Senior Associate

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

Ares is looking for Senior Associate to join the Los Angeles Investment Operations team.This role reports to Principal of Investment Operations. The candidate is responsible for monitoring wires and cash management activities. While actively enhancing the platform to streamline and strengthen team capabilities.  The ideal candidate is an ambitious self-starter capable of working independently to conduct business that is an equal blend of art and science.  Good critical thinking skills, attention to detail, and a “solutioning” mindset are a must.

Primary functions and essential responsibilities

Specific responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

• Support activities for overnight monitoring of inputs to the cash management function (investment pipeline, currency balances, unsettled trading activity, etc.).

• Tracking of non-investment related cash movements (contributions/withdrawals, fees, paydowns, etc.).

• Ensure all cash transactions were accurately recorded; work with Banks to resolve and clear all cash account exceptions; work with Finance and Accounting Teams to resolve and troubleshoot exceptions.

• Monitor inbound/outbound data feeds between Treasury Management System (TMS) and various other systems.

• Technical capabilities sufficient to design and incorporate tools which either enhance monitoring capabilities or inform interested parties in Portfolio Management, Fund Accounting, etc. (or both).

• Set up account and third-party standard settlement instructions.

• Optimize efficiency and create scalability of wire team processes.

• Collaborate across internal teams to streamline wire team workflows and standard processes.

• Assist w/ Client Onboarding for activities related to bank account setup and cash movements.

• Active participant in build-out of TMS (Hazeltree) as Ares seeks to centralize key activities within an evolving platform.

• Track and validate outgoing transactions related to borrowings.

• Work on system integration to optimize wire flow.

• Build strong global banking and vendor relationships.

Qualifications

Education:

• Bachelor’s degree in Finance or other business related discipline

• MBA, CFA and/or CPA preferred but not required

Experience Required:  

• Minimum of 4-5 years of experience in high quality, global capital markets or investment management firms with expertise in Investment Operations and Settlements related functions

• Experience in Investment Operations in any of middle office, back office and/or compliance preferred

• Prior experience with an alternative asset manager preferred, broader asset management experience preferred

• Strong knowledge of various asset classes, primarily focused in credit/fixed income, derivatives, and FX with an emphasis on bank debt and high yield/alt credit

• Experience with Hazeltree, Everest, Coupa, Wall Street Office, Geneva, and/or IVP data management platforms preferred

• Understanding of basic accounting theories

• Experienced with a diverse set of investment vehicles such as Institutional Separate Accounts, SMA/Limited Partnerships, Open-End Mutual Funds, Closed-End Funds and UCITs, CLOs, and complex fund structures

• Hedge fund, Credit or Private Equity experience is a plus

• Intermediate-level technical acumen for solutioning complex problems using common enterprise tools (report writers, SQL, Excel, etc.)

General Requirements:

• Ability to extract meaningful information from extensive research and analysis to effectively present facts and findings in a digestible format, a keen eye for attention to detail

• A self-directed individual with a can-do attitude, willing to work in an energetic, collaborative, and fast-paced environment, proactive in nature, and a proven ability to resolve issues with minimal supervision

• Proven outstanding communication (written and verbal), presentation, documentation, and interpersonal skills

• A hands-on approach and ability to synthesize business operations and talent needs

• Ability to successfully manage multiple priorities and competing demands

• High accuracy and detail orientation

• Good judgment in terms of escalating issues vs. solving problems independently

• A solutions-oriented, self-starter and ability to see the big picture

• Comfort in dealing with ambiguity and uncertainty in a dynamic and fast-paced environment

• Ability to be flexible in terms of hours in order to coordinate with team members across various time zones

• An analytical mind and a passion/interest in bringing new ideas to increase efficiency of existing processes

• Dependable, great attitude, highly motivated and a team player

• Strong written and verbal communications skills

• Familiarity with standard activities carried out by financial intermediaries such as investment banks, broker/dealers, Prime Brokers, etc.

• Strong knowledge of financial payment types and processing

• Strong knowledge of SWIFT and ACH is a must have

• Knowledge of complex fund structures a plus

• Strong knowledge of various asset classes, primarily focused in the area of credit/fixed income, derivatives, and FX with an emphasis on bank debt and high yield/alt credit a significant plus

• Corporate Finance knowledge a plus

Reporting Relationships

Compensation

$125,000 - $145,000

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.