Senior Financial Planning Analyst

Job Overview

This is a full-time role at the center of a growing fee-based financial planning practice serving pre and current retirees, corporate upper management, and specialty physicians. The Senior Financial Planning Analyst owns two critical functions: synthesizing financial analyses into polished, client-ready planning deliverables, and serving as the operational quarterback of the client experience from first meeting through ongoing service. This is also a named growth track to a Lead Advisor role for the right candidate. The practice owner analyzes, advises, and develops new business — the Senior Financial Planning Analyst turns analysis into a finalized plan and ensures nothing falls through the cracks thereafter.

CORE RESPONSIBILITIES

Plan Synthesis & Final Deliverable

• Take the financial analysis output and synthesize it into a finalized, client-ready financial planning presentation deliverable according to the lead advisor's planning philosophy
• Render complex financial concepts and analysis into clear, accessible client-facing language and visuals
• Serve as liaison with Home Office Planning & Wealth Support team to send, review, and incorporate initial analysis output into the final deliverable
• Review completed plans for accuracy, quality, and case strategy opportunities; prepare questions and present at internal Case Development Meetings
• Maintain version control, plan archives, and deliverable templates for the practice

Second Chair to Lead Advisor

• Sit in every client and prospect meeting alongside the lead advisor
• Capture comprehensive meeting notes, decisions, and action items in real time
• Document client commitments, advisor recommendations, and next steps with precision
• Present a polished, professional presence appropriate for high-net-worth client engagements

Action Item Execution & Follow-Through

• Translate meeting notes into clear, assigned action items immediately after each meeting
• Assign tasks to the appropriate team member — operations, admin, Home Office shared services, or outside professionals (CPAs, attorneys)
• Own all client-facing follow-up communication: document requests, status updates, scheduling, and confirmations
• Track every open action item to completion and proactively escalate stalls to the advisor before they become problems
• Close the loop with clients once each action item is resolved

Client Relationship Management & Service

• Serve existing clients as the initial point of contact for routine service questions and document requests
• Identify service and advice requests that require Lead Advisor involvement and route accordingly
• Manage the client review schedule to ensure timely connections aligned with client segmentation
• Maintain and update client segmentation in the CRM to inform service rhythm and marketing strategies

Workflow & Case Management

• Open, manage, and monitor cases and workflows in CRM system
• Coordinate timing and hand-offs with the operations specialist on account, insurance, and investment onboarding
• Maintain visibility on every open client matter and provide the advisor with a clear weekly status of all in-flight work
• Identify and eliminate friction points in client experience and internal workflow CRM, Records & Meeting Preparation
• Own CRM data integrity end-to-end — contact records, meeting notes, task assignments, pipeline status, and full client history
• Ensure every client interaction is documented in line with broker-dealer compliance requirements
• Prepare comprehensive meeting prep packages for the advisor in advance of every client engagement
• Pull account summaries, prior meeting notes, outstanding action items, and relevant client documents

WHAT THIS ROLE IS NOT

To set clear expectations and protect lane clarity within the team:

• Not a data entry role — takes the analysis and synthesizes it into the final client deliverable
• Not an independent advisory role — does not provide advice, make product or service recommendations, or take advisory positions
• Not an operations or trading role — account opening, asset movement, trading, and insurance underwriting are owned by the Director of Planning and Investment Operations
• Not a back-office role — this person is in the room and on the front line of the client experience

IDEAL CANDIDATE PROFILE

Required Credentials

• CFP® designation, or active CFP® candidate with completion expected within 12 months
• Series 7, or ability to obtain within 90 days of starting
• 02-15 Life, Accident & Health insurance license, or ability to obtain within 90 days of starting
• Bachelor's degree in finance, business administration, or related field strongly preferred

Experience & Background

• 1-3 years of experience in a financial services, wealth management, or professional services support role
• Demonstrated experience producing client-ready financial plan deliverables
• Working knowledge of broker-dealer environments, CRM platforms (Redtail, Salesforce, or similar), and financial planning software
• Experience supporting a fee-based or fiduciary planning practice strongly preferred

Skills & Attributes

• Working understanding of comprehensive financial planning concepts: retirement, tax, estate, insurance, investment, and cash management
• Ability to translate technical financial analysis into clear, client-facing narrative and visuals
• Exceptional written and verbal communication — polished enough to represent the practice to HNW clients
• Active listener and strong note-taker with the ability to capture nuance
• Exceptional organization and ownership mindset so nothing ever slips
• Strong project management instincts
• Highly proactive, engaged, and motivated to continue professional development
• Discreet and trustworthy with sensitive personal and financial information
• Comfortable working in a fast-moving, high-standards environment where the bar is excellence

Culture Fit

This practice is building toward something significant. The right person for this role is not just looking for a job — they want to be foundational to a growing enterprise, take ownership of the client experience, and grow alongside the practice. They take pride in being the person who makes everything run, and they understand that in a fee-based, white-glove practice, the quality of follow-through is what separates the firm from its competitors.

COMPENSATION & GROWTH

• Base salary range: $75,000 – $95,000 depending on experience, CFP® status, and licensing.
• Performance bonus tied to deliverables throughout and client experience metrics. Bonus Expectations $10,000 - $30,000 based on performance.

Three named growth paths are available, depending on the candidate's strengths and interests:

• Associate Wealth Management Advisor (Client-Facing Lead Advisor) — For candidates who develop the skills, licensing, and client relationship capabilities required, there is an explicit, supported path to a Lead Advisor role within the practice
• Director of Financial Planning — For candidates who want to specialize in planning craft and gaining more planning knowledge to lead the planning function as the practice scales
• Operations Leadership/COO — For candidates who want to grow into running the business itself as the team expands
• Continuing education, CFP® completion (if not already held), and additional designations are encouraged and financially supported.

ABOUT PRACTICE & WHY JOIN

This is a fiduciary financial planning practice serving high-net-worth and high-income clients around the world. The practice is affiliated with Northwestern Mutual with full access to Home Office Planning & Wealth Support, CFA-led investment management, and the broader firm ecosystem. The practice provides comprehensive planning that extends well beyond traditional investment management and basic software output — including tax planning, estate coordination, cash and cash flow positioning, total asset allocation, complex insurance solutions, among many more planning services.

The practice has sustained a high level of growth with AUM increasing by 39%, 48%, and 43% respectively in each of the past three fiscal years and is building the infrastructure to scale into a multi-advisor enterprise. The practice owner’s vision is to build out a full suite of high-performing, specialized team members that owns execution. This role is foundational to that vision of building toward a true enterprise-level firm.

Pay: $75,000.00 - $125,000.00 per year

Benefits:

• Health insurance
• Paid time off
• Retirement plan

License/Certification:

• Series 7 (Preferred)
• CFP (Preferred)

Work Location: In person

Salary : $75,000 - $95,000