Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Wealth Management Seasonal Client Associate
đ° $18 - $30 / hr
đŻ Role Definition
The Wealth Management Seasonal Client Associate supports advisory teams and operations during peak periods (e.g., quarter-end, tax season, year-end account activity, and advisor conferences). This temporary/seasonal role focuses on client service, documentation intake, account maintenance, transaction processing, compliance support, and timely resolution of client and internal requests. The position requires high attention to detail, strong communication skills, and familiarity with custodial platforms and regulatory requirements (KYC/AML, SEC/FINRA standards).
Key keywords: Wealth Management Seasonal Client Associate, client service, account onboarding, KYC/AML, custodial platforms, trade support, wire and ACH processing, CRM updates, compliance escalation.
đ Career Progression
Typical Career Path
Entry Point From:
- Client Services Representative (bank branch or call center)
- Operations Assistant or Administrative Associate in financial services
- Recent graduate with internship experience in wealth management or financial services
Advancement To:
- Full-time Client Associate / Client Service Manager (Wealth Management)
- Operations Analyst or Trade Operations Specialist
- Paraplanner or Junior Advisor Support
- Relationship Associate supporting Financial Advisors
Lateral Moves:
- Custody Operations Specialist
- Onboarding & Documentation Specialist
- Compliance Operations Coordinator
Core Responsibilities
Primary Functions
- Serve as the primary seasonal point of contact for inbound client inquiries by phone and email, delivering timely and professional responses and escalating complex issues to advisors or managers.
- Perform new account openings and client onboarding tasks in custodial platforms (e.g., Schwab Advisor Center, Fidelity Institutional, Pershing) including account type validation and required disclosures.
- Collect, review, and verify client documentation for accuracy and completenessâaccount applications, transfer forms, beneficiary designations, trust documents, and power of attorney forms.
- Execute account maintenance transactions: address and contact updates, beneficiary changes, account ownership changes, and account closures, following internal controls and audit trail requirements.
- Initiate and process incoming/outgoing AC H transfers and wire transfers, ensuring wire instructions are validated and funds routing complies with AML controls.
- Support trade support and settlement tasks such as trade allocation entry, settlement verification, and resolving failed or unsettled trades with custodians and trading desks.
- Conduct KYC and AML reviews for seasonal account activity spikes, flagging and escalating suspicious activity to Compliance and BSA/AML officers.
- Update client records and activities in the CRM system (Salesforce, Redtail, Orion CRM) ensuring accurate notes, service tickets, and follow-up tasks are logged.
- Prepare meeting materials and client reports for advisors, including performance printouts, account statements, and fee schedule summaries during busy periods.
- Reconcile daily activity reports and transaction feeds from custodians; identify discrepancies and coordinate corrections with operations teams.
- Process distribution and withdrawal requests, ensure proper tax withholding elections, and coordinate with tax reporting teams for year-end activity.
- Complete transfer of assets (ACAT) paperwork and follow through on transfer tracking, resolving transfer holds or rejected transfers with external firms.
- Manage inbound and outbound correspondence including secure document uploads to client portals and imaging systems while maintaining confidentiality.
- Support client billing and fee processing by validating fee schedules, submitting billing adjustments, and communicating billing inquiries to advisors.
- Assist with preparation for audits by gathering documentation, explaining processes, and helping to remediate audit findings.
- Support advisors and planners by performing preliminary data pulls and report generation for client reviews and financial plan updates.
- Monitor and meet service-level agreements (SLAs) for response times, transaction processing, and documentation turnaround during peak windows.
- Maintain up-to-date knowledge of regulatory changes and custodian policy updates that impact account processing or client servicing.
- Participate in process improvement initiatives to streamline account opening, documentation workflows, and digital intake processes.
- Train and mentor other seasonal associates or temporary staff on system use, documentation standards, and escalation protocols.
- Coordinate with internal teamsâCompliance, Tax, Custody, Trading, ITâto resolve cross-functional issues and ensure continuity of client service.
- Perform ad-hoc projects such as bulk data cleanups, account sweeps, or remediation of failed documents under manager direction.
- Manage secure destruction or archival of sensitive documents according to firm policies and regulatory retention schedules.
- Create and maintain trackers (e.g., transfer status, documentation outstanding, wire confirmations) to keep advisors and managers informed of progress.
Secondary Functions
- Support post-season cleanup work such as reconciling outstanding items, closing temporary projects, and updating documentation statuses.
- Assist in preparing training material and quick reference guides for recurring seasonal tasks and system navigation tips.
- Help test and validate system updates or new workflows impacting account servicing and transaction processing.
- Collect feedback from advisors and clients to propose small-scale process enhancements for future peak seasons.
- Support digital adoption by assisting clients with online platform registration and secure messaging setup.
- Attend team huddles and debriefs to document lessons learned and compile a seasonal closeout report.
Required Skills & Competencies
Hard Skills (Technical)
- Proficient with custodial platforms and institutional portals (e.g., Schwab Advisor Center, Fidelity NetBenefits/Institutional, Pershing, RBC, TD Ameritrade Institutional).
- Experience using CRM systems (Salesforce, Redtail, Orion) to log activity, manage tasks, and prepare client-facing materials.
- Strong Microsoft Excel skills (VLOOKUP, pivot tables, formulas) for reconciliations, trackers, and data validation.
- Familiarity with wire and ACH processing, account transfer (ACAT) workflows, and settlement cycles.
- Working knowledge of KYC/AML procedures, OFAC screening, and basic regulatory requirements (SEC, FINRA, BSA).
- Document management and imaging systems experience (Laserfiche, DocFinity, or equivalent).
- Ability to extract and prepare client reports and performance statements from advisory reporting software (e.g., Tamarac, Orion).
- Basic understanding of investment products (mutual funds, ETFs, equities, fixed income) and advisor trading workflows.
- Experience with secure client portal platforms and e-signature tools (DocuSign, Adobe Sign).
- Familiarity with ticketing or workflow systems (ServiceNow, JIRA, Zendesk) to manage requests and escalations.
- Strong data entry accuracy and record-keeping with a focus on audit-readiness.
Soft Skills
- Exceptional client service orientation with professional phone, email, and written communication skills.
- High attention to detail and accuracy under time pressure.
- Strong organizational skills and ability to prioritize multiple competing tasks during peak periods.
- Problem-solving mindset with ability to escalate appropriately and drive resolution.
- Collaborative team player comfortable coordinating across advisors, operations, compliance, and external custodians.
- Adaptability and resilience in fast-paced seasonal environments.
- Discretion and commitment to confidentiality when handling sensitive client information.
- Time management and ability to meet strict SLAs and deadlines.
- Clear documentation and process-orientation to create repeatable, auditable workflows.
- Initiative to identify and propose process improvements.
Education & Experience
Educational Background
Minimum Education:
- High school diploma or equivalent required.
Preferred Education:
- Bachelor's degree in Finance, Business, Economics, Accounting, or related field preferred.
Relevant Fields of Study:
- Finance
- Business Administration
- Economics
- Accounting
- Financial Planning
Experience Requirements
Typical Experience Range:
- 0â3 years in financial services, wealth management, client service, or operations roles.
Preferred:
- 1â2 years of experience in a wealth management, brokerage, or custodial operations environment.
- Prior exposure to account opening, onboarding, KYC/AML procedures, or trade support preferred.
- Familiarity with industry regulations (SEC/FINRA/BSA) and experience working with custodial platforms and CRM systems is highly desirable.
Notes for hiring managers and applicants: Use this recruiter-optimized description to attract seasonal talent for busy periods in wealth management. Emphasize keywords such as âWealth Management Seasonal Client Associate,â âclient onboarding,â âcustodial platforms,â âKYC/AML,â and âtrade supportâ to improve search visibility on job boards and applicant tracking systems.