Trust Officer

Brown Brothers Harriman•Wilmington, DE

About The Position

At BBH, Partnership is more than a form of ownership—it’s our approach to business and relationships. We know that supporting your professional and personal goals is the best way to help our clients and advance our business. We take that responsibility seriously. With a 200-year legacy and a shared passion for what’s next, this is the right place to build a fulfilling career. The Trust Officer is responsible for the oversight, administration, and risk management of privately held, illiquid and hard to value assets held in trust. This role serves as the internal subject matter expert for special assets including private equity, closely held business interests, real estate, and other non-marketable assets, supporting trust account administration in accordance with fiduciary standards and regulatory expectations. In addition to technical expertise, this role includes direct management and development of trust administration staff supporting private assets, ensuring consistent execution, strong risk discipling, professional development, and adherence to policies. If you are looking to push your career to the next level, introduce yourself by submitting your resume.

Requirements

5 to 10 years of relevant experience
Bachelor’s degree or equivalent work experience, required
Knowledge of trust estates and tax laws
Strong marketing and communications skills
Experience with SunGard/FIS or other trust accounting systems
Ability to identify and communicate tax planning vehicles
Strong working knowledge of the interpretation and practical application of trust and estate document provisions, trust and estate law, taxes, investments, and the legal framework of trust administration
Experience with Microsoft Office products, particularly Excel and Word

Nice To Haves

JD or other advanced degree, preferred

Responsibilities

Serve as the subject matter lead for complex, illiquid, and hard to value assets (including private equity, closely held business interests, real estate, and other specialty assets), supporting valuation, onboarding, ongoing administration, risk assessment, and coordination with internal teams and external advisors to ensure proper handling, compliance, and reporting.
Lead due diligence, onboarding, and ongoing administration of private assets in alignment with fiduciary standards and internal risk framework.
Coordinate and review valuation processes, ensuring appropriate methodologies, documentation, and frequency consistent with regulatory expectations.
Identify and mitigate risks related to concentration, liquidity, valuation uncertainty, and operational complexity.
Partner with internal teams such as legal, tax, risk, and operations, along with external advisors including attorneys, CPAs, and valuation firms, to ensure proper handling, compliance, and reporting.
Maintain through documentation supporting asset acceptance, retention, and disposition decisions.
Provide guidance on how private assets impact distributions, fiduciary decision-making, and overall portfolio strategy.
Lead the preparation of the private assets and special holding component of the annual account review, partnering with the Fiduciary Investment Officer to support analysis, documentation, and final approval.
Maintain complete and well-documented records, including support for fiduciary decisions involving specialty assets.
Act as key point of contact for relationship managers, accountants, and other intermediaries regarding private asset matters.
Participate in client meetings alongside Relationship Managers and Trust Officers to explain complex asset structures and implications
Communicate complex trust, estate, and private asset concepts in a clear and practical manner to clients, cotrustees, and beneficiaries.
Review and coordinate information for fiduciary income tax reporting as it related to private holdings.
Support audits, reviews, and regulatory inquiries related to special assets.
Provide guidance and oversight to Trust Administrators supporting accounts with private assets.
Act as an internal resource for training and best practices related to special asset administration.
Collaborate with senior leadership to enhance policies, procedures, and risk framework for private assets.
Demonstrate a working knowledge of the interpretation and practical application of trust and estate document provisions and communicate intermediate to complex trust and estate concepts to colleagues, co-trustees and beneficiaries.
Supervise the activities of Trust Administrators.
Review document drafts (trusts, wills, releases, accountings) prepared by external counsel prior to execution.