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Form of workAbout Padua Solutions
Founded in 2013, Padua is a financial technology firm providing software and services to financial advice firms, superannuation funds, and financial services institutions. Padua specialises in the generation of high-quality financial advice and uniquely combines highly skilled resources with intelligent, proprietary technology.
Padua is focussed on solving advice accessibility and affordability issues in Australia and globally. Padua’s purpose is: “We create more value”. Padua’s vision is: “To provide solutions for better financial advice”.
Padua's software & services are used by leading Australian financial services institutions and licensors including: Colonial First State, BT, Findex, Count, Wealth Today and Fitzpatricks.
Purpose of the role
Responsible for providing timely, professional and high-quality Statement of Advice (SOA) documents for use by financial planner dealer groups, licensees and advisers. In addition, look to continually improve the efficiencies of the team in producing advice documentation especially through the collaboration of Padua’s Technology team.
This role is offered on a permanent basis to experienced paraplanners or paraplanning managers who are looking to move into a senior management role, managing a team of paraplanners and responsible for a group of premium clients. It is essential that candidates are highly proficient in a range of financial planning software systems (especially Xplan) and hold industry specific accreditation in the form of a Diploma or Advanced Diploma in Financial Planning as a minimum or preferably an Undergraduate or Masters degree in Financial Planning. This role is designed to work in conjunction with the completion of further studies where required.
Core responsibilities
This role is divided into three key areas:
Managing a Team of Paraplanners
- Workflow Management - maintain employee’s work schedules including job rotation and workload allocation of advice documents, product comparisons, modelling requests and peer reviews.
- Open communication to all staff both onsite and offsite.
- Coordinate Xplan logins, when required.
- Perform Manager Reviews of various advice documents to ensure they are compliant and returned in a timely manner.
- Assist in providing training to the Paraplanning team by:
o Developing technical assessments
o Coaching, mentoring and developing staff, including overseeing new employee (onsite and offsite) onboarding, and providing career development planning and opportunities.
o Provide performance reviews (quarterly) for your assigned team members in the presence of the Head of Paraplanning or a member of the People and Culture team.
o Coordinate formal and/or offsite training for staff, where required.
o Participate in induction sessions.
o Assist staff with training where required.
o Facilitating problem solving.
o Providing guidance to the team and assisting them to investigate and resolve any technical questions as they arise.
- Assist in providing leadership to the paraplanning team by:
o Developing strong relationships with paraplanning team members and management to facilitate effective team work.
o Empower employees to take responsibility for their jobs and goals. Delegate responsibility and expect accountability and regular feedback.
o Coaching and developing less experienced team members.
o Facilitating problem solving.
o Providing guidance to the team and assisting them to investigate and resolve any technical questions as they arise.
- Participate in team presentations and meetings when required.
- Participate in regular office meetings, QA Manager meetings and workshops.
- Working with the Technology team in continually seeking to identify ways of improving services offered.
- Assist with testing of new and developing products and provide feedback.
- Report any actual or potential breaches of law that are identified in the course of performing duties.
Managing clients
- Participate in regular ‘catch-up’ meetings with your client groups.
- Hold strategy meetings, when requested, with Advisers for SOA requests submitted.
- Assist in resolving client enquiries and building strong relationships with Padua’s network of dealer groups and advisers.
- Attend Professional Development days, compliance training sessions and/or relevant webinars.
- Ensure compliance throughout the preparation and delivery of all SOA documentation.
- When required, analyse and adjust product and strategy recommendations within prescribed constraints.
- Prioritise SOA production in order of importance based on the team’s assessment; and/or communication with your client groups.
- Adhere to the Australian Privacy Principles and ensure client confidentiality at all times.
Complex Paraplanning
- Prepare professional, comprehensive and high quality SOAs in a timely manner, when required.
- Identify inefficient processes and workflows and develop new procedural ideas to enhance the process and service offering.
- Maintain high levels of technical knowledge and keep up to date with current developments and trends in the financial services industry.
- Maintain professional standards in accordance with Padua’s professional expectations
Skills, knowledge and abilities
- Extensive knowledge of the financial planning advice process and the preparation of clear and concise advice documentation.
- A genuine and keen interest in financial planning especially in the preparation of advice.
- Able to clearly demonstrate superior levels of technical and financial skill, including financial modelling.
- Excellent communication skills in both writing reports and discussing matters orally.
- Able to provide constructive feedback where necessary.
- Willingness to engage in continuous learning to ensure currently of knowledge and skills.
- Takes personal accountability for themselves and team members delivering timely, accurate and high quality outcomes.
- Able to build and develop a wide network of productive relationships with both internal team members and external clients.
- Tertiary or post-graduate Financial Planning qualification and/or Diploma or Advanced Diploma qualifications in financial planning
- 7 years’ minimum experience in the preparation of SOAs, calculations and modelling
- Demonstrated experience in using financial planning modelling and plan writing software, ideally XPlan.
- A broad understanding of key technical issues relating to superannuation, retirement income streams, investments, insurance, taxation, social security and estate planning.
- Actively seeks information on the latest developments and trends in the financial services industry.
- Advanced keyboard and computer skills.
- Thorough knowledge of job related PC applications including:
o Microsoft word
o Microsoft excel
o Microsoft outlook
o Internet
