ESOP Administrator

The Company:

Merit is a fast growing, pioneering financial services firm that invests heavily in the growth and development of team members. Merit seeks to establish, educate, and help individuals reach their financial goals as they transition into and experience retirement. With an unswerving commitment to excellence and reliability, Merit provides objective financial advice and believes in establishing long-lasting relationships. By offering an array of services, clients can receive tailored solutions that promote growth and help them achieve financial goals.

 Merit believes in addressing the retirement challenges in America by helping clients reach financial freedom and confidence to the working population and retirees alike. This focus on comprehensive financial wellness enables us to deliver the ultimate client experience.

 Headquartered in Alpharetta, GA, with 39 locations across the country, Merit balances tactical advice with innovative strategy. Our 250 hardworking employees are leaders rooted in humility and we are poised to grow. Merit is a multi-generational firm with a foundation built around servant leadership and total team leadership. We have been recognized as a “Best Places to Work” by InvestmentNews and have made the fastest growing companies list in both INC 5000 and Georgia’s Fastest 40. As we expand and work to bring our relationship-driven approach to the financial industry, we are looking for the right individuals to join our team.

The Position:

The Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) Administrative Coordinator is to serve as the central point of contact and support for our ESOP Trustee to achieve business objectives. This includes, but is not limited to, communication, scheduling, and preparation. This position manages and maintains knowledge of ESOP structure, compliance, and administration to connect and leverage relationships/networks, business tools, and information to increase effectiveness and efficiency.

Responsibilities:

•  Serve as main point of contact between Trustee and internal/external clients
• Screen Trustee’s incoming email and calls and direct requests as appropriate
• Manage a dynamic and complex calendar and agenda across a broad range of constituencies (internal, external, and personal)
• Organize, prioritize and expedite flow of work through ticketing system by providing answers to immediate issues in his/her absence or contacting him/her remotely to alert of critical work situations
• Manage all aspects of Trustee’s travel; prepare itineraries, book lodging and rental cars, meeting/conference RSVPs, and submit/reconcile travel expenses
• Attend meetings as requested 
• Work behind the scenes to solve problems
• Handle confidential and non-routine information with discretion
• Respond to non-routine communications on Trustee’s behalf and draft correspondence for signature
• Manage all cashiering for Trustee (i.e. incoming and outgoing monies, wires, etc.)
• Perform special projects for the Trustee, which may include coordinating and organizing various activities with a variety of personnel
• Conserve Trustee’s time by reading, researching, and routing electronic and written correspondence; drafting letters and documents; collecting and analyzing information
• Assist with Trustee’s priorities and initiatives; follow-up with team members and provide status updates to Trustee
• Help plan and coordinate external meetings and events 
• Research and compile data from a variety of sources
• Assist team with special projects

*Please note the job responsibilities may vary, grow and change.

Salary + Benefits:

• Competitive, based on experience
• Medical Insurance  
• Dental/Vision Insurance   
• Life & Personal Accident Insurance 
• Short-term Disability Insurance   
• Long-term Disability Insurance  
• Flexible Spending Account (FSA), Health Savings Account (HSA) or Dependent Care FSA  
• 401(k) Plan with company matching
• Paid Time Off (PTO) and paid holidays 

Best Places To Work for Financial Advisors 2018-2024: Best Places to Work for Financial Advisors 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024 – Recognized firms were required to be a registered investment advisor (RIA) that has been in business at least one year and having a minimum of 15 full-time/part-time employees. The assessment consisted of a questionnaire on benefits and policies completed by human resources staff along with an engagement & satisfaction survey completed by a minimum of 40% of staff. 50 firms were selected for this award from an undisclosed list of submissions. There was no charge to be included in this award listing.

Georgia Fast 40 2019 and 2022: The Georgia Fast 40 for 2019 and 2022 was awarded by the Atlanta Chapter of the Association for Corporate Growth. To be eligible companies must be for profit and headquartered in Georgia and the most recent year-end revenues ranging from $15 million to $500 million and have three years of verifiable revenue and employment growth.

Inc 5000 2019, 2020 & 2021: The Wilshire 5000 Total Market Index, which consists of more than 5000 companies, represents virtually all of the capitalization of the entire U.S. stock market

Compensation: Merit Financial Advisors offers competitive compensation based on experience, qualifications, location, and market data. Where required by applicable law, salary ranges will be provided during the hiring process.

Requirements:

• Minimum of 3-7 years of experience in wealth management industry, managing ESOP projects or related employee benefits programs, highly preferred.
• Any certifications such as Project Management Professional (PMP), Certified Scrum Master (CSM), or PRINCE2 certification are a plus.
• Strong knowledge of wealth management or ESOP regulations, structure, and compliance, preferred.
• Experience managing projects from initiation to completion.
• Ability to prioritize and manage multiple tasks effectively.
• Strong analytical skills to address project challenges.
• Ability to communicate and track project scope, goals, and deliverables.
• Experience using project management tools like Zoho, Jira, Trello, Asana, Microsoft Project, or Monday.com
• Strong problem-solving and organizational skills, with an ability to manage competing priorities and deadlines.