Family Office Associate

Our Firm

Companies and investment firms built today are scaling faster than at any time in history, but the founders and investors building the defining businesses of our era face a paradox: the more value they create, the faster the demands and complexity of their own financial lives compound. Santa Barbara Management was founded by a small group of accomplished business builders and investors who lived this problem first-hand and decided to solve it. To make this vision a reality, we have reimagined the family office experience from first principles, relentlessly questioning industry norms.

At Santa Barbara Management, we engineer wealth for exceptional builders and their families. Our innovative model has been painstakingly designed to deliver a fully-integrated, client-aligned solution that combines investments, tax, trusts and estates, financial operations, and strategic finance under one roof, within one team. We have built our firm to be the trusted advisory platform we wish we had as we navigated some of the most complex and consequential financial decisions of our lives.

Today, we serve some of the most accomplished founders and investors of our time and were just getting started.

The Role

Santa Barbara Management is growing quickly and the families we serve are among the most sophisticated in the country. We believe the best family office work looks nothing like the industry standard and we actively seek out innovative approaches to client service, ones that give our clients and our team deeper visibility into the decisions that shape their financial lives and push the boundaries of what a family office can deliver.

At SBM, the Family Office Associate is a core member of a close-knit client delivery pod, working directly with a Family CFO to serve a select group of ultra-high-net-worth families across their full financial landscape. This role is based in our Chicago office and for the right person, it is an opportunity to develop deep expertise across the full spectrum of family office functions, work closely with sophisticated clients and advisors, and help shape what our firm becomes.

What Youll Do

Deliver Reporting That Keeps Clients Informed

• Maintain the full financial picture for each client across balance sheet, income statement, cash flow, tax compliance and strategy, trust and estate reporting
• Prepare quarterly client reviews, ensuring accuracy and consistency across all data
• Perform ad hoc analysis and reporting on behalf of clients and internal teams, leveraging the best available tools to deliver faster and more precise insights

Support the Client Experience Day to Day

• Tackle bespoke projects for clients including financial analysis, personal administration, and research
• Support money movement and bill pay with a focus on high-touch, seamless execution
• Drive client satisfaction through excellent service, prompt follow-up, and proactive problem solving, operating at all times with the utmost discretion and a rigorous focus on client confidentiality

Grow, Build and Push Whats Possible

• Develop a strong working knowledge of taxes, portfolio construction, asset classes, investment products, and macroeconomics
• Cultivate a foundational understanding of trust and estate planning principles, including gifting, promissory notes, and trust and will development
• Stay ahead of how technology and AI are reshaping wealth management and actively contribute to how we adopt new tools, improve our workflows, and do work that actually moves the needle for our clients

Who You Are

You are a top performer in finance and looking for something different. Whether you have spent your career in wealth management, investment banking, consulting, or another corner of finance, you have built the foundations and are ready for a role that matches your ambition. You are energized by complexity and by clients who expect the best.

You want a seat at the table. You are eager to be part of something that is moving fast, thinking bigger, and redefining what is possible in an industry that has historically been slow to change. You bring a strong work ethic, a proactive mindset, and a drive to tackle challenges head-on.

You lean into ambiguity, bring a no-task-is-too-small mentality to everything you do, and are forward thinking about how work gets done. You spot inefficiencies, propose solutions, and are genuinely excited by the opportunity to integrate new tools and processes in a firm that is built to evolve. You want to be part of the conversations that shape how this firm operates and you do not accept the status quo just because it is familiar.

What We Look For

Finance Foundation: 2+ years of experience in finance or wealth management, ideally with a bachelor's degree and strong academic performance. You've worked across investments, tax, trust and estate, and financial operations. Exposure to family office services, complex client relationships, or UHNW financial structures is highly valued.

Analytical Excellence and Inventive Mindset: You think critically, work precisely, and manage competing priorities without losing accuracy. You are fluent in Excel, PowerPoint, and Word and comfortable building analysis and reports from scratch. Experience handling complex, multi-faceted projects with a high bar for quality and timeliness is a strong signal. You have an appetite for finding better ways to do things and are energized by new tools and technology that make the work sharper and faster.

Commitment to Client Partnership: You have a track record of delivering high-touch service in a client-facing or client-adjacent role. You communicate clearly and confidently with sophisticated clients and advisors, follow through on every commitment, and bring energy and care to every interaction no matter how large or small.

What We Offer

• Opportunity to Build Something Different: Santa Barbara Management is reimagining a significant, under-innovated category of financial services. The people who join us now will help shape how we serve our clients, how we build our platform, what this firm becomes and will have an opportunity to help redefine how this industry works.
• Exceptional Colleagues: Join an ambitious and exceptionally talented team led by people who have built category-leading businesses before. The bar is high, and that's the point. We move quickly, are highly collaborative, and care deeply about creating an environment where we make each other better every day.
• Meaningful Scope, Real Impact: SBM is growing quickly. There are no small roles, theres no entrenched hierarchy, and the opportunities for professional growth are significant.
• A Culture That Takes Care of Its People: Competitive compensation, comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage, a 401(k), paid parental leave for all parents, unlimited paid vacation, and an annual learning and development stipend. We apply the same standard of excellence to how we treat our team as we do to how we serve our clients.
• The Conditions to Do Your Best Work: This role is based in our Chicago office. We work together in person four days a week because the best ideas and the strongest cultures are built in the same room. We also trust our people to manage their time and energy like the professionals they are.

Compensation at SBM reflects the unique background and experience each person brings to the role. The expected base salary range for this position is $100,000-135,000. Beyond base salary, you will be eligible for a discretionary annual bonus which, for high performers, can represent a substantial part of total compensation. (edited)

Santa Barbara Management is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age, or any other legally protected status. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to any of the above characteristics. Santa Barbara Management is enrolled in E-Verify to confirm the identity and employment eligibility of all new employees.