Vice President, Investment Operations

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

Background Description: 

Ares management Corporation is seeking a highly motivated and experienced Business Manager to lead, manage and implement process and infrastructure improvements for the US Direct Lending strategy.  This individual will be responsible for implementing operational improvements across the end-to-end deal lifecycle for the US Direct Lending business, working across various functions.

The individual in this role with continuously improve and re-engineer workflows across the business unit, along with supporting infrastructure teams to enhance the efficiency and scale of the operation.  They will serve as the main representative for the business and build strong partnerships across all teams supporting the business unit.

The role will sit within the newly established Business Management function, a strategic advisory team focused on front-to-back business unit process, technology, and infrastructure optimization and will report into the Head of Business Management. 

This function currently sits under the Investment Operations umbrella.

Role Description:

Strategy & Planning

• Partner with business counterparts to identify operational pain points and formulate process improvement solutions
• Help with the planning process as it relates to the US Direct Lending operations, including – technology needs, headcount, and infrastructure improvements

Operating Model Execution

• Develop a detailed understanding of the end-to-end investment lifecycle of US Direct Lending deals, including – process, people, and technology
• Continuously improve and re-engineer workflows across the business unit, along with supporting infrastructure teams
• Continuously review the deal lifecycle processes to make improvements and optimize day-to-day activities for the US Direct Lending operations
• Execute strategies to digitize data and processes for efficiency

Infrastructure Optimization & Benchmarking

• Stay current on new technologies, 3rd party service providers, and market trends to advise on infrastructure and technology stack improvements
• Run vendor assessments and proof-of-concept for new technology solutions
• Partner with Technology and Functional teams on target state architecture and prioritizing technology and service solutions
• Develop/improve KPIs for more insightful operational analytics and trending over time
• Participate in benchmarking studies to stay current with industry standards & peer group

Business Engagement & Stakeholder Management

• Serve as the main representative for the business, ensuring operational priorities and issues are communicated clearly across the infrastructure groups
• Help with planning and materials for the Business Reviews
• Partner with business and functional teams to identify operational pain points to formulate and implement process improvement solutions

Qualifications:

Education:

• Bachelor’s degree is required from a top academic institution
• Master’s or other advanced degree considered a plus

Experience Required:

• 6-10 years of relevant experience in management consulting, Strategy or COO function
• Excellent PowerPoint, Microsoft Excel, Data Analytics & Visualization, and Visio skills
• Commercial mindset with experience improving business processes, with a proven track record of driving transformation
• Previous experience with planning, designing, and implementing business operating models
• Demonstrated ability to solve problems and interact directly with investment professionals
• Industry knowledge and experience with Alternative Investment asset classes, particularly Illiquid Credit is preferred
• This role requires a dynamic, adaptive, and experienced professional who can build and maintain strong business partner relationships

General Requirements:

• Excellent interpersonal and written communication skills
• Self-motivated and driven with ability to multitask and to work effectively in a fast-paced, dynamic environment
• Dep