[Hiring] Vice President, Trust Services @Mercer Advisors

Role Description

The Vice President, Trust Services is a senior, hands-on leader who builds and runs Mercer Advisors’ trust solutions business. The role owns our outsourced corporate trustee relationships, works directly with advisors and clients on trust cases, and carries revenue and budget accountability for Trust Services. The Vice President draws on the trust companies’ service teams and on Legal, Compliance, Investment Strategy, and Corporate Development to deliver the work. The Vice President serves as the business leader for direction and support to the Trust Operations team, which is moving to the Client Service organization.

Essential Job Functions

• Strategy & Business Leadership
  • Set the multi-year strategy for Trust Services, including service scope, partner model, and capability roadmap.
  • Own Trust Services revenue and budget, and report results to senior management.
  • Define the roadmap for new strategic relationships with Corporate Development.
  • Establish key metrics (assets under trusteeship, trust count, revenue, pipeline, cycle times, client satisfaction, partner service levels) and report them on a regular cadence.
• Trust Partner Management
  • Lead selection, contracting, and ongoing management of independent trust companies serving as current and successor trustees, including RFPs and partner transitions.
  • Evaluate partners on trust powers in key jurisdictions (such as SD, DE, NV, WY), fee structure, investment arrangements, technology, and service levels.
  • Hold partners to service level commitments through scorecards and quarterly business reviews.
  • Maintain due diligence files and a transition plan for each partner, with Legal and Compliance.
• Trust Solutions & Advisor Consulting
  • Serve as the trust subject matter expert for wealth management teams, clients, prospects, and centers of influence, articulating the Mercer Advisors value proposition.
  • Design trust solutions on advisor cases, including structure review with clients’ estate attorneys.
  • Lead trust meetings with clients and prospects alongside advisors.
  • Build adoption of trust solutions with wealth management teams through training, case studies, and playbooks.
  • Develop and execute the growth strategy for trust solutions, including pipeline management and sales initiatives.
• Operations & Client Experience
  • Define the workflows, procedures, and systems that support Trust Services, including new trust intake and partner handoffs.
  • Serve as the escalation point for partner and client servicing issues.
  • Conduct periodic reviews of clients served by Trust Services with wealth advisors to maintain client satisfaction.
  • Coordinate across departments on trust matters.
  • Report to senior management on volume, productivity, revenue, and business development.
• Trust Operations Leadership
  • Serve as the business leader for the Trust Operations team, which is moving to the Client Service organization, providing direction and support.
  • Set business priorities, service standards, and workflows for trust intake, partner handoffs, and case management, and partner with Client Service leadership on execution.
  • Provide trust expertise and decisions on complex cases and partner questions that the team escalates.
  • Review volume, cycle times, and client and advisor feedback with the team and Client Service leadership to guide improvements and capacity needs.

Qualifications

• 12+ years in trust, estate, or private wealth services.
• Experience building or running a trust or fiduciary-related business, including leading through influence across teams.
• Experience with directed and delegated trust structures, trust company relationships, and multi-state trust considerations.
• Strong case design and client-facing skills, including meetings with advisors, clients, and estate attorneys.
• JD, CTFA, CFP, or CTA preferred.

Requirements

• This professional role requires availability during standard business hours of Monday through Friday from 8AM to 5PM.
• At times, the role may have early or late hours to meet business tasks and deadlines for external and internal client needs.
• All roles classified as a non-exempt are required to record working time into the timekeeping system daily at the start and end of each workday plus a 30-minute unpaid lunch period.

Benefits

• Company Paid Basic Life & AD&D Insurance
• Company Paid Short-Term and Long-Term Disability Insurance
• Supplemental Life & AD&D Short-Term Disability; Accident; Critical Illness; and Hospital Indemnity Insurance
• Three Cigna medical plans offerings including two High Deductible Health Plans and a Traditional Co-Pay medical plan.
• Kaiser Medical plans available in California
• Health Savings Account (HSA) with company contributions if enrolled in either HDHP medical plan.
• Two comprehensive Dental Plans
• Vision Insurance Plan
• Dependent Care Savings Account for child and dependent care.
• 14 Company Paid Holidays including a full week off at Thanksgiving.
• Generous paid time off program for vacation and sick days
• Employee Assistance Plan
• Family Medical Leave
• Paid Parental Leave (8 weeks)
• Maternity benefits utilizing company paid STD, any supplemental STD, plus Parental Leave (8 weeks) to provide time for recovery, baby bonding, and enjoying your family time.
• Adoption Assistance Reimbursement Program
• Company Paid Concierge Services for you and your loved ones for the spectrum of caring needs for your aging parents, young children, life’s challenges and more.
• 401(k) Retirement Plan with both Traditional and Roth plans with per pay period match as well as an after-tax option
• Pet Insurance
• Personalized financial planning and guidance from Mercer Advisors professionals, offered at preferred employee pricing