Controller Real Estate Jobs in Chicago, IL (NOW HIRING)

Job Description

Ares Management is seeking an as Assistant Fund Controller for the Global Digital Infrastructure Accounting team.

The Assistant Fund Controller will be responsible for day-to-day oversight of multiple global funds and manage an external fund administrative team. Fund structures may include commingled equity close-ended funds, joint ventures and separate accounts across various tax sensitive regions (such as US, Singapore and Luxembourg).

We are seeking a detailoriented and analytically strong Assistant Fund Controller to join our Real Assets Digital Infrastructure Finance & Accounting team with primary focus on financial reporting. The candidate will work closely with the US F&A team in partnering across our enterprise with portfolio management, investor relations, senior investment professionals, senior Finance leadership, tax preparers and external Fund Administrator. They will manage day-to-day Fund Accounting with respect to financial reporting, quarterly reporting, and tax reporting. This candidate will be expected to understand complex fund structures, waterfalls, track record, attribution, and gross to net return differences. This role will require a dynamic, adaptive, and agile hands-on professional who will be capable of ensuring optimal performance and processes in a fast-paced rapidly growing environment.

Financial Reporting and Management

• As a member of the team focus on Fund Accounting, supporting Ares' Real Asset Digital Infrastructure business.
• Work with and liaise with global internal resources (Colleagues in APAC, Americas and Europe) external Fund/SPV administrators, and external auditors to meet all quarterly, and annual reporting requirements/deadlines.
• Perform quarterly close processes, including review work of external administrators, along with producing workpapers and analysis.
• Review quarterly and annual GAAP or IFRS financial statements and footnote disclosures for multiple Funds, capital account summaries for limited partners, investor reports, presentations, questionnaires, and Management Co. reports feeding into Ares public filing.
• Produce cash flow projections and analyze daily cash management, including activity on credit lines, expected settlement timing of purchases and sales, and timing of capital calls and distributions.
• Monitor compliance with the Fund's Limited Partnership Agreements and credit facilities, including the preparation or review of compliance reporting across global regions (US Corporate structure, Singapore, Luxembourg).
• Instruct and oversee global fund service providers (administrators, depositaries) to ensure performance is in line with agreed service levels
• Instruct and oversee the acquisition and disposition onboarding/offboarding process across business units and 3rd parties
• Liaise with a wide range of internal stakeholders and external service providers to ensure the quality and timely flow of financial data
• Oversee calculation of property performance, AUM, NAV, management fees, promote allocations (fund level waterfalls) and cost recharges
• Support preparation of financial statements, investor reports, partner capital statements, presentations, questionnaires and head office management reports
• Provide deal support, including financial analysis and execution of deal cashflows
• Monitor cash and manage cash distribution process.
• Assist in managing and reporting multicurrency Fund level leverage and cash balances.
• Allocate and review costs and expense recharges
• Manage Fund and jurisdictional audit and tax reporting processes
• Participate in any new Fund launches
• Help maintain financial data inputs for the Fund track record
• Maintain Fund dashboard
• Review capital call and distribution notices and cash allocation schedules
• Support on DDQ and presentations for fundraising
• Work with team to implement technology that helps automate processes for better efficiency, accuracy and consistency

Portfolio Management

• Contribute to the valuation process, calculation of gross to net adjustments. Candidate to have general understanding of real estate valuations.
• Support investment decision process by maintaining fund models, proving scenario/sensitivity analysis, key property and financial metrics and KPIs
• Support budgeting and forecasting process with calculation of management fees and promote
• Support risk management processes with qualitative and quantitative fund data

Treasury

• Cash management, including oversight of fund reserves and cash requirements
• Manage fund level debt facilities (drawdowns, repayments, covenants, extensions)

The individual will be expected to build strong working relationships across the Real Estate operation (deal team, service providers) and the wider Ares business.

The role will have a broader responsibility to oversee certain functions depending on their level of skill and experience, as the Digital Infrastructure Group is looking to implement more automation (data and processes) to capture and analyze property and financial data.

Education:

• Bachelor's Degree required
• Licensed CPA (active or inactive) preferred

Experience Required:

• At least 6-9 years of relevant professional experience including public accounting (Big 4 preferred) and/or fund accounting experience
• Real estate G/L system knowledge a plus
• Advanced excel experience strongly preferred

Reporting Relationships

Compensation

$130,000 - $170,000

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.