Director, Tax/Estate Strategy

Your passion. Our purpose. This could be powerful.
Maybe the markets keep you up at night. Trusts are your forte. Or your idea of a perfect day at the office is a deep dive into equity research. Whatever your passion, at Edward Jones it will have purpose. Your work is meaningful - because it has a singular focus: client relationships. What you do every day helps people achieve and protect their financial goals. Impacting lives for the better. And with our remarkable work-life flexibility, one of the lives it could enhance is yours.
Job Overview
Position Schedule: Full-Time
The Director of Tax & Estate Strategy is responsible for providing thought leadership and strategic development within Edward Jones' private client service. This includes building and leading a team of 8 experienced and specialized professionals that support the delivery of tax and estate planning that is part of the comprehensive and personalized financial planning and wealth management services for the firm's High Net Worth (HNW) segment.
This team sits within the Wealth Management Advice and Solutions (WMAS) division. WMAS Purpose: We innovate, develop, evolve, and manage integrated advice, planning, products, and services (APPS), leveraging deep understanding of client and branch team needs. We enable branch teams to deliver unparalleled value for our clients and communities through wealth management offerings and experiences, from discovery to planning and implementation, supported by thought leadership and expert services.
The Edward Jones Wealth Management Consultation High Net Worth team provides an end-to-end, high-net-worth (HNW) client experience (clients with $10 million or more) serving as a resource that our branch teams can utilize to implement wealth management Advice, Planning, Products, and Services (APPS). We provide ongoing client services including holistic financial planning, tax and estate planning services via trusted 3rd parties, plan implementation via expanding sets of Edward Jones products and services, and ongoing reporting and support.
What you'll do:
This Director role will lead tax, estate planning, and other financial planning experts that will analyze HNW clients' complex financial situations and provide recommended strategies to help them address tailored needs and achieve financial goals. The Director will have both client-facing and internal responsibilities, including engaging with clients and financial advisors to design and execute tailored planning strategies, as well as business development efforts that support the enhancement and growth of the firm's private client offering. The role will frequently encounter complex, high net worth situations with urgency that will require identification of multiple stakeholders to achieve resolution.
In addition, the Director is responsible for achieving business results of the area, including hiring decisions, and ensuring associates are delivering on targeted results, providing coaching, feedback and clear objectives to the tax and estate strategists on the team. Business measures and accountability will include client satisfaction, client retention, asset growth, and outcomes aligned to client goals. The Director is expected to have a deep understanding of the industry, competitive, and regulatory landscape and impacts changes in these areas would have on the business as well as how to respond to these changes in both current and future state of the business.
Along with direct responsibility of the strategist team, the Director will also be responsible for engaging with third-party providers (e.g. tax planning firms, national law firms) to execute services that Edward Jones does not directly offer. This role will inform and align systems and tools to the HNW business segment strategy.
Responsibilities include:

• Drive the ongoing design and development of the tax and estate planning strategies that are a core component of our High Net Worth offering in collaboration with both internal and external stakeholders based on client and branch team feedback.
• Partner with senior leaders and key stakeholders across the firm to prioritize expanding High Net Worth capabilities and supporting infrastructure to deliver on the high net worth experience. Advocate for the needs of the team and responsible for the delivery of the end-to-end experience for both branch teams and clients.
• Work closely with the General Partner, other Directors, team leaders and the teams of associates responsible for the delivery of expert wealth management advice and financial planning to branch teams while helping develop, run, and lead the High Net Worth experience.
• Set the vision and strategy of our tax and estate planning services to ensure branch teams and the team have the support needed to deliver the full High Net Worth experience.
• Drive the ongoing design and development of a scalable, tailored engagement model in collaboration with internal and external stakeholders based on client and branch insights.
• Serve as subject matter expert for financial planning at the firm. Includes advanced knowledge of all aspects of planning and our firm's advice and guidance beyond goals and inclusive of various client needs like estate planning, tax optimization, divorce, executive compensation, philanthropy, pricing, etc.
• Serve as an expert voice of our tax and estate planning expertise, communicating in a clear and compelling manner to a variety of audiences, including industry professionals, clients, financial advisors and key firm stakeholders. This will include both verbal and written communication.
• Lead broad division, firm or industry initiatives and events as needed to represent Wealth Management Consultation in alignment with firm strategy (Eg. cross-divisional projects, internal committees, product partner events, regional events, industry groups, etc.).
• Accountable for developing and recommending risk mitigation strategies to ensure continuity and effectiveness of Wealth Management Consultation while minimizing risk to clients and the firm.
• Attract, develop, and lead a team of high performing associates. Assist in their ongoing growth and personal and professional development.
• Influences, and negotiates with, other senior leaders/General Partners; establishes collaborative relationships across the business and with external organizations.
• The systematic process of identifying, understanding, effectively monitoring, and managing the various regulatory obligations that apply to an organization, with the aim to ensure compliance with applicable laws, regulations, standards, and industry requirements.

Edward Jones' compensation and benefits package includes medical and prescription drug, dental, vision, voluntary benefits (such as accident, hospital indemnity, and critical illness), short- and long-term disability, basic life, and basic AD&D coverage. Short- and long-term disability, basic life, and basic AD&D coverage are provided at no cost to associates. Edward Jones offers a 401k retirement plan, and tax-advantaged accounts: health savings account, and flexible spending account. Edward Jones observes ten paid holidays and provides 15 days of vacation for new associates beginning on January 1 of each year, as well as sick time, personal days, and a paid day for volunteerism. Associates may be eligible for bonuses and profit sharing. All associates are eligible for the firm's Employee Assistance Program. For more information on the Benefits available to Edward Jones associates, please visit our Read More About Job OverviewSkills/Requirements
What You'll Need:

• Bachelor's degree required.
• CFP (Certified Financial Planner) required.
• Juris Doctorate (JD) or Certified Public Accountant (CPA) designation required.
• Series 7, 66 and Life and Health preferred or need to obtain within 6 months of hire.
• Series 24 must be obtained within 1 year.
• 15+ years of relevant financial services experience; 10+ years of financial planning experience strongly preferred.
• 5+ years of people and team leadership experience required.
• Broad client-facing planning application experience required (providing planning directly to clients).
• Deep, expansive subject matter expertise on financial planning strategies and concepts - specific to High Net Worth clients.
• Deep understanding of firm advice and guidance.
• Deep understanding of competitive landscape - how competitors serve HNW customers in the market, what market factors contribute to a business's competitive advantage, pricing structures/models leveraged in the industry.
• Strategic planning and execution to drive the continued evolution of a functional capability.
• People leadership, strategic planning, and business plan execution.
• Advanced technical aptitude, analytical, and critical skills.
• Subject matter expertise on tax and estate planning.
• Deep, expansive subject matter expertise on economic, investment, and portfolio management strategies and concepts.
• Advanced skills in some of the following areas: systems thinking, planning, and organizing, relationship building, collaboration, critical thinking, project management.
• Exceptional written, verbal, and presentation communication skills with the ability to provide concise, relevant market commentary and periodically explain complex investment & financial planning terms/concepts directly to clients.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Excel, databases, and wealth management software tools (i.e., Aladdin Wealth, Morningstar, FactSet, MGEI and II, Wealth Studios, etc.).

What Could Set You Apart

• Additional wealth management, financial planning designations.
• Experience building HNW financial planning capabilities within the wealth management industry.
• Experience and proficiency working with financial advisors and wealth management teams to deliver service to clients with complex planning needs.

Read More About Skills/RequirementsAwards & Accolades
At Edward Jones, we are building a place where everyone feels like they belong. We're proud of our associates' contributions to the firm and the recognitions we have received.
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About Us
Join a financial services firm where your contributions are valued. Edward Jones is a Fortune 500¹ company where people come first. With over 9 million clients and 20,000 financial advisors across the U.S. and Canada, we're proud to be privately-owned, placing the focus on our clients rather than shareholder returns.
Behind everything we do is our purpose: We partner for positive impact to improve the lives of our clients and colleagues, and together, better our communities and society. We are an innovative, flexible, and inclusive organization that attracts, develops, and inspires performance excellence and a sense of belonging.
People are at the center of our partnership. Edward Jones associates are seen, heard, respected, and supported. This is what we believe makes us the best place to start or build your career.
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