Team Lead, Centralized Planning

Description

About Blue Trust

For more than 45 years, Blue Trust advisors have applied biblical wisdom and technical expertise to help clients make wise financial decisions to experience clarity and confidence and leave a lasting legacy. With nearly $60 billion in assets under advisement, over 460 team members and a nationwide network of 19 offices, we offer comprehensive wealth management and trust services to more than 11,000 clients in all 50 states.

Position Overview: The Team Lead, Centralized Planning supports the day-to-day execution and operational excellence of Blue Trust’s Centralized Planning service. Reporting to the Manager, Centralized Planning, this role focuses on ensuring the quality, consistency, and effectiveness of financial planning deliverables produced by the centralized team, including the delivery of comprehensive, biblically-aligned financial planning services in the National Office.

This position will work alongside Paraplanners to create and deliver financial plans but will also play a key role in quality control, training, and professional development for paraplanners and associate advisors, helping implement the established vision, standards, and planning philosophy of the centralized planning function. As the Centralized Planning team grows, this role is anticipated to assume increasing leadership responsibility, including direct management and development of paraplanners.

This position is a part of a centralized service center located in the Blue Trust National Office in Alpharetta, GA. 

Principal Accountabilities:

1. Quality Control & Planning Execution  

• Ensures the accuracy, consistency, and quality of financial planning deliverables produced by the centralized planning team, reviewing paraplanner work for technical soundness, adherence to firm standards, and readiness for advisor and client use.  
• Provides timely, constructive feedback to paraplanners to correct errors, reinforce best practices, and drive continuous improvement. 
• Applies and reinforces Blue Trust’s financial planning philosophy and biblical principles across all planning work.

2. Training, Coaching & Development  

• Plays a primary role in training and ongoing development of paraplanners, including onboarding, skill development, workflow expectations, and planning standards.
• Supports the development of associate advisors participating in the Advisor Accelerator program through coaching, instruction, and evaluation aligned with established program curriculum and expectations.
• Partners with the Manager, Centralized Planning to implement training resources, tools, and development pathways; provides input on training needs based on observed performance.

3. Workflow Support & Team Leadership  

• Supports day-to-day workflow within the centralized planning team, helping prioritize work, allocate planning tasks, and maintain service level expectations.  
• Models a servant-leadership approach that reflects Blue Trust’s Management Language, core values, and commitment to a healthy, collaborative team culture.
• Leads through influence, coaching, and example rather than positional authority, while preparing to assume expanded leadership responsibility over time.

4. Cross-Functional Support

• Collaborates with advisors and planners to support planning engagements and ensure smooth handoffs of planning deliverables.
• Serves as a technical resource for planning questions and escalations, partnering with the Manager, Centralized Planning on complex or nonstandard cases.

5. Compliance & Standards Adherence

• Ensures planning deliverables comply with internal policies, regulatory requirements, professional standards, and firm-approved financial planning tools and processes.
• Maintains high ethical and fiduciary standards consistent with Blue Trust’s values and commitment to integrity.

6. Team Leadership - Sincerely values people and applies the principles embodied in the Company’s Management Language and core values to lead their team in a manner that respects and values each individual rather than a top-down, authoritative leadership style.

• Intentionally supports team to bring about professional and personal growth providing direction and accountability through the process.
• Supports hiring initiatives in a manner that considers firm-wide growth plans and proactively develops Financial Planners in a manner that considers these plans and ensures the readiness of future Advisors. 
• Understands and uses sound HR procedures and processes to support Manager, Centralized Planning in the maintenance of performance standards, performance evaluations and corrective action when necessary.
• Understands and supports the counsel and biblical basis upon which Blue Trust serves its client base.
• Standardizes onboarding and implements best-in-class training processes and procedures for new Paraplanners and Financial Planners on the Centralized Financial Planning team

Qualifications:

• Strong technical experience in comprehensive financial planning or private wealth management, with the ability to review, evaluate, and improve the work of paraplanners and associate advisors.  
• Demonstrated ability to coach, train, and develop others through feedback, instruction, and modeling of best practices, even in situations without formal supervisory authority.  
• Solid understanding of retirement, tax, estate, insurance, and charitable giving strategies, and how these components integrate into holistic financial plans.  
• Ability to interpret and apply Blue Trust’s financial planning philosophy and biblical principles in daily planning work and to reinforce these standards with paraplanners and associate advisors.  
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to build trust, provide constructive feedback, and collaborate effectively across teams.  
• Detail-oriented with a commitment to quality, consistency, and continuous improvement.  
• Comfort operating in a fast-paced, service-oriented environment with multiple priorities and deadlines.  
• Alignment with Blue Trust’s mission, values, and commitment to biblical stewardship.
• Demonstrates in-depth knowledge of those portions of both the old and new testaments of the Bible, particularly with regard to scriptural references to money and finances, and an ability to apply and integrate this knowledge into all phases of financial planning and holds Paraplanners and Financial Planners accountable to the same standards.

Requirements

• Strong technical experience in comprehensive financial planning or private wealth management, with the ability to review, evaluate, and improve the work of paraplanners and associate advisors.  
• Demonstrated ability to coach, train, and develop others through feedback, instruction, and modeling of best practices, even in situations without formal supervisory authority.  
• Solid understanding of retirement, tax, estate, insurance, and charitable giving strategies, and how these components integrate into holistic financial plans.  
• Ability to interpret and apply Blue Trust’s financial planning philosophy and biblical principles in daily planning work and to reinforce these standards with paraplanners and associate advisors.  
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to build trust, provide constructive feedback, and collaborate effectively across teams.  
• Detail-oriented with a commitment to quality, consistency, and continuous improvement.  
• Comfort operating in a fast-paced, service-oriented environment with multiple priorities and deadlines.  
• Alignment with Blue Trust’s mission, values, and commitment to biblical stewardship.
• Demonstrates in-depth knowledge of those portions of both the old and new testaments of the Bible, particularly with regard to scriptural references to money and finances, and an ability to apply and integrate this knowledge into all phases of financial planning and holds Paraplanners and Financial Planners accountable to the same standards.

Education, Experience & Skills:  

• Bachelor’s  degree in finance, accounting, business, or related field.
• Minimum 3-5 years’ experience in financial planning. 
• Experience in operations management, creating and streamlining business processes, and team leadership strongly preferred
• Experience working with high-net-worth individuals and families.
• Deep familiarity with financial planning software (eMoney, MoneyGuidePro, etc.).
• Strong analytical, organizational, and project management skills.

Certifications, Licenses and Registrations: 

• CFP® certification required; additional designations (e.g., CPA, CFA, CAP®, CKA®) a plus.
• Embraces expectation to obtain the CKA designation within the first year of employment.

Blue Trust is an equal opportunity employer