinate asset contribution processes, including document preparation and follow-up.
• Assist with account openings and ensure documentation is complete.
• Manage trustee-related documentation, approvals and records.
• Collate data for regulatory and reporting purposes.
• Process benefit payments per internal procedures.
• Support compliance, KYC and due diligence processes.
• Maintain well-organised digital records and files.
• Assist digitisation of processes and workflows across the business.
• Identify opportunities to improve efficiency and accuracy.
• Escalate matters as required and provide admin support to the Director.

Skills

Attention to detail

Organised

Digital literacy

Confidential information handling

Time management

Independent worker

Tools

Microsoft Office

Document Management System

Job description

Northland Group is seeking a capable, experienced and detail-oriented Trust Administrator to support the Director of the Trust Group with the administration of trustee services provided by Covisory Trust.

Covisory Trust acts as trustee for an offshore pension fund based in New Zealand. Northland Group acts as the fund administrator and will be the employing company for this position.

This role would suit someone with a strong professional administration background who is highly organised, process-driven and comfortable working with detailed and confidential documentation.

Previous experience in trust administration, legal administration, financial services, accounting, pensions, compliance, corporate services or trustee services would be highly regarded.

Position Summary

The Trust Administrator will support the Director of the Trust Group with the day-to-day administration of trustee-related processes for an offshore pension fund.

The role will involve assisting with the establishment and ongoing administration of structures, asset contributions, account openings, benefit payments, compliance requirements and the collation of information for reporting purposes.

The successful candidate will also support the digitisation of the company’s processes and work closely with Northland Group’s operating team to document, improve and align workflows across the business.

This position requires someone who is highly accurate, organised and comfortable working independently with confidential information, formal processes and detailed documentation.

Key Responsibilities

Assisting with the establishment and ongoing administration of trust and pension fund structures;

Supporting asset contribution processes, including document preparation, coordination and follow-up;

Assisting with account openings by liaising with relevant parties and ensuring all required documentation is completed;

Coordinating trustee-related documentation, approvals, records and correspondence;

Assisting with the collation of data and information required for regulatory, trustee and other reporting obligations;

Processing benefit payments in accordance with internal procedures and approval requirements;

Supporting compliance, KYC and due diligence processes;

Maintaining accurate, complete and well-organised digital records and files;

Supporting the digitisation of company processes, systems and records;

Working with Northland Group’s operating team to review, document and improve process flows;

Helping to align processes across trustee administration, fund administration and broader operational workflows;

Monitoring outstanding actions and following up with relevant internal and external stakeholders;

Identifying opportunities to improve administrative efficiency, consistency and accuracy;

Ensuring tasks are completed accurately, promptly and in accordance with established procedures;

Identifying matters requiring escalation and referring them to the appropriate person; and

Providing general administrative support to the Director of the Trust Group.

Key Skills and Attributes

Exceptional attention to detail and a consistently high level of accuracy;

A reliable, trustworthy and professional approach;

A process-oriented, methodical and highly organised working style;

Strong organisational and time-management skills;

Excellent written and verbal communication skills;

The ability to manage confidential and commercially sensitive information appropriately;

Confidence working with detailed documents, spreadsheets, email and administrative systems;

Strong digital literacy and an interest in systems and process improvement;

The ability to work independently and remain accountable while working remotely;

The ability to manage competing priorities and meet deadlines;

A proactive approach and willingness to follow up outstanding matters;

The ability to follow established procedures and recognise when an issue should be escalated; and

A willingness to develop specialist knowledge and grow with the business.

Experience Required

Applicants must have:

A minimum of three years’ relevant administrative experience within a professional services, legal, accounting, financial services, corporate services or similarly process-driven environment;

Demonstrated experience working with detailed documentation, records and formal administrative processes;

Strong document-management and record-keeping skills;

The ability to work accurately with complex and detailed information;

Strong written English and professional communication skills;

Experience handling confidential or commercially sensitive information;

Confidence using Microsoft Office, email, spreadsheets and digital filing systems; and

The ability to work independently, manage competing priorities and consistently meet deadlines.

The following experience would be highly regarded:

Trust or trustee administration;

Legal administration;

Financial services or pension administration;

Compliance, KYC or due diligence;

Bank or investment account-opening processes;

Regulatory or management reporting;

Supporting senior managers, directors or professional advisers; and

Process documentation, workflow improvement, digital systems or operational projects.

Eligibility and Location Requirements

This is a permanent, Christchurch-based position.

Applicants must:

Be a New Zealand citizen or permanent resident with unrestricted working rights in New Zealand;

Be currently based in Christchurch or within reasonable commuting distance;

Be available to work from a Christchurch office once premises have been established; and

Have a suitable home-based working environment during the initial remote-working period.

Northland Group is not able to provide visa sponsorship or relocation assistance for this position. Applications that do not meet these eligibility and location requirements will not be considered.

The role may initially be performed from home while a Christchurch office is sourced. Once the office has been established, a hybrid working arrangement may be considered for the right candidate.

As the position will initially involve remote working, the successful candidate must be self-motivated, disciplined and comfortable working independently while maintaining regular communication with the Director of the Trust Group and Northland Group’s operating team.

The Opportunity

This is an opportunity to join Northland Group in a specialised trust administration role supporting Covisory Trust’s trustee function for an offshore pension fund.

The position offers exposure to trustee processes, pension fund administration, compliance, reporting, financial administration and operational process improvement, with scope to develop valuable specialist knowledge over time.