Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for a Trust Assistant

🎯 Role Definition

The Trust Assistant is the organizational cornerstone of a successful trust administration team. This position is pivotal in providing high-level administrative and client service support to Trust Officers and Wealth Managers, ensuring the seamless, compliant, and efficient management of client trusts, estates, and investment agency accounts.

More than a standard administrative function, the Trust Assistant acts as a key liaison for clients, beneficiaries, and their professional advisors (attorneys, CPAs). The role demands a unique blend of meticulous attention to detail, financial acumen, empathy, and unwavering professionalism. You will be instrumental in handling highly sensitive information, executing complex financial transactions, and maintaining the impeccable records that form the foundation of the fiduciary duty owed to clients. This role is ideal for a detail-oriented and proactive individual who thrives in a sophisticated, client-focused environment.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

Legal Assistant or Paralegal (especially from a Trusts & Estates practice)
Financial Services Administrator or Client Service Associate
Executive Assistant in a professional services firm (legal, finance, accounting)

Advancement To:

Trust Administrator
Senior Trust Administrator or Trust Officer
Fiduciary Specialist or Relationship Manager

Lateral Moves:

Wealth Management Associate
Compliance Assistant
Private Banking Assistant

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

Assist Trust Officers in the comprehensive, day-to-day administration of a diverse portfolio of trust, estate, conservatorship, and investment agency accounts.
Serve as a primary point of contact for clients, beneficiaries, and their advisors, professionally handling a wide range of inquiries and service requests with confidentiality and care.
Prepare and process various financial transactions, including discretionary and recurring distributions, bill payments, wire transfers, and security asset transfers with a high degree of accuracy.
Facilitate the complete lifecycle of account administration, from coordinating the opening of new accounts to executing the closing and asset distribution process, ensuring all documentation is complete.
Meticulously gather, verify, and process all required documentation for new accounts, ensuring full compliance with internal policies, Know Your Customer (KYC), and Anti-Money Laundering (AML) regulations.
Coordinate and execute beneficiary distribution requests, which includes verifying beneficiary information, confirming amounts, securing necessary approvals, and documenting the transaction.
Assemble and prepare comprehensive materials for client meetings, annual trust reviews, and investment policy committee meetings, including account statements, performance reports, and meeting agendas.
Maintain impeccable and organized client files, both physical and digital, ensuring all legal documents, correspondence, transaction records, and notes are accurately filed and readily accessible for audits and review.
Proactively monitor account cash balances to manage liquidity, identify potential overdrafts, and ensure funds are available for anticipated distributions, taxes, and fees.
Assist with the complex process of estate settlement, including gathering and inventorying assets, securing date-of-death valuations, and coordinating with legal counsel and tax preparers.
Draft professional and clear client correspondence, internal memos, and formal reports on behalf of Trust Officers, ensuring a consistent and high-quality communication standard.
Manage the administrative aspects of real estate, partnerships, and other non-financial assets held in trust, including coordinating property tax payments, insurance renewals, and maintenance.
Diligently track and process life insurance premium payments for policies held within Irrevocable Life Insurance Trusts (ILITs), ensuring policies are properly funded and do not lapse.
Develop proficiency in the firm’s trust accounting system (e.g., SEI, AddVantage, FIS) to input data, generate customized reports, and research client account activity and history.
Manage and coordinate the calendars for one or more Trust Officers, scheduling client appointments, internal team meetings, and conference calls with external partners.

Secondary Functions

Support ad-hoc data requests and exploratory data analysis for client-specific or departmental reporting needs.
Contribute to the organization's data integrity by diligently reviewing and cleansing client and account data within CRM and trust accounting systems.
Collaborate effectively with internal partners in operations, compliance, tax, and investment management to resolve client issues and streamline complex, multi-step processes.
Participate in internal and external audit preparations by gathering requested documentation and providing clear explanations of administrative procedures.
Act as a supportive team player by providing backup coverage for other assistants within the trust department, ensuring uninterrupted client service during team member absences.
Take initiative to identify and suggest process improvements within administrative workflows to enhance efficiency, accuracy, and the overall client experience.
Prepare and submit team member expense reports and process vendor invoices related to trust administration activities, ensuring proper coding and timely payment.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

High proficiency in the Microsoft Office Suite, particularly with Excel (for data manipulation and reporting), Word (for correspondence), and Outlook (for calendar management).
Prior experience with a trust accounting system (e.g., SEI, FIS, AddVantage, SunGard) or a comprehensive wealth management/CRM platform is strongly preferred.
Solid understanding of basic accounting principles and familiarity with processing financial transactions like wires, ACH payments, and securities transfers.
Foundational knowledge of fiduciary principles, common trust and estate terminology, and the purpose of different trust vehicles (e.g., Revocable, Irrevocable, ILIT).
Exceptional data entry skills with a commitment to accuracy and the ability to maintain meticulous and well-organized digital and physical records.
Familiarity with regulatory compliance procedures, including Know Your Customer (KYC), Anti-Money Laundering (AML), and data privacy standards.

Soft Skills

Impeccable organizational and time-management skills, with a proven ability to manage multiple competing priorities and deadlines in a fast-paced environment.
Superior attention to detail; demonstrates a commitment to accuracy and excellence in all work, from processing a multi-million dollar transaction to drafting a simple client email.
Outstanding interpersonal and communication skills (both written and verbal), with the poise and confidence to interact effectively with high-net-worth individuals, their families, and their professional advisors.
A high level of personal integrity, discretion, and an innate ability to handle confidential and sensitive financial and personal information with the utmost professionalism.
A proactive, resourceful, and solutions-oriented mindset, with the capacity to work independently with minimal supervision while also functioning as a highly collaborative team member.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

Associate's Degree or equivalent combination of education and professional experience.

Preferred Education:

Bachelor's Degree.

Relevant Fields of Study:

Finance
Business Administration
Accounting
Paralegal Studies

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range: 2-5 years of professional experience in an administrative or client-facing support role.

Preferred: Direct experience within a bank trust department, a law firm's trusts and estates practice, a family office, or a wealth management firm is highly desirable.