Associate Vice President, Fund Accounting

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

This is a unique opportunity to help shape the future of fund accounting within a global alternative investment platform. Sitting at the intersection of accounting, technology, and innovation, offering direct exposure to firmwide initiatives focused on automation and the responsible use of AI. The role will have the ability to influence how fund accounting work is performed across strategies, design scalable solutions that drive real efficiency, and serve as a key voice for the fund accounting function in the firm’s broader transformation agenda. For candidates who enjoy solving complex problems, working across teams, and turning new technologies into practical solutions, this role offers both visibility and impact.

Overview

We are seeking an Associate Vice President to join our Fund Accounting team in a newly created role focused on transformation, automation, and execution. This position will partner with fund accounting teams across all investment strategies and regions to drive efficiency, scalability, and standardization through process improvement, automation, and the responsible use of AI.

The role will also serve as a key fund accounting representative in firmwide initiatives, partnering with Corporate Strategy’s Operational Strategy group to aid in prioritization of Finance & Accounting initiatives and represent fund accounting in enterprise transformation efforts.

Key Responsibilities

• Partner with fund accounting teams across all strategies to understand business needs and identify process inefficiencies and opportunities for improvement
• Drive standardization of fund accounting processes while accommodating strategy-specific needs
• Partner with Corporate Strategy’s Operational Strategy group to aid in prioritization of Finance & Accounting initiatives and represent the Fund Accounting function in enterprise-wide efforts
• Serve as a fund accounting subject matter expert in firmwide automation and AI initiatives, helping to identify and implement high-impact use cases while defining appropriate controls, governance, and best practices
• Design and execute scalable solutions leveraging automation, AI tools, and enterprise and strategy-specific datasets to improve accuracy, efficiency, and consistency
• Collaborate with technology, data, and innovation teams to pilot, implement, and scale new tools and capabilities
• Lead end-to-end delivery of transformation initiatives, including requirements gathering, process mapping, solution design, testing, and implementation
• Manage multiple concurrent initiatives, connecting upstream and downstream process and system dependencies
• Develop clear documentation, workflows, and communications to support adoption and change management

Qualifications

Required:

• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, or a related field
• 6+ years of experience in fund accounting, financial operations, or a related role
• Strong understanding of fund accounting processes, business needs, and reporting
• Demonstrated experience leading cross-functional projects and driving process improvement
• Ability to analyze business processes and technology, identify opportunities, and execute practical solutions

Preferred:

• CPA or equivalent professional certification
• Experience with Geneva, Investran, or comparable fund accounting systems
• Experience with automation, analytics, and/or presentation tools such as Alteryx, Power BI, Power Apps, Python, SQL, or similar technologies
• Exposure to automation tools, workflow solutions, RPA, or AI-enabled technologies
• Experience supporting alternative investment strategies such as private equity, credit, real assets, and/or secondaries

Key Attributes

• Solution-oriented self-starter with a strong execution mindset
• Structured problem solver with strong analytical skills
• Comfortable operating in a dynamic, fast-paced environment and navigating ambiguity
• Ability to connect the dots across processes, systems, and data
• Strong communication skills, with the ability to present recommendations and progress updates to fund a