Full-Time

Director of Fund Administration

Posted on 9/4/2025

Harris Associates

Harris Associates

201-500 employees

Value investing asset manager

Compensation Overview

$190k - $225k/yr

+ Bonus + Other Benefits

Chicago, IL, USA

In Person

Category
Finance & Banking (1)
Required Skills
Tableau
Fixed Income Securities
Data Analysis
Excel/Numbers/Sheets
Requirements
  • Bachelor’s degree with 10–15 years of experience in fund accounting, administration, or operations within the asset management industry; CPA strongly preferred.
  • Demonstrated expertise in fund structures including RICs, partnerships, CITs, ETFs, and ERISA plans, with strong command of associated tax and regulatory compliance requirements.
  • In-depth understanding of transfer agency operations and securities across equity, fixed income, and international markets.
  • Proven success managing external fund service providers and strengthening oversight frameworks across custodians, fund administrators, and intermediaries.
  • Strategic leadership and team development experience, with a history of cultivating high-performance cultures and driving firm-wide engagement.
  • Advanced data and analytical skills including proficiency with Excel tools (PowerQuery, PowerPivot), ETL platforms (Alteryx), and BI tools (PowerBI, Tableau); ability to automate workflows and deliver actionable insights.
Responsibilities
  • Manage key fund custody, accounting and administration processes.
  • Lead fund accounting, administration, and operational activities, including oversight of financial reporting cycles, review and approval of monthly and quarterly reports, annual statement production, monthly journal entries and periodic regulatory filings.
  • Administer fund and partnership expenses, encompassing budgeting, accruals, verification and payment processing, allocation analysis across funds, share classes, and Harris Associates, as well as monitoring total expense ratios.
  • Oversee custody operations, including foreign market registration coordination, complex security onboarding, securities lending management, and collateral segregation monitoring.
  • Lead Transfer Agent operations across Oakmark Funds activities—managing vendor relationships, service performance, third-party intermediary coordination, contract negotiations, and compliant shareholder material delivery.
  • Execute financial statement audit engagements and serve as Vendor Business Owner (VBO) for key third-party relationships—including custodians, fund accounting agents, liquidity risk vendors, and public accounting firms—while overseeing performance metrics, due diligence, compliance, contract negotiations, and periodic evaluations of provider capabilities and value.
  • Provide technical guidance, lead disclosure and valuation reviews, respond to client inquiries, support new product initiatives, and maintain engagement with industry trade groups.
  • Contribute to other firm-wide compliance efforts to support Oakmark Funds as Registered Investment Companies (“RICs”) and Harris Associates as a Registered Investment Advisor.
  • Oversee the fair valuation program for applicable Harris Funds, including pricing committee participation, oversight of valuation policies and procedures, and periodic reporting to the Oakmark Funds Board of Trustees.
  • Administer the Liquidity Risk Management (LRM) program for applicable Harris Funds, including monthly liquidity review, coordination of in-kind transactions, and periodic reporting to the Oakmark Funds Board of Trustees.
  • Oversee hiring, training, and team performance; promote technical excellence, process improvement, and automation; build firmwide relationships to elevate team visibility, foster cross-functional collaboration, and support a culture of continuous learning.
  • Actively manage relationships with third-party tax accounting firms to ensure consistently high quality of outsourced tax preparation services for the Oakmark Funds and Harris Funds.
  • Oversee, manage and review tax reporting to the Oakmark and Harris Fund investors.
Desired Qualifications
  • Familiarity with coding languages and tools (Python, SQL, VBA, Microsoft Access) to support scalable process improvements is a plus.

Harris Associates focuses on value investing and builds client portfolios by identifying companies trading below their intrinsic value and viewing each stock as ownership in a business. The process analyzes long-term quality, cash flow, and capital allocation to select holdings expected to grow value over time, then maintains positions through market ups and downs. It differentiates itself with a disciplined, long-term approach, emphasis on treating stocks as business ownership, and a collaborative culture that prioritizes client outcomes over short-term performance. The goal is to deliver attractive, long-term returns for clients by investing in quality businesses at prices below their intrinsic value using a steady, well-defined process.

Company Size

201-500

Company Stage

N/A

Total Funding

N/A

Headquarters

Chicago, Illinois

Founded

1976

Simplify Jobs

Simplify's Take

What believers are saying

  • $114 billion AUM enables intensive research across US and global equities.
  • Employees invested over $1 billion in Oakmark Funds as of September 2025.
  • Historical Morningstar rankings placed four Oakmark funds in top 2% over five years.

What critics are saying

  • Mike Manelli retires July 1, 2025, disrupting international fund continuity.
  • Clyde McGregor exited multiple funds December 31, 2023, signaling talent instability.
  • Natixis ownership imposes strategic shifts eroding Harris autonomy.

What makes Harris Associates unique

  • Harris uses proprietary intrinsic value model valuing intangibles for 30% discounts.
  • Benchmark-agnostic bottom-up process builds 40-60 stock portfolios with high active share.
  • Targets shareholder-oriented managers growing per-share value long-term.

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Benefits

Health Insurance

Dental Insurance

Vision Insurance

Paid Vacation

Profit Sharing

401(k) Retirement Plan

Tuition Reimbursement

Commuter Benefits

Wellness Program

Company News

PR Newswire
Mar 7th, 2025
Harris | Oakmark Announces Portfolio Manager Retirement And Adds To International Equity Leadership

CHICAGO, March 7, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- After two decades of distinguished service, Mike Manelli, Partner and co-portfolio manager of the Oakmark International Fund and the Oakmark International Small Cap Fund, will retire at year-end 2025 and will relinquish his co-portfolio manager duties effective July 1, 2025.Mr. Manelli is leaving the firm for personal reasons. "My wife has a genetic kidney disease (PKD). Unfortunately, the disease has progressed at a much more rapid pace than we had hoped, and we are now actively in the process of seeking a kidney donor for her. While I'm disappointed to be departing at this time, it's been a privilege to work with the international team for the past 20 years. I am confident the team will continue its long history of success

BTR News
Jul 16th, 2024
Harris Associates launches Brixton Junction by Node co-living scheme

Harris Associates launches Brixton Junction by Node co-living scheme.

Global Ship Lease, Inc.
Jun 19th, 2024
Harris Associates launches sale of nationwide PBSA portfolio

Harris Associates has launched 'The Collection', a portfolio of five assets and 795 beds, in chronically undersupplied student markets around the UK.

Slater Sentinel
Apr 5th, 2024
Centene Co. (NYSE:CNC) Shares Acquired by Nilsine Partners LLC

Harris Associates L P acquired a new stake in Centene in the third quarter valued at $274,274,000.

BTR News
Oct 4th, 2023
Reinventing Real Estate podcast: Harris Associates talks to Watkin Jones

Innovative investment agency Harris Associates has recently launched its 'Reinventing Real Estate' podcast, hosted by Head of Co-Living Jenna Harris and Head of Student Accommodation Jamie Harris, to discuss the current trends and the future of the property sector by interviewing the titans of the UK marketplace.

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