Director, Tax & Estate Planning - Lazard Wealth

Lazard • New York, NY

1d • $225,000 - $250,000

About The Position

Lazard Wealth is seeking a senior tax and estate planning expert to serve as its in-house technical resource on wealth transfer strategies, trust structures, and estate and income tax considerations for its US client base. The role works within Lazard Wealth’s POD service model, alongside client advisors, investment professionals, and Family Office Services teams, to turn complex ownership structures, trust arrangements, and tax considerations into practical planning strategies for clients and their next generations.

This client-facing advisory and coordination role serves as the firm’s primary point of coordination with clients’ external trusts and estates counsel, tax accountants, and insurance advisors. It complements, rather than replaces, clients’ outside legal and tax advisors. The Director also contributes to prospect meetings, trains client-facing colleagues, and develops thought leadership for clients and referral sources.

Requirements

• At least 10 years of experience advising ultra-high-net-worth individuals, families, and family offices on estate and income tax planning, gained in a private client law practice, national or Big Four private client tax practice, trust company, multi-family office, or comparable wealth management platform.
• JD with an LLM in taxation and/or an active CPA license.
• Demonstrated technical depth in federal transfer tax, fiduciary income taxation, grantor and non-grantor trust planning, and multi-state residency and trust situs analysis.
• Direct experience with complex structures, including dynasty and perpetual trusts, GRATs, SLATs, CLATs and CRTs, private foundations and donor-advised funds, family limited partnerships, and closely held business succession planning.
• Track record of collaborating with clients’ external counsel and accountants, with project management discipline to complete multi-party planning initiatives.
• Ability to explain sophisticated technical concepts clearly and credibly in writing and in person to principals, fiduciaries, and next-generation family members.
• Experience contributing to client acquisition and retention in a fiduciary, advice-led environment.
• Comfort working in a flat, entrepreneurial, highly collaborative team structure, with a service orientation and willingness to work across investment, planning, and operational disciplines.
• Exceptional judgment, discretion, and integrity in handling confidential family, financial, and business information, and commitment to fiduciary standards and regulatory compliance.

Nice To Haves

• CFP, TEP, or CTFA designation.
• Experience with cross-border and non-US-domiciliary considerations.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the platform’s senior technical resource on federal and state trust, estate, and tax matters.
• Review and summarize clients’ estate planning documents, including wills, revocable and irrevocable trusts, family partnerships and LLCs, and charitable vehicles; prepare structure diagrams, gap analyses, and prioritized recommendations.
• Develop and model wealth transfer strategies, quantitatively comparing gifting, sale, loan, charitable, and insurance-funded alternatives under different market, mortality, and legislative assumptions.
• Advise clients through liquidity events and concentrated-position transitions, including business sale structuring, QSBS, Section 83(b) elections, deferred and incentive compensation, and pre-transaction gifting windows.
• Coordinate implementation with clients’ attorneys, accountants, insurance brokers, and corporate trustees; move recommendations from concept through execution and document follow-through.
• Lead multi-generational education and family governance discussions, including next-generation wealth conversations, family meetings, and governance documentation.
• Monitor legislative, regulatory, and case law developments affecting ultra-high-net-worth families, and translate them into client-ready guidance and internal briefings.
• Contribute planning diagnostics in prospect meetings, train client-facing colleagues on planning frameworks, and author thought leadership for clients and referral sources.

Benefits

• Comprehensive, competitive benefits.
• Benefits package intended to support employees’ health and well-being and help balance career, family, and community commitments.
• Incentive compensation may be included.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Director
• Education Level: Ph.D. or professional degree