Associate / Financial Planner | Pathway to Lead Financial Planner

Chris_Hindle1 · September 7

Associate / Financial Planner | Pathway to Lead Financial Planner

Looking for a role where you can focus on doing financial planning properly, build meaningful client relationships and continue developing as a Financial Planner?

This is an opportunity to work directly alongside our Managing Director, helping to onboard new clients and advise existing ones, with structured support, training and mentorship as you transition to a Lead Financial Planner.

What’s In It For You?

Our package is designed to reward great work, invest in your development, support your wellbeing and give you genuine flexibility.

Salary: £57,500–£72,500, depending on experience
Growth allowance: 5% of salary each year for personal and professional development
Wellbeing allowance: 4% of salary paid as a cash allowance to support your wellbeing
Annual bonus: Up to 5% of salary
Reduced working week: 35.5 hours, including a 3pm finish every Friday
Remote working: Remote working: Work remotely anywhere within the UK, with flexible working hours
Work abroad: Work overseas for up to 90 days each year
Pension: Employer contributions matched up to 7% of full salary
Holiday: 24 days + bank holidays + your birthday + additional long-service leave, with the option to purchase more
Sabbatical: One fully paid month every three years
Health plan: Annual health screening + medical cash plan
Professional development: Professional exams and relevant training are fully funded
Charity days: Up to two paid charity days with the team each year

As a remote-first team, we primarily work from home, but come together in the South West for quarterly team days.

Career Progression

We offer a clear, structured pathway from Associate Financial Planner to Lead Financial Planner.

Associate Financial Planner: £57,500–£72,500 base salary, depending on experience
Lead Financial Planner: A higher compensation range, with further progression as your responsibility, capability and contribution grow

Our career pathway provides substantial long-term earning potential without relying on sales targets or commission.

About The Role

This role is designed for an experienced, client-facing financial planning professional who wants to develop into a Lead Financial Planner. You may already hold a Financial Adviser or Financial Planner title elsewhere, but lack the structure, support or clear pathway to progress your career.

During the first 12 months, you'll work predominantly alongside our Managing Director and Certified Financial Planner. You'll help onboard new clients and advise existing ones, including some of Frazer James' most valuable and complex relationships. You'll receive structured training, coaching and mentorship throughout.

You'll build relationships with new clients from the outset, helping develop their financial plans from day one. As your capability develops, you'll progressively take greater responsibility for meetings, advice, and client relationships, with clients transitioning to your stewardship over time.

The aim is for you to progress to a Lead Financial Planner role within 24 months, taking primary responsibility for your own clients, with support from a dedicated Paraplanner and Administrator.

This is a remote-first UK role, with travel to Bristol for quarterly team days and occasional client meetings.

What You’ll Be Doing

First 12 Months:

From day one, you'll be actively involved in client meetings, working alongside our Managing Director and Certified Financial Planner:

Attend and actively contribute to new and existing client meetings.

Play an active role in onboarding new clients and developing their financial plans.
Work on some of the firm's highest-value, most complex and strategically important client cases.
Identify planning opportunities and develop comprehensive recommendations alongside our Financial Planners and Paraplanners.
Coordinate the implementation of advice with our wider team.

Months 12–24 – Associate Planner to Lead Planner Transition

As your capability and relationships develop, you'll progressively:

Lead client meetings and deliver advice with appropriate support and oversight.
Take greater ownership of financial planning recommendations and outcomes.
Become the primary Financial Planner for clients you've already helped to onboard and advise.
Develop the judgement and leadership required to take full responsibility for your own client relationships.

Beyond 24 months – Lead Financial Planner

Once fully transitioned, you'll take primary responsibility for your own clients, supported by a dedicated Paraplanner and Administrator. You will:

Take end-to-end responsibility for your client relationships and their ongoing financial planning.
Build deep, long-term relationships with clients and their families, becoming a trusted partner in their financial lives.
Lead a dedicated Paraplanner and Administrator, setting clear expectations and maintaining high standards of client service and advice delivery.

Essential requirements:

Financial planning experience: At least four years' experience within a UK financial advisory or financial planning firm.
Meaningful client experience: At least two years regularly participating in client meetings in a substantive capacity.
Financial planning approach: Experience with comprehensive financial planning and cashflow modelling rather than predominantly product-led advice.
Qualifications: Level 4 Diploma qualified, with a willingness to work towards Certified Financial Planner status if not already achieved.
Remote-working experience: Experience working remotely and a clear preference for continuing to work predominantly from home.
Technical capability: Strong technical knowledge across the core areas of financial planning and confidence using technology.
Client communication: The confidence, credibility and interpersonal skills to build trusted relationships and contribute effectively to new-client conversations.
Judgement and dependability: A considered, organised approach, strong attention to detail and a track record of following through on commitments.
Long-term outlook: You're looking for a firm where you can build your career, take on greater responsibility and contribute to its long-term growth.
Values: Strong alignment with our values of integrity, excellence, dependability, respect and commercial acumen.
Values: Strong alignment with our values of integrity, excellence, dependability, respect and commercial acumen.

Desirable Preferences:

Certified Financial Planner status already achieved.
Experience taking the lead in some client meetings or relationships.
Previous experience across paraplanning or administration, as well as advisory work.

Why You’ll Love Working With Us:

Frazer James is a multi-award-winning independent financial planning firm. Since 2019, we've grown organically through referrals and strong client relationships, and now advise around 140 families with more than £150 million under management.

We're a small, ambitious team that cares deeply about doing financial planning properly. You'll work alongside Certified Financial Planners, Chartered Paraplanners and experienced support professionals who take pride in the quality of their work and the difference it makes to clients.

You'll join our team of eight at a pivotal stage of growth as we establish our third client team, with the opportunity to progress through the Associate pathway to become its Lead Financial Planner.

Being a small team means your contribution matters. You'll have a genuine voice in how we work, the autonomy to use your judgement, and the opportunity to help shape our proposition as Frazer James continues to grow.