Senior Associate, Middle Office

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

Summary:

London Operations is responsible for the European Agency and Private Debt deal closing functions as well as all Settlements activity in the European Capital Market funds and Managed Accounts. The Settlement functions cover a broad scope of asset classes including but not limited to Loans, Bonds, Structured Credit, Derivatives and FX. Both sides of the business involve the successful closing of all primary and secondary par and distressed loans within the Ares European Private Debt funds, Capital Market funds and Managed Accounts. They work closely with Counterparties, Trustees, Custodians, Agent Banks and Clients to ensure prompt settlement of all trades. They also run an active Agency Portfolio and work closely with the Front Office as well as all other Middle and Back Office departments and outsourced providers on a regular day to day basis as well as on ad-hoc projects.

Primary Functions & Essential Responsibilities:

• Responsible for working with Deal Team, Legal Counsel, Trustees, Administrators and other internal teams on Direct Lending transactions.
• Responsible for reviewing and negotiating operational points of the Credit Agreements for upsizes, ARAs, restructures.  Understanding of operational compatibility and requirements around operational risk and efficiency. 
• Experience in Facility Agent role.  Knowledge of cash/PIK calculations, repayment mechanics, waivers etc.  Participation in LMA initiatives.    
• Ensure accurate and timely booking of upsizes/amendments.  Act as escalation point for par and cash breaks across Ares entities
• Work with the relevant team members/internal departments (e.g Finance, Investment Accounting, Loan Servicing etc) on managing restructurings and complex facilities.
• Co-ordinate with finance/trustees on movement of funds for upsizes and delayed draw loans.  Knowledge of payment formatting and currency cut offs; comfortable with escalating issues in appropriate time frames.
• Play an active part in the management of the Outsourcing Sub Agent vendor. Assist with overseeing workflows and controls in order to maintain oversight and sign off for the relevant parts of the outsourced functions.
• Identify workstreams to transition to our India Operations coverage team.  Provide clear requirements/procedures and training support.
• Contribute to SOP for Operations London.  Identify process improvements and participate in the implementation of approved changes.
• Recommend controls by identifying problems and contributing to KPI/KRI reporting.

Education/Certification:

• Bachelor's Degree from an accredited university in Finance or related discipline preferred

Required Knowledge:

• Strong fixed-income product knowledge, particularly LMA bank loans with a focus on Agency considerations
• Strong Project management and Business Analyst background
• Experience working on middle office technology and workflow projects
• Strong PowerPoint, Visio and Microsoft Office (Microsoft Teams a bonus)
• Knowledge of Advent-Geneva, Everest Black Mountain and Wall Street Office a plus

Experience Required:

• Demonstrable financial services experience including 5+ years of credit experience in wholesale banking/Buyside or credit risk management
• Experience in outsourcing workflows, working with/oversight of 3rd party vendors and offshore teams
• Expert in risk analysis and risk management processes for one or more products and lending areas
• Understands credit and syndication processes and the governing documentation including credit agreements and ancillary documents (knowledge of Equity docs a bonus)
• Track record of running projects across business areas, coordinating and communicating to multiple stakeholders to drive a consolidated effort and reach a positive conclusion.

Skills/Abilities:

• Advanced analytical skills, with the ability to identify root causes and trends and anticipate horizon issues
• Excellent communication skills (verbal and written) confident running cross departmental meetings to varied audiences including senior management
• Ability to multi-task and prioritize work in a deadline-intensive environment
• Strong control focus and ability to challenge and streamline processes
• Capable of effectively managing multiple, competing priorities in a portfolio of moderately complex deals while participating in related projects
• Critical thinker who can act with minimal supervision but seeks advice appropriately  
• Strategic orientation so as to ensure the function continues to be positioned as a thoughtful and proactive partner to Senior Management on credit risk management matters and on driving best practices to support safety and soundness in the business space
• Self-starter with the ability to identify an issue, initiate a solution, and see it through to completion
• Ability to make recommendations and provide guidance to effectively advance projects across a globally integrated enterprise
• Able to work independently and share results of assigned projects with all stakeholders
• Strong interpersonal skills, with the ability to build relationships and exert influence with and without direct authority
• Promotes the development of partnerships across teams to solve complex issues and improve performance

Reporting Relationships

Vice President, Middle Office

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.

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