Financial Planning Director/ Team Lead in London

At Rathbones, we help people invest their money well, so they can live well. That means more than financial returns; it's about helping people feel confident in their decisions and supported in their future. We don't just manage money, we guide people through life's big moments, helping them stay on track and focus on what matters most.

We're proud to be one of the UK's leading wealth managers, with £113.6bn in assets under management (as of March 2026) and 20+ offices across the UK and Channel Islands. We're a FTSE 250 company with national reach and a local feel—and we're growing.

About the Role

As a senior leader within our Financial Planning team, you will play a key role in driving the growth and success of the business, delivering high-quality financial advice while helping shape the future direction of the office. Combining strong technical expertise with exceptional relationship-building skills, you will provide tailored advice to high-net-worth individuals, maintain and grow a portfolio of valued clients, and act as a trusted adviser to both clients and colleagues.

You will also lead, coach and develop a small team of Financial Planners, Paraplanners and Administrators, creating a high-performance culture focused on collaboration, client excellence, professional development and business growth. Through your leadership, you will inspire colleagues to deliver outstanding client outcomes while supporting their ongoing development and career progression.

Working closely with our Investment Management teams, you will identify opportunities to grow existing relationships, attract new clients and contribute to the ongoing success of the local office. You'll build strong connections across the professional community and ensure that clients receive a seamless, joined-up experience that reflects the highest standards of service and advice.

As a visible leader, you'll set the benchmark for advice quality, client experience and professional judgement, while proactively engaging with Investment Managers and other stakeholders to ensure clients' needs are understood, communicated and delivered upon effectively.

This is an outstanding opportunity for an ambitious financial planner as well as leader, who is passionate about developing people, building client relationships and driving business growth within one of the UK's leading wealth management firms.

What you'll be responsible for

• Client Service & Relationship Management: Build and maintain trusted relationships with high-net-worth clients, delivering exceptional financial planning advice and acting as a senior point of contact for complex cases and strategic client decisions. Ensure clients receive a consistently high-quality ongoing advice service, leading regular reviews that help them achieve their long-term financial goals and providing clear evidence of the value delivered. Manage a significant and established client portfolio. Take a proactive approach to client management, identifying opportunities to enhance clients' financial plans and helping them navigate changing circumstances with confidence. Deliver an outstanding client experience by anticipating needs, resolving issues effectively, and building long-term relationships that drive high levels of client satisfaction and retention. Work closely with Investment Managers, Portfolio Managers and specialists across Rathbones to provide a seamless, holistic service that delivers the best possible outcomes for clients.
• Financial Planning & Technical Excellence: Maintain the highest standards of technical expertise and regulatory compliance, providing advice that is robust, client-focused and aligned with evolving legislation and industry best practice. Stay at the forefront of the profession through ongoing learning and professional development, ensuring knowledge and qualifications remain current and relevant. Take ownership of complex financial planning matters across pensions, investments, trusts and protection, ensuring clients receive high-quality, well-documented advice tailored to their needs. Conduct regular client reviews and oversee the continued delivery of ongoing and one-off advice services, ensuring every recommendation supports clients' long-term objectives.
• Business Development & Growth: Build and strengthen relationships across Financial Planning, Investment Management and the wider professional community to generate referrals and create new business opportunities. Contribute to the continued growth of the business and your client portfolio through the delivery of outstanding advice, client advocacy and participation in marketing and networking initiatives. Identify, develop and convert new business opportunities, helping to expand Rathbones' presence and reputation within the local market. Create compelling client proposals and presentations that clearly demonstrate the value of Rathbones' advice and expertise. Continually develop your business development skills and market knowledge, helping drive sustainable growth aligned with Rathbones' strategic ambitions. Play a key role in shaping and delivering growth plans, working collaboratively with colleagues to attract new clients and deepen existing relationships.
• Leadership, Team Development & Continuous Improvement: Lead, coach and develop the financial planning team, fostering a high-performance culture centred on collaboration, client excellence, professional development and business growth. Act as a mentor and role model, sharing knowledge, supporting colleagues' development and helping build the next generation of Financial Planning talent. Drive a culture of continuous improvement by contributing to strategic projects, identifying ways to enhance processes and championing innovative ideas across the business. Promote best practice and a 'right first time' approach, ensuring consistently high standards of advice, service and operational excellence across the team. Encourage collaboration and knowledge sharing across teams, helping create an environment where colleagues can thrive and deliver exceptional client outcomes.

About you

If you meet some of these criteria and are excited about the role, we encourage you to apply:

• Experience of successfully delivering a Financial Planning service, with strong up-to-date industry and investment knowledge.
• CII Level 6, Chartered Financial Planner or equivalent (CISI). Knowledge updated regularly through reading updates, attending industry events or company briefs.
• Proven track record of building relationships with introducers either internal or external.
• You will be skilled at influencing, motivating yourself and others and highly analytical.
• You will be highly organised, have strong time management skills and great at teamwork and building a team.
• Inspires confidence and trust when dealing with colleagues and clients.

We offer:

Our offer to you: We want everyone at Rathbones to fulfil their potential, in an environment where you are proud to work and feel like you belong. We offer a comprehensive remuneration package, which we review regularly, and benefits include:

• A company pension - 9% non-contributory or 10% if you contribute 5%
• Private medical insurance Individual on joining, family after 1 years service
• Life assurance - 8 x salary
• Income protection 75 % salary
• Company share scheme
• Flexible holidays - purchase up to 5 additional days
• Discretionary bonus
• Green Car Scheme
• Family friendly policies - enhanced family leave for parents & carers
• Study support - study days and funding for courses and qualifications
• Season travel ticket loans
• Volunteering days
• Gym discounts
• Other voluntary benefits you can choose to suit you

Our employees can choose to take part in various social groups and communities to support their wellbeing, growth, development and sense of community. These include: Sports & Social Committees, such as cricket, football, netball, running, yoga, quiz nights, charity bake sales and much more. Inclusion Networks that help us drive change within the organisation such as Gender Balance, Multicultural, Abilities Count, Pride, Social Mobility, Generations, Take a moment to pause (Menopause) and Armed Forces. The NextGen IM Network, which brings together a community of trainees from across the UK, who are all at the early stages of their careers and offers development opportunities, exposure across the business as well as peer support and connection.

Life at Rathbones

We aim to become an employer of choice for the wealth management sector, to achieve this we are working hard to build a diverse, equal, and inclusive workplace that motivates, develops and embraces the strengths of all our colleagues. Being part of Rathbones means you will join a team of passionate professionals in a successful culture that cares for its people. At Rathbones, we provide meaningful work, opportunities, and a voice to all. We are committed to building a team that is made up of diverse skills, experiences and abilities and encourage applications from all backgrounds. We welcome individuals who share our values. We're a Level 1 Disability Confident employer under the UK Government scheme. This means we've signed up to a set of commitments around how we recruit, retain and develop people with disabilities.

If you feel there are any reasonable adjustments that would make the process easier for you and help you to perform at your best whether that is due to disability, neurodiversity or other protected characteristic, just let us know by emailing us.

Mission

We believe in playing the long game. That means building consistent results, earning trust and doing the right thing for our clients, our colleagues and the communities we're part of. Our values shape how we work:

• We aim high
• We get it done
• We show we care
• We do the right thing

These aren't just words on a wall. They guide how we treat each other, how we make decisions and how we build relationships that last.

We will close this advert once we have received enough applications for the next stage. Please submit your application as soon as possible to ensure you don't miss out.