President of Family Office

A sophisticated and expanding single-family office based in Chattanooga, Tennessee is seeking an experienced family office leader to serve as a trusted partner to the Principals and oversee the continued development of the family office. After founding and building a successful business in the industrial services sector, the Principals are expanding and diversifying their holdings across a range of investments, including operating businesses, alternative investments, real estate, and philanthropic initiatives.

The family office is responsible for managing this diverse set of investments, entities, properties, and other interests and is focused on preserving and stewarding the Principals’ capital and legacy across generations. The office operates with a long-term orientation and places a premium on trust, sound judgment, discretion, thoughtful decision-making, and strong relationships.

As the family office enters its next stage of development, the Principals are seeking a senior leader who can work closely alongside of them while building the systems, processes, reporting, technology, and organizational infrastructure necessary to support them and their legacy. This individual will also work closely with the existing family office team, a CIO and accountant, and will be responsible for creating greater structure, accountability, and coordination across the broader family office ecosystem.

Position Overview

The Family Office President will serve as a trusted right hand and strategic thought partner to the Principals, translating the Principals’ vision and priorities into effective execution across the family office. Working closely with the Principals, this individual will develop a deep understanding of their history, structures, relationships, and decision-making philosophy while helping institutionalize that knowledge into durable systems and processes.

The Family Office President will lead the day-to-day management and coordination of the office, serving as a central point of contact and decision-maker for the team and ensuring matters are addressed at the appropriate level, informing the Principals and involving them where needed to ensure appropriate alignment on key decisions. The role requires an individual who can move comfortably between strategic conversations and hands-on execution, communicate effectively with individuals across a wide range of roles and backgrounds, and bring sound judgment to complex or sensitive matters.

A central component of the mandate will be leading the family office into its next stage of maturity. This includes strengthening financial and investment reporting, operating processes, technology, cybersecurity, risk management, budgeting, and internal controls while maintaining the flexibility and responsiveness of a private family office.The Family Office President will serve as a steward of the Principals’ long-term vision, helping translate their priorities into thoughtful capital deployment across investments, philanthropic initiatives, and other areas that support their broader legacy.

Key Responsibilities

Principal Partnership

• Serve as a trusted strategic partner and right hand to the Principals, helping translate their vision, priorities, and decisions into coordinated execution
• Work closely with the Principals to absorb and institutionalize critical knowledge related to their assets, entities, relationships, history, and decision-making philosophy
• Serve as a primary conduit between the Principals and the broader family office team, ensuring issues are resolved at the appropriate level and escalating matters when Principal involvement is warranted
• Protect the Principals’ time by bringing structure to decisions, anticipating needs, identifying issues early, and ensuring appropriate follow-through
• Provide thoughtful, candid counsel to the Principals, including the confidence to challenge assumptions, raise concerns, and offer an alternative perspective when appropriate
• Serve as a trusted and accessible resource to the Principals, representing them with discretion, professionalism, and sound judgment
  
  

Family Office Leadership & Team Management

• Lead the day-to-day operations of the family office and provide management, mentorship, and accountability to members of the team
• Establish clear roles, responsibilities, decision rights, and communication protocols across the family office
• Create effective operating rhythms that improve coordination, visibility, accountability, and execution across the organization
• Partner effectively with team members who maintain direct relationships with the Principal while creating connectivity across the broader family office
• Develop the capabilities of team members and foster a collaborative, high-performing culture grounded in trust, accountability, and service to the Principals
• Evaluate organizational needs over time and recommend additional internal or external resources as the family office evolves
  
  

Family Office Infrastructure & Operations

• Lead the continued institutionalization of the family office, building the operational infrastructure necessary to support its long-term needs
• Assess existing processes, systems, controls, and workflows and establish scalable, well-documented approaches where appropriate
• Oversee the continued development of financial, operational, and management reporting, improving the quality, timeliness, and accessibility of information available to the Principals
• Partner with the team to enhance investment reporting processes and reduce reliance on manual or inefficient workflows
• Lead the evaluation and implementation of technology solutions and external providers, including IT infrastructure and cybersecurity capabilities
• Establish appropriate policies, controls, documentation, and risk-management practices while preserving the flexibility and responsiveness of the family office
• Coordinate effectively with external advisors and service providers, including accountants, attorneys, insurance professionals, technology providers, and other specialists
  
  

Investments & Financial Oversight

• Serve as a member of the investment committee and contribute meaningfully to investment discussions, portfolio strategy, and broader capital allocation considerations
• Partner closely with CIO as well as external investment advisors who are responsible for leading investment sourcing, diligence, execution, and ongoing portfolio management
• Develop a strong understanding of the Principals’ investment portfolio and provide strategic perspective, coordination, and backup support to the investment function as appropriate
• Ensure investment activities are appropriately connected to the Principals’ broader liquidity, tax, estate planning, risk management, and investment objectives
• Support the development of clear and useful investment and financial reporting for the Principals
  
  

Asset & Risk Management

• Provide financial and business oversight to team members responsible for the Principals’ assets
• Partner with responsible team members to develop annual operating and capital budgets and establish disciplined processes for monitoring performance against those budgets
• Review and help evaluate significant expenditures, major asset purchases, and other material financial decisions
• Maintain appropriate visibility into costs associated with major assets and ensure expenses are accurately captured, reviewed, and reported
• Oversee broader risk-management practices, including appropriate insurance coverage, asset protection, and coordination with external advisors
  
  

Governance

• Develop and maintain a working understanding of the Principals’ estate plan, entity structures, governance framework, and long-term objectives in partnership with legal, tax, and other advisors
• Serve as a thoughtful steward of the Principals’ capital, values, reputation, and long-term vision
• Support oversight of the Principals’ philanthropic activities and foundation, maintaining sufficient understanding to ensure alignment with the family office ecosystem while day-to-day foundation management remains separately staffed
• Help establish durable governance, communication, and knowledge-transfer practices that support continuity
  
  

Qualifications & Experience

• Bachelor’s degree required; advanced degree and/or relevant professional designation preferred
• 15 years of progressive leadership experience within a single-family office, multi-family office, private investment office, wealth management organization, professional services firm, or similarly complex and high-trust environment
• Demonstrated experience serving as a trusted advisor to principals, founders, families, or other sophisticated decision-makers, with exceptional judgment, discretion, and the ability to navigate highly confidential and sensitive matters
• Exceptional communication and interpersonal skills, with high emotional intelligence and the ability to engage credibly across a wide range of audiences, translate complex matters into clear and concise information, and adapt communication style appropriately
• Strong financial and investment acumen, with the ability to participate meaningfully in sophisticated investment discussions and serve as a strategic partner to the investment function without needing to be the organization’s primary investment professional
• Demonstrated experience building, improving, or institutionalizing operating infrastructure, reporting, technology, controls, and processes
• Strong understanding of financial reporting, budgeting, cash flow, risk management, and complex multi-entity environments
• Working knowledge of estate planning, trusts, tax considerations, and family governance concepts relevant to ultra-high-net-worth families
• Experience working with private foundations and/or family philanthropy
• Proven ability to lead, mentor, and develop teams while effectively coordinating across individuals with different responsibilities, working styles, and relationships to the Principals
• Forthright, confident, and resilient, with the ability to express a point of view, challenge assumptions, provide candid counsel, receive direct feedback, and navigate differing perspectives constructively
• Strategic and hands-on, with a strong ownership mentality and the ability to see the broader picture while remaining proactive, responsive, and willing to engage directly in the details required to drive priorities forward
• Experience managing complex external advisor and service-provider relationships
• Long-term orientation with a genuine interest in stewardship, continuity, and building an enduring relationship with the Principals
  
  

Location: Chattanooga, TN; full-time, on-site