Junior Portfolio Accountant

Pzena Investment Management • New York, NY

3d • $65,000 - $70,000 • Onsite

About The Position

Pzena Investment Management, LLC is a registered investment adviser and broker-dealer managing approximately $85 billion in global equity assets. We provide equity investment management services for institutional investors, leading corporate, public and individual clients on a world-wide basis by way of separate accounts, sub-advised mutual funds, and other commingled vehicles since our firm founding in 1995. Our team of over 170 employees is mostly based in our headquarters in Manhattan and we have additional offices in London, Dublin and Melbourne. We are a growing company, in the size of our team, our locations, and our assets under management. We seek partners, not just employees, at every level in the firm and are looking for an exceptional new team member to grow with us. At Pzena, we invest in your career and have a strong track record of internal mobility.

As a Junior Portfolio Accountant, you will build on foundational operations experience and take ownership of the reconciliation, client reporting, and operational support processes that keep our books & records accurate. You will work closely with members of the Portfolio Accounting, Portfolio Implementation, Trading, Legal, and Finance teams and quickly contribute to the firm's business goals. This position works closely with, and reports directly to, the Manager of Investment Operations.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience.
• 1–2 years of relevant experience within investment management or financial operations.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office, specifically Excel (required).
• Excellent reconciliation skills and strong attention to detail.
• Knowledge of fund accounting preferred.
• Diligence & Attention to Detail: demonstrate accuracy and thoroughness; monitor own work to ensure quality control of all work product.
• Planning & Organizing: proactively prioritize and plan tasks; use time efficiently; maintain strong organizational habits.
• Interpersonal Skills & Teamwork: a collaborative team player who is professional, respectful, honest, open to new ideas, and willing to pitch in wherever needed to get the job done well.
• Communication: communicate clearly and professionally across all formats; produce polished and complete documents; present data effectively.
• Dependability: consistently a productive and positive team member; respond to direction and developmental feedback and solicit feedback to improve performance.
• Initiative: take ownership and accountability, seek out additional responsibilities, and work toward goals with growing independence.
• Results Oriented: understand and analyze work product; apply critical thinking to ensure accuracy of deliverables.
• Problem Solving: identify the cause and effect of issues and analyze internal and external information to arrive at appropriate solutions.

Nice To Haves

• Experience with a portfolio accounting system (e.g. InData) preferred.
• Experience with an automated reconciliation system (e.g. Gresham IM for Control) preferred.

Responsibilities

• Maintain accurate books & records through detailed reconciliation of client portfolios so we can properly implement our investment strategy.
• Provide excellent client service through effective client reporting and communication to strengthen client relationships and retention.
• Support internal personnel with operational inquiries to achieve company goals of excellence.
• Be an engaged member of the Operations Department and contribute to its business goals.
• Daily reconciliation of cash and transactions for domestic and multi-currency portfolios using Gresham Control for IM.
• Monthly reconciliation of cash, transactions, holdings and accrued income for domestic and multi-currency portfolios.
• Communicate with custodian banks to resolve discrepancies.
• Post and check client cash flows.
• Perform all reconciliations using Gresham Technologies' automated system.
• Effectively respond to all client inquiries using all internal resources available.
• Maintain focus on client satisfaction during all forms of communication.
• Meet all scheduled and unscheduled reporting requirements.
• Create custom reports as needed per client or internal requests.
• Manage the reporting inbox and confirm reporting deadlines are met.
• Maintain important operations databases and documents.
• Compile trade blotters and assist with internal and external audits.
• Compile daily and weekly reports and track progress on department goals.
• Support ad hoc projects assisting all areas of Operations.

Benefits

• additional health cover
• life assurance
• income protection
• pension
• firm contributions to causes important to our employees through firm Charitable Giving and Charitable Matching programs.
• Mentorship Program
• Lunch & Learns
• sponsoring workgroups and committees to recommend business improvements.
• team building activities in local offices and as a global firm including social events, holiday events, monthly birthday parties, Pizza Thursdays, recharging with healthy snacks, and more.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level