Director, Financial Services Outsourcing

Armanino LLP•Chicago, IL

About The Position

At Armanino, you determine your career path. This means it's possible to pursue challenges you are passionate about, in industries you care about. Armanino is proud to be Among the top 20 Largest Accounting and Consulting Firms in the Nation and one of the Best Places to Work. We have a community of resources that are ready and willing to support your ideas, build your skills and expand your professional network. We want you to integrate all aspects of your life with your career. At Armanino, we know you don’t check-out of life when you check-in at work. That’s why we’ve created a unique work environment where your passions, work, and family & friends can overlap. We want to help you achieve growth by giving you access to a network of smart and supportive people, willing to listen to your ideas. The Financial Services Director will partner closely with vertical leadership to lead and scale Armanino’s fund administration and real estate accounting practice. This role provides strategic and operational oversight of teams supporting complex fund structures and real estate entities, with accountability for practice performance, technical excellence, and delivery consistency. Success in this position requires deep technical expertise across fund and real estate structures, proven experience leading an accounting or fund administration practice, and the ability to manage staffing, metrics, and departmental operations while driving continuous improvement.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, or a related field required.
Minimum of 12 years of progressive experience in fund administration and real estate investment accounting.
Prior experience leading or managing an accounting, fund administration, or professional services practice, including responsibility for staffing, utilization, and departmental performance.
Deep technical expertise across fund structures and entity types, including open- and closed-ended funds, joint ventures, SPVs, and complex ownership structures.
Strong knowledge of partnership accounting, fund structures, and waterfall models.
Proven ability to operate as a strategic leader while remaining technically hands-on as needed.
Exceptional leadership, communication, and stakeholder management skills.
Proficiency in accounting systems and advanced Microsoft Excel capabilities.
Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, deadline-driven, client-facing environment.

Nice To Haves

Chartered Accountant (CA) or equivalent professional designation.

Responsibilities

Practice & Operational Leadership Provide leadership oversight for Armanino’s fund administration and real estate accounting practice, including staffing strategy, utilization, capacity planning, and performance metrics.
Own departmental metrics related to engagement delivery, efficiency, quality, and scalability; proactively identify opportunities to improve performance and resource alignment.
Partner with leadership to scale the practice through standardized processes, training frameworks, and operational best practices.
Global Team Oversight Manage Financial Services resources across the US and India, including staffing across engagements, workload balancing, professional development, and performance management.
Build, mentor, and retain high-performing teams with strong technical depth in fund and real estate accounting.
Client & Engagement Leadership Serve as a senior escalation point for complex client matters, particularly those involving sophisticated fund structures and real estate entities.
Occasionally oversee day-to-day operations for enterprise clients, providing strategic guidance, engagement oversight, and executive-level communication.
Fund & Real Estate Technical Expertise Provide subject matter expertise across a wide range of fund and entity structures, including open- and closed-ended funds, joint ventures, special purpose vehicles (SPVs), and complex ownership structures.
Demonstrate strong command of fund operations, including capital activity, investor reporting, waterfalls, fund economics, and performance metrics.
Apply deep understanding of real estate accounting at both the fund and property/entity level.
Project & Change Leadership Lead onboarding for new clients, including data migrations from other service providers and implementation of standardized delivery models.
Partner with leadership to drive automation and process improvement initiatives, including the use of AI and technology-enabled solutions.
Risk Management & Compliance Collaborate with leadership to design, implement, and monitor internal controls that mitigate operational and compliance risk.
Ensure consistency with GAAP standards and firm-wide policies.