Trainee Financial Planner / Client Manager

near Northwich, Cheshire

£40,000–£50,000 plus discretionary bonus and excellent benefits

You’ve built the technical knowledge. You understand what good advice looks like and may already be the person your Adviser relies upon when a case becomes particularly complex.

But you are still spending most of your time behind the scenes.

This opportunity has been created for an experienced Paraplanner who is ready for more client exposure, greater responsibility and a genuine route towards becoming a Financial Planner.

You will initially join as a Client Manager, working closely with the firm’s Financial Planners while taking day-to-day responsibility for your own clients.

This is an authorised position. You will attend and contribute to meetings, build trusted relationships, help develop planning strategies and be able to provide advice when the Financial Planner is unavailable.

It therefore offers a meaningful step beyond conventional Paraplanning and the opportunity to start demonstrating that you are ready to progress into a Financial Planner role.

The role

Your responsibilities will include:

• Managing relationships with an allocated group of clients
• Attending and contributing to client meetings
• Understanding clients’ circumstances, objectives and changing priorities
• Working alongside Financial Planners to develop suitable planning strategies
• Undertaking technical research and analysis
• Preparing clear and compliant recommendations
• Providing advice to clients within the scope of your authority
• Ensuring agreed recommendations are implemented correctly
• Maintaining regular contact with clients and delivering an excellent ongoing service
• Continuing to develop your advisory, relationship-management and technical skills

Who they are looking for

This role is aimed at someone with substantial Paraplanning or technical Financial Planning experience who feels ready to move closer to advice.

You are likely to be:

• Level 4 Diploma qualified as a minimum
• An experienced and technically accomplished Paraplanner
• Confident discussing complex Financial Planning matters directly with clients
• An excellent communicator who can make technical information easy to understand
• Ready to take greater ownership of client relationships
• Comfortable working independently while collaborating closely with a Financial Planner
• Personable, trustworthy and motivated by doing an excellent job
• Genuinely committed to progressing into Financial Planning

Previous experience in an authorised or client-facing position would be helpful, but it is not the only consideration. The firm is equally interested in someone who has the technical credibility, communication skills and maturity to make that transition successfully.

Progression into Financial Planning

This is not a position where progression is mentioned simply to make a Paraplanning role sound more attractive.

The Client Manager responsibilities have been designed to give you meaningful exposure to clients and the advice process. You will have the opportunity to build relationships, develop your confidence and demonstrate your ability to take greater responsibility.

As you establish yourself and prove your competence, there is a genuine route into a Financial Planner position.

The immediate role is also substantial in its own right. You will not simply observe meetings or complete technical work behind the scenes. You will take responsibility for clients and play an active part in delivering their financial plans.

Salary and benefits

The salary is £40,000–£50,000, dependent on experience, plus a discretionary bonus linked to company performance.

Although technically discretionary, the company has paid a bonus every year throughout its 26-year history.

The wider benefits include:

• 23 days’ annual leave plus bank holidays, rising to 24 days after five years’ service
• An additional day off for your birthday
• Christmas shutdown between Christmas and New Year, with most closure days gifted in addition to your normal allowance
• Death in service at four times basic salary
• Income protection
• Medicash healthcare cash plan
• Full professional exam support, including study and exam leave

The company

You will be joining a genuinely successful and established firm of Financial Planners.

The business has built an excellent reputation over more than two decades, with a team of highly qualified professionals delivering personalised advice across investments, pensions, retirement, tax and estate planning.

It is an ambitious and growing firm with strong foundations and significant plans for the future.

Just as importantly, they are really friendly, hard working people. The company is a trusted one that we have placed multiple staff at already. All of whom are thoroughly enjoying their time and have progressed as expected and beyond.

That culture comes from the top. They recruit good people with integrity who share their values and care about delivering an excellent service. It creates an environment where people are trusted, supported and given the opportunity to develop.

Combine the credibility of a successful Financial Planning firm with an excellent culture, ambitious growth plans and a genuine commitment to developing its people, and this is an outstanding opportunity for an experienced Paraplanner ready to begin the transition into Financial Planning.