Over the last 20 years, Ares’ success has been driven by our people and our culture. Today, our team is guided by our core values – Collaborative, Responsible, Entrepreneurial, Self-Aware, Trustworthy – and our purpose to be a catalyst for shared prosperity and a better future. Through our recruitment, career development and employee-focused programming, we are committed to fostering a welcoming and inclusive work environment where high-performance talent of diverse backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives can build careers within this exciting and growing industry.
Job Description
The Finance and Accounting team is seeking a Chief Accounting Officer (CAO) for Secondaries. This CAO will be responsible for overseeing all financial and accounting operations, including managing financial reporting, fund structuring and analytics, valuations, deal structuring and closing, and forecasting to ensure accurate and timely financial data for Secondaries Registered funds. This CAO will also ensure compliance with accounting standards and regulatory requirements, while implementing internal controls and financial procedures. This person will play a strategic role in advising on financial implications of business decisions and supporting the fund’s growth and expansion.
Additionally, this CAO works closely with business stakeholders, as well as various corporate functions, including but not limited to external auditors, tax preparers, investors, Board members and trustees, and financial institutions. The ideal candidate will also be responsible for managing third party service providers who will be generating the accounting and reporting associated with registered investment products and certain of the Secondaries private funds. This person will oversee, lead, and develop a global Secondaries accounting team, ensuring efficient and effective financial operations. The candidate must be a player-coach, strategic thinker, resourceful, innovative, and committed. The candidate must be focused on continuous improvement in collaboration, efficiency, and analysis.
Reporting relationships
Reports to: Chief Financial Officer, Secondaries, Deputy CFO & Treasurer of Finance and Accounting
Supervises: Secondaries Accounting Team members directly and indirectly
Primary functions & responsibilities
Comprehensive review and approval of fund trial balances, reporting packages, estimates, reconciliations, public filings and other fund deliverables for Secondaries non-traded Registered Investment Company and affiliated products
Drive strategy and lead integration of multiple functions (finance, valuations, operations, middle office) to improve collaboration and streamline processes such as internal global reporting.
Partner with the business teams to support fund analytics, including reviewing and providing inputs to the financial model, liquidity management, and portfolio manager reporting
Vote on monthly valuations as a member of the Registered Fund valuation committee.
Partner with the Portfolio Managers/Investment Professionals, Capital Markets and Portfolio Management teams to help them make informed business and deal level decisions.
Contribute to the financial structuring of new, complex, investments and new products for Secondaries Registered Product(s)
Partner with Portfolio Managers/Investment Professionals, legal, tax and the finance teams to ensure smooth deal execution and post close integration
Assist with diligence requests during fundraising.
Build analytical tools and dashboards to help the Secondaries business make informed business decisions.
Create dashboard reporting for Senior Leadership and the Board
Manage expense caps and reimbursements with corporate accounting team
Liaise with AWMS on investor subscriptions, tenders and redemptions
Generating materials and presenting to the Board of Directors
Contribute to the ongoing integration organization design improvements of the global Secondaries Fund Finance teams.
Present in front of large organizations as a representative of the Secondaries business.
Implementation and monitoring of the control environment in accordance with SOX
Monitoring compliance with the SEC and IRS regulatory tests applicable to RICs, in coordination with legal, compliance and tax teams
Coordinating with technology teams to improve automation of manual processes
Demonstrate strong problem solving and creative skills and the ability to exercise sound judgment and make decisions based on accurate and timely analyses.
Continue to build out and evolve the structure of the Secondaries teams as business needs and strategies evolve.
Lead special projects and initiatives as needed
Qualifications
Education:
Bachelor’s Degree with major in Accounting, Economics, Finance, General Business or Management preferred, with outstanding academic record
Master’s degree in accounting considered a plus
CPA preferred
Experience Required:
15+ years of relevant work experience
5+ years of public accounting experience (Big 4 preferred)
Strong understanding of U.S. GAAP
Experience with registered funds, products and companies a plus
Experience with complex private investment funds; secondaries funds a plus
Experience in establishing new processes with fund administrators and service providers
Strong understanding of complex waterfalls and incentive fee calculations
Ability to work in a fast-paced, high growth environment
Ability to manage multiple third-party relationships
Proven track record in managing a team and change transformation
Strong verbal and written skills; ability to analyze and summarize complex information both verbally and in writing
Strong problem-solving and analytical skills
Ability to multi-task and manage various deadlines
Excellent organizational and interpersonal skills
General Requirements:
Currently or previously operated in a global, diversified investment management environment going through a transformative period.
Collaborative with the ability to create synergies across new businesses coming together to form a new group.
Proven experience structuring complex private fund structures, with a preference on multi-currency and/or Luxembourg structures.
Knowledge of private company valuations
Ability to maintain a robust internal control environment
Experience with the development, optimization and oversight of portfolio analytics
Builds, leads, and mentors high performing, diverse teams. Consistently seeks to develop key reports and implement frameworks, processes, and systems to create leverage. Exhibits humility and professional resolve in all aspects of work.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills
Reporting Relationships
Deputy CFO & Treasurer, CFO of Secondaries & Infrastructure
Compensation
The anticipated base salary range for this position is listed below. Total compensation may also include a discretionary performance-based bonus. Note, the range takes into account a broad spectrum of qualifications, including, but not limited to, years of relevant work experience, education, and other relevant qualifications specific to the role.
$325,000-$375,000
The firm also offers robust Benefits offerings. Ares U.S. Core Benefits include Comprehensive Medical/Rx, Dental and Vision plans; 401(k) program with company match; Flexible Savings Accounts (FSA); Healthcare Savings Accounts (HSA) with company contribution; Basic and Voluntary Life Insurance; Long-Term Disability (LTD) and Short-Term Disability (STD) insurance; Employee Assistance Program (EAP), and Commuter Benefits plan for parking and transit.
Ares offers a number of additional benefits including access to a world-class medical advisory team, a mental health app that includes coaching, therapy and psychiatry, a mindfulness and wellbeing app, financial wellness benefit that includes access to a financial advisor, new parent leave, reproductive and adoption assistance, emergency backup care, matching gift program, education sponsorship program, and much more.
There is no set deadline to apply for this job opportunity. Applications will be accepted on an ongoing basis until the search is no longer active.
