Financial Services Practice/Operations Manager

Job Description

• Driving operational excellence, financial oversight and service delivery, this role manages processes and execution in an established financial services practice. This full-time, in-office, position enables financial advisers to concentrate on client advisory relationships, financial planning, and business growth.
• The role holds full accountability for practice operations, compliance support, client onboarding lifecycle management, and business development tracking.

Key Responsibilities

• Practice Operations & Workflow Management: Oversee day-to-day administrative operations, standardise internal operational procedures, coordinate daily priorities across support teams, and monitor task SLAs and turnaround times. Maintain office technology, software platforms, and vendor relationships.
• Governance, Compliance & Risk Management: Enforce adherence to the regulatory compliance framework (FICA, FAIS, POPIA), collaborate with the Compliance Officer, audit client files, manage the regulatory complaints process, and support external audit preparations.
• Client Administration & Service Delivery: Manage end-to-end client onboarding, oversee execution of investment instructions, asset transfers, and new applications, clear administrative roadblocks with product providers, and coordinate periodic client reviews.
• Financial Management & Business Reporting: Assist with annual budget management, track revenue, expenses, commission receipts, and recurring fee income, manage debtors and income reconciliations, and compile monthly management reports covering operational and financial performance.
• Team Leadership & People Management: Supervise, guide, and evaluate administrative, paraplanning, and support staff, establish clear KPIs, manage staff recruitment, onboarding, and training, and coordinate leave schedules and workload allocation.
• Business Development Support: Maintain tracking systems for sales pipelines, lead conversions, and marketing efforts, coordinating client retention strategies to support growth in Assets Under Management (AUM).

Requirements
Essential Requirements

• Minimum 3 to 5+ years of operational leadership, practice management, or senior administrative experience within a Financial Planning practice / FSP environment.
• Deep knowledge of financial planning workflows, investment platforms, and regulatory requirements (FICA, FAIS, POPIA).
• Proven team leadership, process-mapping, and workflow optimisation skills.
• Strong commercial acumen with experience reading financial data, tracking budgets, and compiling management reports.
• Clear, professional verbal and written communication skills.

Desirable Requirements

• Certified Financial Planner (CFP) qualification.

Required Software Skills

• Financial planning CRMs
• Administrative platforms
• Office software
• Canva
• Mailchimp