This role is for an experienced Financial Planner who sees financial planning as a profession, not a sales activity.
We are seeking a senior‑level adviser who is motivated by long‑term client stewardship, technical excellence, and professional judgement, rather than short‑term production targets or transactional outcomes.
You will provide holistic, high‑quality financial planning advice to a defined portfolio of long‑standing private clients. The emphasis is on deep relationships, clear thinking, and doing the right thing consistently, in line with both the spirit and the letter of the FCA Consumer Duty.
This is not a role for advisers who require constant direction, sales incentives, or prescriptive processes to operate effectively.
The Nature of the Role
As a Senior Financial Planner, you will operate with a high degree of trust and autonomy. You will be expected to:
* Take personal responsibility for advice quality and client outcomes
* Exercise sound professional judgement in complex and nuanced situations
* Act as a long‑term adviser to clients rather than a product facilitator
* Work collaboratively with experienced paraplanners and administrators, allowing you to focus on planning strategy and client relationships
* Build and maintain collaborative professional relationships with external firms.
There are no product‑driven targets, no pressure to manufacture activity, and no expectation to compromise advice quality for volume.
Key Responsibilities
Client Advice and Relationship Management
* Deliver holistic, whole‑of‑market financial planning advice tailored to each client’s objectives, values, and circumstances
* Build and maintain long‑term, trust‑based relationships with private clients, families, and business owners
* Business development will be a part of your role – building and maintaining collaborative relationships with other professionals (mainly lawyers, tax adviser and accountants), writing technical articles for publication and supporting the team in acquiring new clients.
* Conduct thorough discovery meetings, fact‑finding, cashflow modelling, and suitability analysis
* Advise across areas including:
o Retirement and later‑life planning
o Investment strategy and portfolio construction
o Inheritance tax and estate planning
o Personal and business protection
o Business owner and succession planning
o Inter‑generational planning
o Divorce and relationship breakdown planning
Ongoing Planning and Reviews
* Deliver structured, meaningful client reviews focused on long‑term outcomes
* Proactively identify planning opportunities as client circumstances and legislation evolve
* Ensure advice remains suitable, robust, and aligned with clients’ evolving goals over time
Technical and Regulatory Standards
* Maintain an advanced, current understanding of UK taxation, pensions, investments, trusts, estate planning, and protection
* Ensure all advice meets FCA regulatory requirements, Consumer Duty expectations, and internal standards
* Oversee the production of clear, accurate, and technically robust suitability reports, working closely with paraplanning support
* Maintain complete, accurate, and compliant client records
Professional Contribution
* Act as a senior professional role model within the firm
* Support and mentor other advisers and team members where appropriate
* Contribute thoughtfully to improvements in advice quality, planning processes, and client experience
Requirements
Skills & Experience Required
Essential
* Level 6 financial planning qualification (CII, CISI, or LIBF)
* Authorised to provide regulated financial advice in the UK (CF30 Approved Person or Certified under SM&CR)
* Significant experience delivering holistic, goals‑based financial planning to UK private clients
* Strong technical capability combined with sound professional judgement
* Excellent communication skills and the ability to build deep, trusted client relationships
* A demonstrable commitment to ethical advice and long‑term client outcomes
Strongly Preferred
* Chartered Financial Planner status and/or Certified Financial Planner™ (CFP™)
* Or clear evidence of operating at Chartered / CFP™ level in practice
* Experience advising high‑net‑worth or complex clients, including those in vulnerable circumstances
* Advanced cashflow modelling and scenario planning expertise
* Experience mentoring or supporting other advisers
* Being STEP and/or SOLLA qualified would be appealing
Personal Attributes
* Professionally confident, self‑directed, and accountable
* Thoughtful, calm, and measured in approach
* Comfortable making decisions without reliance on scripts or sales frameworks
* Organised, dependable, and discreet
* Motivated by long‑term relationships rather than short‑term wins
Important: Who This Role Is Not For
This role is not suited to individuals who:
* Are primarily motivated by sales targets, commissions, or new business volume
* Prefer heavily scripted processes or close supervision
* See compliance as an obstacle rather than a professional safeguard
* Lack the technical confidence to lead advice independently
* View Chartered status or CFP™ as a marketing label rather than a professional standard
* Are seeking a short‑term stepping stone rather than a long‑term professional home
This role is for a Financial Planner who takes pride in their professional standards, values autonomy and responsibility, and wants to build lasting client relationships within a firm that genuinely respects the craft of financial planning.
Benefits
What We Offer
* Competitive salary and remuneration aligned to advice quality and client retention, not volume
* Ongoing support for professional development, including CFP™, STEP and SOLLA progression
* A supportive, collaborative environment built around trust and professionalism
* The opportunity to work with established, loyal clients in a mature advice business
* A culture where professional judgement is respected and doing the right thing matters