Fund Accounting, Managing Director

State Street•Irvine, CA

17h•Onsite

About The Position

We are looking for a proven leader to head Fund Accounting service delivery for one of our most significant clients. This role carries full end-to-end accountability for delivering service excellence, ensuring all fund accounting deliverables are produced accurately, on time, and to the highest standard of control, governance, and client expectation. Fund accounting is a core service within Investment Services and Global Delivery, underpinning the integrity of client reporting, valuation, and operational decision-making. For our clients, accurate and timely fund accounting is not optional; it is central to trust, regulatory confidence, and service credibility. This role is critical given the scale, complexity, and strategic importance of the client within our Global Delivery model. The Managing Director will be the senior accountable owner for Fund Accounting service excellence, with clear accountability for operational execution, delivery quality, risk management, issue resolution, regulatory compliance, and alignment with client expectations. Reporting to the Head of Fund Accounting, the Managing Director will set and execute the service delivery, risk, control, and people strategy for the client. The role will lead the dedicated fund accounting team, oversee global operational teams supporting the relationship, drive disciplined execution, and serve as the senior escalation point for material service, control, and client matters.

Requirements

Primary degree, professional accounting qualification, or equivalent experience preferred.
Deep fund accounting and investment services experience, ideally 10+ years, with strong knowledge of securities, investment strategies, market practices, and operating risk.
Proven senior leadership experience with direct accountability for large, complex, and strategically important client relationships.
Demonstrated ability to engage senior client stakeholders, lead difficult conversations, and drive resolution of high-impact service issues.
Strong track record operating in regulated environments with accountability for risk management, control effectiveness, regulatory outcomes, and service resilience.
Strong working knowledge of fund accounting products and processes, including fixed income, complex derivatives and exchange traded funds; expertise in adjacent investment services areas will also be considered.
Comprehensive understanding of business administration and management disciplines, including strategic planning, operational execution, people leadership, regulatory obligations, financial management, and cost control.
Demonstrated ability to make sound, timely decisions in high-pressure, high-impact environments involving clients, regulators, senior stakeholders, and complex operational issues.
Proven ability to build accountability, improve controls, strengthen operating discipline, and deliver measurable service improvements in a complex global delivery environment.

Responsibilities

Own end-to-end delivery of all fund accounting services for the client, with full accountability for accurate, timely, complete, and controlled delivery of all agreed deliverables.
Drive a service excellence culture across Fund Accounting and all supporting global operations teams, ensuring daily execution meets client expectations and agreed service standards.
Take primary accountability for client outcomes, including service quality, client satisfaction, issue ownership, and timely resolution of escalations.
Establish clear delivery standards, performance routines, and governance across teams, aligned with the global operating model and enabled by corporate technology wherever possible.
Act as the senior escalation point for material service issues, high-severity incidents, client complaints, regulatory matters, and remediation activities impacting the client.
Lead prioritisation and delivery of client change activity, including transitions, fund launches, operating model enhancements, and process improvement initiatives.
Lead senior client engagement, including governance meetings, service reviews, escalation discussions, and executive updates, with clear ownership of follow-through and outcomes.
Provide timely, relevant, and action-oriented reporting to corporate and regional governance committees to support effective oversight, challenge, and decision-making.
Manage budgets and resourcing in line with client commitments and corporate objectives.
Ensure optimal technical set up of fund accounting services and elections across funds.
Ensure every team member has clear reporting lines, defined authority levels, documented responsibilities, measurable objectives, and the training required to execute with confidence and accountability.
Maintain a strong control environment through disciplined oversight, clear delegated authority, effective escalation procedures, and consistent adherence to internal policies and external regulatory requirements.
Build a high-performing team culture focused on ownership, service excellence, timely delivery, risk awareness, and continuous improvement.
Develop effective working relationships across global operations, technology, risk, product, and client-facing teams to ensure coordinated execution and rapid issue resolution.
Develop and maintain a strong leadership pipeline for the client team, including succession planning for critical roles and sustained focus on talent development.
Operate a robust oversight framework for the client service model, ensuring management information is timely, challenged appropriately, and used to drive action, remediation, and accountability.
Champion a culture of Risk Excellence, encouraging openness, constructive challenge, transparent escalation, and disciplined follow-through on identified issues.
Embed individual ownership across the team so that staff understand their responsibilities, own outcomes, and consistently deliver against client and control expectations.
Model the highest standards of conduct, judgment, and decision-making, ensuring decisions are informed, timely, reasonable, and supported by appropriate information.

Benefits

retirement savings plan (401K) with company match
insurance coverage including basic life, medical, dental, vision, long-term disability, and other optional additional coverages
paid-time off including vacation, sick leave, short term disability, and family care responsibilities
access to our Employee Assistance Program
incentive compensation including eligibility for annual performance-based awards
eligibility for certain tax advantaged savings plans
inclusive development opportunities
flexible work-life support
paid volunteer days
vibrant employee networks