Fund Controller

Description

HighVista Strategies is seeking to hire a Fund Controller with 8+ years of experience from an asset manager, fund administrator, public accounting firm, or mix of these. The new team member will join the multi-strategy accounting team, working on products with a broad diversity of asset classes. This team oversees the work performed by our third-party administrators and other strategic partners, manages parts of our internal shadow accounting system, and is responsible for various regulatory filings. The role will involve direct engagement with senior members of both front-office functions, such as the investment and client relations teams, and back-office functions, such as compliance and operations. 

The new team member is expected to recognize the differences in execution and specialism between different asset classes, clients, geographies, and systems. This role will offer an opportunity to demonstrate thought leadership through continued focus on the development and evolution of the HighVista Strategies offerings.  

The successful candidate will oversee the fund control and operations of existing and new funds or segregated mandates. A key part of the role will be engaging with the third-party administrator to direct fund operations, along with other strategic partners, while working closely with both internal and external stakeholders in the pursuit of delivering excellence in investor experience 

Core Responsibilities 

• Strategic development of the current operational model: continued focus on the evolution of the current operating model, identifying potential improvements to the operational processes and activities of the team, proposing and leading implementation of methods for more efficient and effective working across the operating platform. 
• Management of service providers: day-to-day and cyclical liaising with the third-party administrator, banks, auditors and other third-party relationships. This will involve assessing service delivery against critical key performance indicators and ensuring service weaknesses are identified and improved in a timely manner. 
• Investment team liaison: aiding investment professionals and wider team on finance-related tasks. 
• Client Relations team liaison: partner with the client relations team on ad hoc and cyclical investor deliverables. 
• Regulatory Reporting: partner with the Chief Compliance Officer and third-party compliance provider to ensure compliance with laws and standards set by various regulatory bodies. 
• Coordination of the valuation process: coordination of the valuation process and preparation of associated papers for valuation committee. Review direct investment valuations prepared in-house and provide related support to the investment team. 
• Budgeting and treasury support: establish and evaluate annual budgets for the funds and partner with internal operations team and third-party administrator to ensure timely vendor payments and investor redemptions. 
• New funds and product launches: partner with internal and external stakeholders to ensure successful operational delivery. Determine and apply best operating practices to ensure efficiency is maximized. 
• Responsibility for ensuring ongoing fund deliverables and tasks are managed timey and effectively: ensure fund NAVs, financial statements and investor reporting are all delivered accurately within required timeframes, annual audits processed timely, regulatory filings are filed accurately and on time, support the Client Relations team to respond to and resolve investor queries or due diligence requirements. 

Requirements

• 8+ years of experience in Private Markets finance and operations and open-ended funds, ideally having worked in a similar role at a fund management firm overseeing third-party administrators, performing fund audits, or management experience in fund administration. 
• Excellent technical skills with up-to-date knowledge of current partnership accounting practices and standards. 
• Strong Excel Skills including being proficient at organizing, maintain and presenting information from large data sets   
• Strong communication skills with the ability to plan, prioritize, and organize deliverables. 
• Bachelor's Degree required; Qualified Accountant (CPA or equivalent) preferred but not required.