Paraplanner (Edinburgh)

A paraplanner is a finance expert who assists financial planners with their daily job duties, completing certain tasks so that financial planners have more time to help clients individually. Paraplanners will perform technical research, analysis, and ad-hoc administrative duties to support PWM and the adviser with client servicing and management. Paraplanners may attend client meetings when required to make notes, present cashflow outputs, and answer technical related queries. A large part of a Paraplanner’s time is spent writing suitability reports to confirm the advice being given to clients; confirming the benefits, any disadvantages, and costs and charges. This role can be a great opportunity for individuals interested in pursuing a future career as a financial adviser, manager, or compliance officer.

Key Responsibilities

• Preparing and maintaining the client file: confirming policy information from letters of authority to understand a client’s existing arrangements, uploading to Enable.
• Organising recommendations: identifying areas of need, carrying out research to find solutions, considering investment strategies and tax implications in conjunction with the Adviser.
• Research: comparing different solutions to ensure the best possible client outcomes in conjunction with the PWM panel pathways.
• Preparing recommendation reports: using Genovo to generate full suitability reports and short suitability letters for ad-hoc advice events.
• Producing Illustrations and Key Features: preparing supporting documents that match the suitability report; uploading to Enable in conjunction with the Administrator.
• Implementing recommendations: ensuring all compliance paperwork is accurate and up to date, assisting the admin to implement trades using the trade instruction form and ‘four eye checks’.
• Upload Enable compliance documents: ensuring all research is uploaded to the Enable system.
• Annual review preparation and completion: preparing valuations and other analysis for use in the client annual review, including cashflow modelling.
• Annual Review Documents: completing annual review documents, confirming ongoing suitability of a client’s existing arrangements.
• Ensure the client file is complete to support ‘Redporth’ file reviews including vulnerable status, ATRQ, factfind, client agreement, HNW certificate etc.
• Attending Client Meetings: when required by the financial adviser, attend client meetings to take notes and assist with cashflow modelling.
• Maintain an Accurate Task List: making your report pipeline available to your line manager.
• Develop and Maintain Effective Relationships: with colleagues, clients and third parties.
• Provide Cover and Support: to other members of the team during sickness & holidays when deemed necessary by managers within PWM.
• Contribute to Company Projects: designed to enhance operational efficiency and the service to our clients when required.
• Incident Reporting and Regular Testing: ensuring that all errors or incidents are uploaded to Accelerate and compliance modules are completed within the deadlines.
• Attend Team Meetings and Training: in person if required.

About You

Knowledge

• Understanding of the annual FCA ongoing suitability process and experience providing support with this.
• Knowledge of Xplan (or similar practice management systems) would be beneficial.
• Good working knowledge of all Microsoft office applications specifically Excel.

Qualifications

• Candidates must have attained a minimum level 4 diploma in financial planning (or equivalent).
• Desire to achieve level 6 and chartered status.

Skills

• Client focused, delivering a high standard of client service.
• Must be proactive and able to use initiative.
• High level of attention to detail.
• Enthusiastic and motivated.
• Organised, with good time management.
• Ability to work with minimum supervision whilst managing multiple and conflicting deadlines.
• Willingness to take responsibility and see a task through to completion.
• Adaptive to change.
• Confident and capable communicator.
• Proficient in standard industry advice and research tools, for example: Selectapension, Cashflow Modelling (preferably Voyant), FE Analytics and at least one industry standard Practice Management System.