Position
The Trust Operations Lead will oversee the Trust Operations function for the Rockefeller Trust Companies (RTC) — Rockefeller’s Delaware and nationally chartered (OCC-regulated) trust companies — a differentiated fiduciary offering of the Rockefeller Private Office. Reporting to the Head of Operations for Rockefeller Capital Management, this leader holds end-to-end accountability for the operating model, controls, and day-to-day execution of trust operations. The Trust Operations Lead manages a team of operations professionals and plays a major role in managing the relationship with the firm’s trust platform technology provider, ensuring the systems, processes, and controls that support fiduciary account administration are efficient, resilient, and audit-ready.
We are seeking a solutions-oriented, strategic thinker who looks around corners and thrives on delivering white glove service to internal and external clients, in line with Rockefeller’s culture of excellence. We seek a highly proactive leader and operator who anticipates control weaknesses before they materialize, pressure-tests processes, designs durable solutions that scale, and builds institutional credibility with Internal Audit, Compliance, and regulators.
Responsibilities
- Lead, manage, and develop a team of Trust Operations professionals, establishing clear accountability, coverage, and a consistent daily operating cadence across the Delaware and nationally chartered trust companies.
- Own the end-to-end Trust Operations operating model — people, process, and technology — establishing the practices, processes, and procedures that govern trust account transactions and fiduciary account administration.
- Play a major role in managing the relationship with the firm’s trust platform technology provider, including service levels, system releases and upgrades, automation, and integration across multiple inter-related platforms.
- Design, implement, and own end-to-end control frameworks across systems, with clear ownership, evidence standards, and governance.
- Anticipate emerging control weaknesses early, pressure-test processes, and prevent repeat failures through proactive, prevention-first issue management.
- Manage relationships with external custodians, systems vendors, proxy voting vendors, statement vendors, and tax reporting providers; resolve complex, sensitive issues involving securities trades and trust account transactions.
- Oversee the timely and accurate completion of trust regulatory and tax reporting, including OCC fiduciary requirements (Regulation 9) and annual Reg 9 account reviews, call reports, and applicable state and federal filings, in coordination with Compliance and Tax.
- Drive complex, cross-functional workstreams and transformation initiatives with clear timelines, accountability, escalation paths, and closure of open items.
- Maintain audit-ready documentation discipline — procedures, root-cause analyses, remediation plans, and routine reporting that stand up to Internal Audit, Compliance, and regulatory scrutiny.
- Establish and run a standing governance cadence (e.g., weekly operations review, monthly controls review, and quarterly Trust Operations & Compliance Committee reporting) with defined owners and standard artifacts.
- Own centralized issue management — a single backlog for findings and incidents with severity, root cause, remediation owners, due dates, and evidence requirements.
- Contribute to the Risk and Control Self-Assessment (RCSA) program in coordination with executive management, senior managers, and quality assurance.
- Make decisions regarding hiring, performance management, and staffing; evaluate performance and recommend salary actions and promotions.
Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree required.
- 10–15 years of experience in Trust Operations, including leadership of regulated fiduciary operations at scale.
- Experience with both Delaware and nationally chartered trust companies regulated by the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) strongly preferred.
- Demonstrated experience owning the relationship with — and the implementation, optimization, and integration of — a trust accounting or trust platform technology provider.
- Deep knowledge of trust and fiduciary requirements, including OCC Regulation 9, account and asset transfer policies, securities settlement, and fiduciary tax reporting.
- Thorough knowledge of securities and securities trading.
- Track record of designing and owning end-to-end control frameworks in an audit- and examination-ready environment.
Skills
- Solutions-oriented, strategic thinker who “looks around corners” — highly proactive, anticipating issues and preventing repeat failures.
- Strong technical and systems-integration fluency to manage multiple, inter-related platforms and scale processes efficiently.
- Deep regulatory, risk, and controls expertise; able to design, implement, and own end-to-end control frameworks with clear ownership and evidence standards.
- Strong program and execution leadership; drives complex cross-functional workstreams to closure without external escalation.
- Audit-ready documentation and reporting discipline (procedures, root-cause analyses, remediation plans).
- Constructive, collaborative leadership style that invites challenge and builds credibility with Internal Audit, Compliance, and regulators.
- Excellent leadership ability to direct, motivate, and develop staff.
- Excellent verbal and written communication, organizational ability, and attention to detail.
Compensation Range
The anticipated base salary range for this role is $150,000 to $175,000. Base salary for the role will depend on several factors, including a candidate’s qualifications, skills, competencies, and experience, and may fall outside of the range shown. In addition, this role may be eligible for a discretionary bonus. Rockefeller Capital Management offers a comprehensive benefit package including health coverage, vacation time, paid leave, retirement plan, and more. Visit careers.rockco.com to learn more about additional opportunities and benefits offerings.