Senior Manager, Practice Operations & Performance

Position Summary

The Senior Manager – Practice Management & Performance is accountable for the day‑to‑day operational performance, capacity management, and leadership of advice operations teams, ensuring the practice operates efficiently, consistently, and at scale. This role leads Team Leaders across Paraplanning and Client Services and an Operations Manager. The role translates business strategy, standards, and regulatory obligations into effective practice‑level delivery, enabling advisers to focus on client outcomes and growth. The role balances people leadership, commercial insight, and operational discipline to ensure the business is achieving its goals.

This role is located in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.

Primary Responsibilities

People Leadership & Team Performance

Lead, coach and develop Operations Manager and Team Leads to drive accountability and consistent delivery of outcomes

Build a culture of accountability, collaboration and client-centricity

Set clear expectations for workflow discipline, service quality, and capacity management

Support Ops Mgr and Team Leads to:

Allocate work effectively

Build capability and role clarity within their teams

Address performance, quality, or capacity issues early

Foster a culture of accountability, continuous improvement, and commercial awareness

Practice Operations & BAU Excellence

Ensure advice operations run smoothly and consistently across the business

Monitor BAU execution, identifying inefficiencies, bottlenecks, and operational risk

Act as the escalation point for complex operational or resourcing issues

Stabilise operations during periods of growth, adviser change, or increased demand

Adviser Productivity & Capacity Management

Partner with advisers and leaders to improve utilisation and sustainable workloads

Remove operational friction that impacts advisor productivity or client experience

Oversee capacity planning across Paraplanning and Client Services teams

Balance adviser demand with team capability and capacity

Operational Reporting & Commercial Insights

Own operational and performance reporting, including:

Workflow health and WIP

Capacity and utilisation metrics

Client, FUM, and revenue‑related operational indicators

Translate reporting into clear insights and actionable recommendations for leaders

Operational Risk, Quality & Governance

Ensure operational teams work within agreed compliance, AFSL, and governance frameworks

Technology & Systems Enablement

Act as a senior operational owner of advice systems (e.g. Xplan and related platforms)

Ensure tools are used consistently and effectively by operational teams

Partner with Technology and Service Design to embed agreed changes into BAU

Identify system or process issues impacting productivity or quality

Continuous Improvement & Change Execution

Lead or support operational improvement initiatives impacting BAU performance

Own implementation and adoption of agreed changes across teams

Ensure improvements are practical, embedded, and sustained

Qualifications

8+ years leadership experience in financial advice operations, paraplanning, or client services

Proven experience in implementing and embedding change initiatives

Experience leading process alignment across the wider business in a way that supports teams and enhances the client experience

Proven ability to lead others and indirectly manage larger operational teams

Strong commercial and capacity‑planning mindset

High confidence engaging with advisers and senior stakeholders

Ability to balance people leadership with operational execution

Strong people leadership capability, with the ability to coach, influence, and hold leaders accountable for outcomes

Sound operational judgment, balancing efficiency, quality, and client experience in day‑to‑day decisions

Commercial mindset, with a clear understanding of how operational performance supports adviser productivity and business results

Confident capacity and workload management across competing priorities and adviser demand

High level of data literacy, able to interpret information, identify trends or risks, and support sound decision‑making

Disciplined and structured approach to BAU execution, with strong follow‑through

Comfortable operating within governance and risk frameworks, reinforcing consistent and compliant ways of working

Calm, resilient, and pragmatic leader, able to cut through complexity and drive practical outcomes

About Focus Partners Australia

Focus Partners Australia is part of Focus Financial Partners, a leading financial services firm based in the United States, comprised of wealth management, family office, and business management services. Focus Partners Australia offers integrated capabilities in investment and portfolio management, accounting, lending, insurance and related services from its offices in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and the Gold Coast. Guided by a client-first ethos, we leverage the global expertise, platforms and capital strength of Focus Financial Partners to deliver holistic, fiduciary guidance across strategic planning, portfolio management, insurance, credit and tax. By fusing local insight with world-class resources, Focus Partners Australia helps its clients protect, grow, and transition their wealth at every life stage. Discover more about Focus Partners Australia at  focuspa.com.au/ or LinkedIn .

About Focus Financial Partners

Focus is a leading financial services firm comprised of integrated wealth management, family office, and business management services. Blending deep expertise and expansive resources with a boutique, client-first fiduciary philosophy, Focus helps individuals, families, and institutions navigate complex financial situations with highly personalized solutions tailored to their unique needs. To learn more about Focus, visit www.focusfinancialpartners.com or follow the company on LinkedIn .

Focus is an equal opportunity employer and bases its employment decisions on the employee or candidate’s skillset, and without regard to an employee or candidate’s race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy), gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by local, state and/or federal law.

Focus complies with federal and state disability laws and makes reasonable accommodations for applicants and employees with disabilities. If reasonable accommodation is needed to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and/or to receive other benefits and privileges of employment, please contact careers@focuspartners.com .

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For Montana Applicants: If hired, the employment relationship is governed by the Wrongful Discharge from Employment Act. Mont. Code Ann. Section 39-2-901.

For Rhode Island Applicants: Focus is subject to Chapters 29-38 of Title 28 of the General Laws of Rhode Island and is therefore covered by the state’s workers’ compensation law. If you willfully provide false information about your ability to perform the essential functions of the job, with or without reasonable accommodations, you may be barred from filing a claim under the provisions of the Workers’ Compensation Act of the State of Rhode Island if the false information is directly related to the personal injury that is the basis for the new claim for compensation. The Company complies fully with the Americans with Disabilities Act.