JOB DESCRIPTION
The Global Head of Trusts & Estates is responsible for client delivery, fiduciary governance, talent, sales and growth, and operating model across the Trust & Estates business of the Private Bank, JPMA, and CWM.
Trust and estate administration sits at the center of multi-generational wealth planning. This role requires a rare combination of deep technical expertise and executive leadership: the ability to navigate trust and tax considerations across jurisdictions, exercise excellent fiduciary judgment under scrutiny, and deliver a consistently exceptional client experience in complex, often sensitive family situations. The successful candidate will serve as the global platform owner—setting direction, aligning priorities across regions, and driving execution in close partnership with regional fiduciary leaders, Wealth Planning, Fiduciary Management, Legal, Compliance, Risk, Operations, Technology, and senior Private Bank leadership.
Job Responsibilities
Strategic leadership & platform ownership
- Set the global vision, strategy, and multi-year roadmap for Trusts & Estates, balancing client needs, fiduciary obligations, regulatory requirements, and platform capacity.
- Define and evolve the global operating model (service model, governance routines, decision rights, escalation paths, performance management) to deliver a cohesive and scalable fiduciary offering.
- Establish and track clear KPIs across client delivery, risk/control performance, productivity/cycle times, and talent outcomes.
Client experience & wealth planning integration
- Ensure best-in-class fiduciary administration and client outcomes globally, with an emphasis on quality, responsiveness, discretion, and consistency.
- Partner with Private Bankers, Advisors, and Wealth Planners to integrate trust and estate solutions into holistic wealth strategies, including tax-aware planning considerations.
- Serve as a senior fiduciary leader on complex matters—providing judgment, calm, and clarity in high-stakes situations.
Fiduciary governance, risk & controls
- Own the governance framework across the Trust and Estates business, including account acceptance standards, periodic account reviews, discretionary decision governance (as applicable), documentation discipline, and ongoing oversight.
- Partner closely with Legal, Compliance, Operational Risk, and control functions to maintain a strong and proactive risk culture across jurisdictions.
- Drive transparency and accountability through management information, trend analysis, issue escalation, and durable remediation.
Growth & market leadership
- Partner with the Private Bank’s leadership to drive growth.
- Strengthen and articulate J.P. Morgan’s fiduciary value proposition, and represent the platform with senior internal stakeholders and, where appropriate, key clients and centers of influence.
- Improve commercial effectiveness through clear segmentation, capacity planning, service models, and pricing/fee governance in partnership with stakeholders.
Talent leadership & capability building
- Lead, develop, and retain a global team of fiduciary professionals and regional leaders; build succession depth and a strong performance culture.
- Set and reinforce global standards for fiduciary talent: technical excellence, judgment, client orientation, and risk discipline.
- Create development plans across performance levels and raise leadership capability across regions.
Operating model modernization
- Identify and execute opportunities to improve quality, efficiency, and scalability through process optimization, technology enablement, workflow redesign, and reporting/management routines.
Required Qualifications, Capabilities and Skills
- 10–15+ years of relevant fiduciary experience in trusts & estates (corporate trustee/fiduciary platform experience strongly preferred).
- Proven track record running a complex global business / Managing large teams
- Demonstrated success leading complex, high-judgment businesses serving U/HNW clients and families across multiple regions and stakeholder groups.
- Strong wealth planning orientation and the ability to operate at the intersection of fiduciary administration, trust law, and tax considerations across jurisdictions (with sound instincts on when to engage local experts and how to drive consistent outcomes globally).
- Proven control orientation and governance leadership (acceptance, oversight, documentation rigor, effective escalation).
- Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, executive presence, and ability to influence in a matrixed organization.
- Bachelor’s degree required.
Preferred Qualifications, Capabilities and Skills
- J.D. preferred (or equivalent advanced legal/technical credential in relevant jurisdictions).
- Experience modernizing a regulated platform or operating model (process simplification, technology enablement, governance routines) while maintaining strong controls.
- Multi-jurisdiction exposure across major trust and fiduciary centers and the ability to lead through differing fiduciary regimes and regulatory expectations.