Chief Operating Officer

Plancorp is searching for a chief operating officer (COO) to join our growing team in our St. Louis, MO headquarters. We advocate for clients by proactively guiding them through all aspects of their financial lives. The firm provides comprehensive, holistic financial planning and investment advisory services for individuals, families, business owners, non-profit and institutional clients. We assist clients in articulating meaningful goals and attaining those goals through actions and strategies consistent with their specified values. 

*We are open to candidates living in a surrounding state, willing to travel 25% to our HQ in St. Louis, MO*

Who We Are: 

• Nationally recognized fee-only RIA firm 
• St. Louis based; in business for 40 years 
• AUM approximately $6 billion 
• Majority employee owned and controlled  
• Serving individuals, families, business owners, non-profit and institutional clients 

Position overview: 

We seek an individual who has strong leadership and project management skills to help us optimize the firm today, as well as integrate acquired firms in the future. They must have the ability to first collaborate, then give directional clarity across back-of-the house functions, ensuring our business runs smoothly. The ideal candidate has extensive experience within the financial services industry, preferably having worked their way up to a leadership role where they are familiar with various practices, policies, and procedures of our industry.  

They must be able to hold both themselves and leaders who report to them accountable through clearly communicating expectations, being hands-on in managing projects, supporting the relationships and mechanisms through which work gets done, and having communication systems in place to ensure feedback loops happen and progress is made and reported to appropriate stakeholders. 

Objectives of this role: 

• Contributes toward setting, driving, and executing on organizational strategy 
• Translates strategy into actionable steps for growth and/or efficiency in our business through goal setting, leading cross-functional project teams, and tracking of key business metrics 
• Enhances employee productivity through efficient use of technology and keeping our organization process-oriented, ensuring firm-level goals are met in a way that is consistent with our Core Values 
• Identifies opportunities that can grow our business, reduce costs, and increase efficiency, and communicates with the appropriate stakeholders regarding how we might capitalize on those opportunities. 

Responsibilities: 

Like all roles at Plancorp, duties and special projects may vary, but in general, the COO… 

• Gathers input, build consensus, and take decisive action on issues that affect the firm as a whole 

• Leads, coaches and develops managers to ensure they are achieving desired outcomes 
• Identifies areas for process enhancement and leads/monitors projects to implement changes 
• Fosters a success-oriented, accountable environment within the firm 
• Builds and maintains trusting relationships with key stakeholders  
• Demonstrates a willingness to take on new tasks with a general attitude that no task is too small, impossible, or cannot be improved 
• Leads collaboration between Technology and lines of business to continuously develop/improve technology systems that enhance operational efficiencies and ensure Plancorp can maintain exceptional service levels as the business continues to grow 
• Enables the Investment and Portfolio Management functions to perform at a high level to support our employees’ and clients’ needs 
• Collaborates with Marketing on a consistent external brand message and experience  
• Works closely with CFO to plan capital expenditures and manage expenses to ensure that the firm achieves targets for growth and profitability 
• Partners with the Talent function to hire and retain high performing employees 
• Works autonomously while ensuring CEO’s expectations are readily met or exceeded  
• Provides timely, accurate and complete reports to the Board of Managers on the operating condition of the firm 
• In the future, plays a key role in the integration of acquired firms. 

What you bring: 

• Five or more years of experience in leadership roles with project management responsibilities 
• Demonstrated ability to diagnose problems quickly and foresee potential issues 
• Understanding of advanced business planning and regulatory issues 
• Solid grasp of data analysis and performance metrics 
• Knowledge and application of accounting principles 

• Experience in the assessment, development and implementation of technology solutions, preferably in financial services  
• Excellent communication skills, steadfast resolve, and personal integrity 
• M&A due diligence and integration experience is strongly preferred. 
• Bachelor’s degree in business, accounting, finance, or a related field 

Why Work With Us? 

You’ll have the opportunity to learn from our team of experts, do work that touches people’s lives, and be a part of our unique culture. We take great care of the people who take care of our clients. Comprehensive rewards package includes health benefits, retirement plan and quarterly bonuses. People from underrepresented communities are encouraged to apply.  

About our Core Values 

At Plancorp, we have five Core Values that are behavioral standards for everything we do. We use these standards to assess candidates, as well as to rate employee performance: 

• Stay Accountable 
• Embrace Collaboration 
• Be Adaptable 
• Work Wisely 
• Lead with a Positive Attitude 

We look forward to discussing our Core Values with you!