Head of / Director of Trustee Services - Spalding, Lincolnshire

Location-Spalding Office

We are a commercial practice with a strong focus on agriculture and rural estates, and the food sector. We have ambitious plans for growth, but to realise these we need the right people in the right roles.

As you would expect, we are looking for people with proven intellectual ability, a commercial approach, excellent interpersonal skills and, most of all, the drive to exceed our

Clients’ expectations. In return, we offer competitive packages and the chance to succeed with us.

Key Responsibilities:

As part of our continuing growth and development, we are looking for a new Head of or  Director of Trustee Services (D.T.S) to join our Private Client Team. This key role will be pivotal in delivering the teams strategic aims over the course of the next few years in securing trustee compliance and profitable growth for the firm.

Throughout our history we have developed a large portfolio of trusts, many holding extensive land, development and business interests, often created in line with the firm’s strategic tax planning advice to our land and business owning families. Some are the natural bi-product of a thriving Probate Services team, others have evolved from Personal Injury and other asset protection motivators. We will be the first to admit that work is needed to understand the full extent of this portfolio. As trust law and practice evolves, we have sought to develop the range of services that we offer to trustees to ensure that they appreciate their responsibilities, maintain compliant records, and as far as possible, protect themselves from liability. The role will therefore encompass a range of responsibilities in delivering services both internally focussed in managing exposure to risk for the practice and outwardly focussed in delivering a professional and streamlined service to a range of trustees in-line with our brand.

We offer a professional trustee service in terms of both partners and our Trust Corporation acting as trustee in a range of circumstances.

The role will encompass the following elements in which experience, whilst not essential would be of benefit. When combined with a commercial, supremely organised approach and an enthusiasm for the opportunities presenting to this role together, we have a chance to put Roythornes on the map as excelling in the provision of niche trustee services;

Overseeing Creation and maintenance of Trust database

• The development of an interactive database of trust matters and the associated collateral to deliver a streamlined service.
• Detecting individual trusts from our existing records and, with the assistance of a junior team, populating a composite database of allTrust matters under management.
• Promoting our trustee services to the trustees of all trusts so identified.
• Overseeing the streamlined retirement of former partners and the transition to RTL/new trustees.
• Providing regular reports on progress to Private Client Lead Partner..

The provision of annual trust administration services.

The trust year runs in line with the tax year. For each trust under management our aim is to provide an annual trust administration service at different levels (Gold/Silver/Bronze) dependant on how much or little we are asked to do. As part of this annual service the D.T.S will be expected to engage in the cyclical completion of the trust administration to include;

• Coordinating the annual management of each trust to include;
  • Preparation of annual report to trustees.
  • Maintenance of internal compliance requirements
  • Coordination of trustee meetings/agendas and minutes.
  • Lisaing with trustees and beneficiaries throughout or/coordinating such matters via matter manager.
• Preparation of annual trust accounts.
• The preparation of annual trust tax returns/collating details for provision to our partner accountancy practices and maintenance of links with those practices.
• Cash flow management.
• Liaison with intermediaries; stockbrokers, insurance brokers and land agents.
• Provision of tax advice to trustees and settlors and scheduling distributions to beneficiaries or the commissioning of such advice/provision of instructions to procure such advice .
• Management, guidance and education of junior team members.  

• Impeccable file management
• Effective, efficient and timely management of all matter.
• Proactively developing new business opportunities from internal cross-referrals, existing clients and other professionals
• Meeting agreed targets for chargeable time, fee income generated, billing and fee collection.

The ideal candidate is likely to;

• Have previous experience in a similar role; or
• Wish to step out of their current role in accountancy, banking or financial services, for example.
• Have a talent for clarity in communication across a broad spectrum of clients.
• Have strong desire to learn and widen their knowledge, and to impart their knowledge in teaching junior team.
• Be supremely self-motivated to succeed, and be able to motivate others.
• Have the confidence to act independently to a reasonably high level, and the ability to work as part of a team supporting Partners and Fee Earners on more complex and specialised matters as required.
• Have experience of building relationships with both new and existing clients and professionals including a natural ability to promote marketing and business development initiatives in a dynamic way.
• Be supremely organised and be able to complete tasks in a methodical structured manner to ensure completion to a consistent standard and to