Director of Operations

About Bridges Trust

Bridges Trust is a privately-owned trust and wealth management firm providing comprehensive trust, wealth management, family office, and strategic planning services for a growing client base of successful individuals and families, endowments and foundations, business owners, and corporations. Our experienced team of professionals in investments, trusts, and philanthropy are dedicated to helping our clients develop and implement innovative and effective strategies to preserve and maximize their wealth across generations.

Bridges Trust is built on the tenacity and ethic of our team members. We are united in our commitment to deliver expertise and unparalleled service and look forward to adding team members who align with our values of trust, service, excellence, and performance.

About the role

The Director of Operations serves as a strategic business partner, ensuring operational capabilities evolve alongside the firm's growth. Through strong leadership, data-driven decision making, and effective change management, this individual builds efficient, scalable processes that enable exceptional service to clients and support the firm's long-term strategic objectives.

What you'll do

The Director of Operations is responsible for leading the firm's operational strategy and execution across investment and trust operations while driving continuous process improvement, operational excellence, and cross-functional collaboration. This role partners closely with leaders across the firm to identify opportunities to simplify processes, improve scalability, reduce operational risk, and enhance the client experience.

• Develop and execute an operational strategy that aligns with the firm's strategic priorities and supports continued growth.
• Lead enterprise process improvement initiatives by evaluating current workflows, identifying inefficiencies, and implementing scalable solutions that improve quality, consistency, and efficiency across the firm.
• Lead, coach, and develop the Operations team, fostering accountability, collaboration, continuous learning, and high performance.
• Foster strong cross-functional partnerships with Client Service, Relationship Management, Investments, Compliance, and other departments improve collaboration, eliminate operational friction, and enhance the client experience.
• Champion a culture of continuous improvement by encouraging innovation, process standardization, automation, and thoughtful change management.
• Establish, document, and maintain operational policies, procedures, and internal controls that support regulatory requirements while promoting operational excellence.
• Identify operational risks and proactively implement controls and process enhancements that strengthen the firm's operating environment.
• Evaluate existing technologies and emerging solutions to improve automation, workflow efficiency, reporting capabilities, and scalability.
• Serve as the primary relationship manager for key operational vendors, maintaining strategic partnerships and evaluating new technology solutions that support the firm's evolving needs.
• Utilize operational metrics and key performance indicators to measure effectiveness, identify trends, and support data-driven decision making.
• Partner with firm leadership on strategic initiatives, acquisitions, integrations, and operational projects that support firm growth.
• Promote collaboration across departments by facilitating communication, aligning priorities, and ensuring operational processes effectively support business objectives.
• Ensure investment and trust operational processes are executed accurately, efficiently, and in accordance with applicable regulatory requirements.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Finance, Accounting, Operations Management, or a related field.
• Minimum of ten years of progressive operational leadership experience within a wealth management firm, trust company, bank, or registered investment adviser.
• Demonstrated success leading process improvement initiatives, operational transformation, and cross-functional projects.
• Experience managing complex operational environments with multiple business stakeholders.

Required Skills and Proficiency

• Strategic thinking with the ability to translate organizational goals into operational execution.
• Strong process improvement, workflow analysis, and operational design capabilities.
• Proven ability to influence and collaborate across departments and leadership teams.
• Excellent communication, facilitation, and relationship-building skills.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and decision-making abilities.
• Experience leading organizational change and driving adoption of new processes.
• Understanding of investment accounting, custody operations, trust administration, and operational controls within a wealth management environment.
• Advanced proficiency with FIS Trust Desk and Advent APX preferred.
• Ability to balance strategic initiatives with operational execution.
• Strong leadership, coaching, and talent development skills.
• Advanced organizational and project management capabilities.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office applications, particularly Excel.
• Experience evaluating and implementing operational technology solutions and workflow automation tools.