Job Summary:

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 for this role include:

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.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• 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.

Work Schedule:

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.

Working Conditions:

This position may be in a professional office environment or a dedicated home office workspace which is free of interruptions. Whether position is in a dedicated office space or home office workspace, basic technology needs will be provided to satisfy position requirements. Routinely sitting and standing for periods of time. No heavy lifting over 10 lbs.