Director, Tax & Estate Planning - Lazard Wealth

Lazard•New York, NY

15h•$175,000 - $225,000

About The Position

Lazard Wealth is seeking a senior tax and estate planning expert to serve as the platform’s in-house technical resource on wealth transfer strategies, trust structures, and estate and income tax considerations for its US client base. The role involves working within an integrated client advisor, investment professionals, and Family Office Services teams to translate complex ownership structures, trust arrangements, and tax considerations into practical, actionable planning strategies for clients and their next generations. This is a client-facing advisory and coordination role that complements, rather than replaces, clients’ outside legal and tax advisors. The position also involves acting as the firm’s primary point of coordination with clients’ external trusts and estates counsel, tax accountants, and insurance advisors.

Requirements

Ten or more years of experience advising ultra-high-net-worth individuals, families and family offices on estate and income tax planning, gained within a private client law practice, a national or Big Four private client tax practice, a trust company, a multi-family office or a comparable wealth management platform.
JD with an LLM in taxation and/or an active CPA license; CFP, TEP or CTFA designations viewed favorably.
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 but not limited to dynasty and perpetual trusts, GRATs, SLATs, CLATs and CRTs, private foundations and donor-advised funds, family limited partnerships, closely held business succession planning, and — preferably — cross-border and non-US-domiciliary considerations.
A track record of working collaboratively with clients’ external counsel and accountants, with the project management discipline to move multi-party planning initiatives to completion.
Proven ability to explain sophisticated technical concepts clearly and credibly to audiences ranging from principals and fiduciaries to next-generation family members, in writing and in person.
Experience contributing to client acquisition and retention in a fiduciary, advice-led environment.
Comfort operating in a flat, entrepreneurial and highly collaborative team structure, with a service orientation and a willingness to work across investment, planning and operational disciplines.
Exceptional judgment, discretion and integrity in handling confidential family, financial and business information, and a demonstrated commitment to fiduciary standards and regulatory compliance.

Nice To Haves

CFP, TEP or CTFA designations
cross-border and non-US-domiciliary considerations

Responsibilities

Serve as the platform’s senior technical resource on trust & estate and tax matters, both federal and state.
Review and summarize clients’ existing estate planning documents — wills, revocable and irrevocable trusts, family partnerships and LLCs, charitable vehicles — and produce clear structure diagrams, gap analyses and prioritized recommendations.
Develop and model wealth transfer strategies, including quantitative comparisons of alternatives across gifting, sale, loan, charitable and insurance-funded structures under a range of market, mortality and legislative assumptions.
Advise clients through liquidity events and concentrated-position transitions, addressing 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, driving planning recommendations from concept through execution and documenting 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 UHNW families — including changes to the federal transfer tax exemption and state-level income and trust taxation — and translate them into client-ready guidance and internal briefings.
Extend the firm's planning-led credibility externally and internally: contribute diagnostics in prospect meetings, train client-facing colleagues on planning frameworks, and author thought leadership for clients and referral sources.