Senior Associate, Portfolio Strategy and Risk, Secondaries

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 Management is seeking a Senior Associate to join its Portfolio Management Team (“PMT”) supporting the Firm’s Private Equity Secondaries platform. The PMT is a specialized, strategically focused team responsible for portfolio‑level risk oversight, performance analysis, and the development of portfolio construction and fund management frameworks across Ares’ global secondaries business.

The team partners closely with investment professionals, senior leadership, Investor Relations, and Product Management, and engages regularly with limited partners and other external stakeholders. The role offers meaningful responsibility, broad exposure across the investment lifecycle, and direct interaction with senior decision‑makers. The Associate will report to the Head of Portfolio Management and be based in New York or Connecticut.

Responsibilities

Portfolio Management & Risk Oversight

• Oversee ongoing portfolio monitoring for secondaries investments across applicable asset classes (Private Equity, Credit, Infrastructure, and/or Real Estate), including performance tracking, cash flow analysis, valuation review, and risk assessment throughout the investment lifecycle

• Analyze portfolio exposures, concentration risks, pacing, and return attribution, synthesizing insights and escalating key themes or emerging risks to senior leadership

• Develop and maintain transaction‑level and portfolio‑level financial models to evaluate prospective investments and assess portfolio construction implications

• Partner with investment teams to articulate the Portfolio Management perspective during investment committee discussions and transaction reviews

• Reforecast existing investments on a semi‑annual basis, evaluating changes in underlying performance, tracking error, and implications for forward‑looking strategy

Strategy & Portfolio Construction

• Assist in the design and maintenance of strategy‑level portfolio models that inform investment policy decisions, including asset allocation, risk parameters, deployment pacing and sizing, financing tools, and liquidity or cash recycling considerations

• Run quarterly portfolio and strategy discussions with key stakeholders, including investment committee members and senior investment leadership, to align teams on portfolio positioning and strategic priorities

• Apply portfolio insights to support product development and capital formation initiatives, including separately managed accounts and parallel investment structures

Financial Analysis & Reporting

• Run the preparation and review of comprehensive portfolio‑level analyses, including NAV forecasts, cash flow projections, scenario analyses, and performance summaries for senior management and investment committees

• Contribute to quarterly and ad hoc investor reporting by producing high‑quality portfolio analytics and written commentary in collaboration with Investor Relations and Product Management

• Ensure accuracy, consistency, and integrity of data across portfolio management systems, reporting tools, and downstream analytics

Product & Investor Support

• Support investor due diligence efforts by responding to inquiries related to portfolio construction, performance drivers, liquidity, and risk management

• Assist in the preparation of portfolio reviews, investor presentations, and fundraising materials in coordination with Investor Relations and senior leadership

• Contribute to the ongoing enhancement of portfolio management frameworks, analytical tools, and reporting standards across secondaries strategies

Cross‑Functional Collaboration

• Work closely with investment teams, fund accounting, legal, tax, and operations to ensure accurate representation of portfolio activity and timely resolution of issues

• Coordinate with Fund Accounting and Portfolio Analytics teams to review valuations, capital account statements, and financial reporting outputs

• Support senior portfolio managers and partners on strategic initiatives related to portf