Job Description

Job Title:      Financial Adviser

Location:       Woodbury, East Devon – EX5
Flexible working, anchored to the Woodbury office near Exeter and approximately 10 minutes from Junction 30 of the M5.

The role is full-time, permanent and employed. There are no fixed office days, with flexibility around homeworking, client appointments and how you manage your diary. The expectation is that advisers work with a high level of self-direction and transparency, while remaining available to clients and the wider team.

About Our Client:

William Highbourne Wealth Management is an independent, Chartered wealth management firm built on trust and long-term client relationships. Their approach is centred around wealth management across generations – taking the time to understand each client's circumstances, objectives and concerns before creating clear, achievable plans for their future.

The firm advises across investments, retirement planning, estate planning, long-term care, cash management and cashflow forecasting. It is owner-managed and operates its own managed portfolio service alongside external platforms.

This is a particularly attractive opportunity for an adviser who wants to focus on advising and building long-term client relationships rather than generating new business.

You will inherit an established book of long-standing existing clients from day one, with a structured 12-month plan to meet every household and establish yourself as their ongoing adviser. The firm invests in its own marketing and client acquisition, meaning new enquiries are generated for you rather than you being expected to prospect or bring a client bank.

Administration and paraplanning support is also being built around the adviser team, with the aim of moving research, report writing, processing and other administrative stages away from the adviser’s desk, allowing you to spend more of your time with clients.

You’ll work closely with two hands-on, technically strong Chartered principals within a business built around trusted, long-term client relationships.

Package Details:

The successful candidate will receive a basic salary of £60,000, with a remuneration structure designed to reward you from the first pound of new business rather than requiring you to clear a validation hurdle.

Other benefits include:

• £60,000 basic salary
• 25% of initial fees from the first pound, with no hurdle or validation level to clear
• Realistic earnings of approximately £82,000 in year one
• Potential earnings of £100,000+ by year three as the client bank grows
• Basic salary progression linked to the recurring income under your management, with salary reviewed upward only
• £400 per month car allowance
• 25 days’ holiday plus bank holidays
• 5% pension contribution
• Death in service at 6x salary
• Employee benefits platform
• All professional examination and Chartered progression costs funded
• Flexible working arrangements
• Established client bank from day one
• Firm-generated new enquiries – no self-generation required
• Administration and paraplanning support

Purpose of the role:

You’ll take responsibility for an established portfolio of the firm’s existing clients, taking over the relationships from a departing adviser and becoming their principal point of contact.

Your first 12 months will be focused heavily on meeting the inherited client bank, building trust and ensuring each household has a clear ongoing relationship with you. Performance during this period is primarily assessed on establishing and retaining those relationships, maintaining service standards and delivering high-quality, compliant advice.

You’ll also advise new clients introduced through the firm’s own marketing and lead-generation activity.

This is not a business development role. You are not expected to bring transferable clients, assets or a network of prospects. Your focus is on providing excellent advice, developing the relationships you inherit and growing the value of those relationships over time.

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Client Relationship Management: Take ownership of an established portfolio of existing clients, building strong and trusted long-term relationships.
• Client Reviews: Meet clients in line with their agreed service proposition, whether in the office, at their home or remotely.
• Financial Advice: Deliver regulated advice across investments, pensions and retirement planning, estate planning, long-term care, cash management and cashflow forecasting.
• Fact Finding: Complete comprehensive fact finds and accurately record clients’ circumstances, objectives and financial information.
• Risk Profiling: Assess and document attitude to risk, capacity for loss and the rationale behind agreed recommendations.
• Recommendation Delivery: Review research and analysis, determine suitable recommendations and clearly present these to clients.
• Implementation: Obtain client agreement and oversee the implementation of agreed financial planning recommendations.
• Ongoing Planning: Identify and respond to changes in clients’ circumstances, objectives and financial needs.
• New Clients: Advise new clients introduced through the firm’s own marketing and lead-generation activity.
• Professional Relationships: Work alongside clients’ solicitors, accountants and other professional advisers where appropriate.
• Technology: Use the firm’s back-office, research, meeting-capture and document-production systems as an integral part of the advice process.
• Compliance: Maintain accurate, compliant client files and work within FCA requirements, Consumer Duty and the firm’s internal compliance framework.
• Professional Development: Maintain your Statement of Professional Standing and CPD requirements while progressing towards further professional qualifications.

These responsibilities reflect the detailed adviser duties within the underlying job description.

The Ideal Employee:

This opportunity would suit an experienced Financial Adviser who enjoys the relationship and planning side of advice but would prefer to move away from the constant pressure of prospecting, self-generation and building a client bank from scratch.

You’ll be comfortable taking responsibility for established client relationships and confident advising independently within a regulated environment.

You should be technically capable, personable and able to explain complex financial matters in a clear and accessible way. You’ll also need to be comfortable using technology as a core part of the advice process and managing your own diary and workload within a small, collaborative team.

Experience required:

• Current experience providing regulated financial advice to your own clients
• Experience advising on pensions and investments
• Ideally, experience gained within an independent financial planning, IFA or wealth management environment
• Current Competent Adviser Status
• Current Statement of Professional Standing
• Strong understanding of FCA requirements and the regulatory responsibilities associated with providing financial advice
• Strong written and verbal communication skills
• Ability to explain complex financial planning matters clearly to clients
• Comfortable using back-office systems, research and analysis tools and digital document-production technology
• Able to independently manage your own diary, client relationships and workload
• Full UK driving licence and access to a vehicle for client meetings

The original specification proposes a minimum of two years’ practising experience as an authorised adviser, although this was originally marked for client confirmation.

Qualifications required:

• Level 4 qualification in regulated financial planning, such as the CII Diploma in Regulated Financial Planning, CISI Investment Advice Diploma, LIBF Diploma for Financial Advisers or equivalent
• Current Competent Adviser Status
• Current Statement of Professional Standing
• A commitment to progressing towards Chartered status, with the firm funding the associated examination and progression costs

Progress towards Chartered status is desirable, but you do not need to be Chartered when you join.

What You Don't Need:

• A transferable client bank
• Transferable assets
• Chartered status from day one
• A track record of self-generation
• Your own network of prospects

The firm is specifically looking for an adviser to take responsibility for the clients and opportunities it already has, rather than someone being recruited for the size of their existing book.