Client Services Manager

JOB TITLE: Client Services Manager

DEPARTMENT: ESOP Service

REPORTS TO: Director of ESOP Services

DIRECT REPORTS: Assistant ESOP Administrators

About ESOP Partners, Inc.

ESOP Partners, Inc. is a third-party administration and consulting firm dedicated to providing a liquid business transition solution for owners of closely held businesses through the establishment, maintenance, and sustainability of Employee Stock Ownership Plans (ESOPs). Our mission is to maximize the financial and cultural benefits of employee ownership by helping ESOP companies build strong, informed, and engaged employee ownership cultures.

We aspire to be nationally recognized as the leading ESOP firm in the country. We pursue this vision through our Core Values:

• Seek to Understand – We identify the underlying reasons behind questions and actions and take ownership of continuous learning and improvement.


• Manage Expectations – We proactively communicate clear, specific, and achievable objectives to create alignment and accountability.


• Collaborate – We work together through constructive discussion and teamwork to achieve win-win outcomes.


• Get Things Done – We prioritize, organize, and execute efficiently to deliver accurate and timely results.


• Practice Professional Skepticism – We apply a questioning mindset to objectively analyze information for quality and accuracy.


• Exhibit Mental Strength – We manage challenges with professionalism, resilience, and a solutions-oriented attitude.

Position Summary

The Client Services Manager is directly accountable for the performance, development, and coaching/mentoring of Assistant ESOP Administrators. This role ensures team members are meeting productivity, quality, and compliance standards while fostering a culture of accountability and continuous improvement.

In collaboration with organizational leadership and subject matter experts, the manager develops and maintains departmental processes, training programs, and onboarding initiatives to support consistent service delivery. The role proactively balances team workload to manage peak demands and deadlines, evaluates capacity against staffing levels, and makes hiring recommendations as needed.

The Client Services Manager monitors productivity and quality metrics, establishes process improvement measures, and tracks progress on strategic initiatives to enhance efficiency and client satisfaction. Building and delivering structured training programs — including technical skills and client engagement training — is a key expectation of this position.

Success in this role requires strong attention to detail, the ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment, and the leadership skills necessary to coach, mentor, and develop high-performing teams.

Position Details

• Location: In-office position based in Appleton, Wisconsin


• Position Type: Full-time | Exempt


• Work Schedule: This role manages a team that works a busy season and may include periods of higher demand. This role works an average of 45 hours per week.


• Experience Level: 5+ years of people leadership experience in the retirement plan administration or accounting industry


• Travel: Minimal; occasional as needed for personal or professional development

Key Accountabilities

Team Leadership & Performance Accountability

• Directly accountable for the performance, productivity, and development of Assistant ESOP Administrators.


• Set clear expectations, provide ongoing feedback and coaching, and execute the Performance Management Playbook for direct reports.


• Develop and maintain Individual Development Plans (IDPs), define role-based competency milestones, and track progress through regular coaching conversations.


• Address day-to-day employee needs and interpersonal issues; coach effective communication and collaboration, escalating concerns when appropriate.


• Manage PTO requests and scheduling to ensure appropriate team coverage, particularly during peak production periods.

Operations & Workflow Management

• Oversee day-to-day operations of the ESOP Services team; serve as the primary point of contact for workflow questions, escalations, and priority setting.


• Coordinate workload balancing and project assignments to meet deadlines; proactively reassign work as needed.


• Partner with senior administrators and Director on capacity planning to align staffing levels with workload demands.


• Monitor and analyze individual productivity and quality metrics; validate data against time entry, investigate variances, and recommend corrective actions.

Training, Onboarding & Process Development

• Own onboarding and training for new hire assistant administrators, including structured training agendas (2–4 weeks), documented learning objectives, sample engagements, and progress checkpoints.


• Develop, document, and maintain department SOPs and training materials; ensure processes are current, accessible, and consistently implemented.


• Build and deliver technical and professional skills training to enhance client engagement, communication, and foundational soft skills.

Continuous Improvement & Strategic Support

• Identify and implement process improvements that enhance accuracy, timeliness, efficiency, and overall client experience.


• Coordinate testing and rollout of new tools, templates, and process changes, ensuring clear ownership, timelines, readiness, and adoption.


• Support the Director in workforce planning and hiring decisions by assessing capacity needs, seasonality trends, and performance expectations.


• Track and report progress on strategic initiatives aligned with departmental and organizational goals.

Qualifications

Knowledge and Skills

• Demonstrated ability to lead, coach, and develop professionals in a deadline-driven, performance-based environment.


• Strong process design, documentation, and continuous improvement capability (SOPs, training materials, workflow design).


• Analytical skills with the ability to interpret productivity and quality metrics and translate insights into action plans.


• Effective communication skills; able to deliver direct feedback with empathy and accountability.


• High attention to detail and quality-control mindset; comfortable applying professional skepticism to validate information.


• Strong organization and prioritization skills; able to manage multiple priorities and shifting urgencies.


• Proficiency with Microsoft 365 and comfort learning internal systems for timekeeping, metrics, and HR requests.

Education and Experience

• Bachelor's degree in business, finance, accounting, HR, or related field (or equivalent relevant experience).


• 5+ years experience in professional services, accounting, or financial/retirement plan administration environments with measurable performance expectations (busy seasons, billable hours, deadlines).


• 3+ years of people leadership or demonstrated team-lead/supervisory experience, including coaching, performance conversations, and documentation.


• Experience building and maintaining onboarding or training programs and process documentation.

Physical and Cognitive Requirements

• Ability to sit for extended periods and work at a computer


• Ability to analyze complex information and exercise sound judgment


• Ability to maintain focus and accuracy in a deadline-driven environment

Performance Expectations

Performance in this role will be evaluated based on:

• Accuracy, quality, and timeliness of teamwork product and managerial deliverables.


• Effectiveness of onboarding, training, and SOP documentation (completeness, adoption, and ongoing maintenance).


• Improvement in productivity and quality metrics, including reduction of recurring backlog or rework.


• Projects completed timely and internal workflow warnings managed for direct reports.


• Effectiveness of communication and collaboration


• Adherence to ESOP Partners’ Core Values