Principal, Investment Operations - Global Head of Asset Servicing

Ares Operations•Los Angeles, NY

1d•Hybrid

About The Position

Ares is seeking a Principal of Investment Operations to join our team in either Los Angeles or New York as Global Head of Asset Servicing. This role is responsible for overseeing global asset servicing functions and collaborating with stakeholders across business lines and corporate functions. The ideal candidate will lead the global asset servicing team, manage relationships with fund administrators and custodians, and drive systemic and procedural process improvements. The ideal candidate brings deep expertise in corporate actions and loan servicing, with advanced proficiency in Wall Street Office. This role requires strong capabilities in managing complex operational workflows and fostering effective partnerships with asset servicing teams in Los Angeles and Mumbai, as well as with cross‑functional stakeholders across Ares. A strong background in bank debt is essential, along with experience supporting a global client base that includes pensions, insurance companies, and institutional investors. Given Ares’ diversified alternative asset platform—heavily concentrated in bank debt—the successful candidate will be comfortable operating across multiple business lines and asset classes. This position demands a dynamic, adaptable, and hands‑on leader who thrives in a fast‑paced, rapidly growing environment and is committed to driving operational excellence and best‑in‑class servicing practices.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in finance or other business related discipline
12–15 years of experience within leading global capital markets or investment management firms, with deep expertise in Investment Operations and Asset Servicing.
Broad Investment Operations background, including experience in middle‑office or back‑office functions.
Prior experience with an alternative asset manager strongly preferred; broader asset management exposure is also valuable.
Extensive knowledge of bank loans and other all other fixed income and alternative asset classes is a must.
Hands‑on experience with loan servicing in Wall Street Office, Black Mountain (Allvue), Geneva, PowerBI, AI‑driven tools, and IVP data management platforms is required.
Solid understanding of basic accounting principles relevant to investment operations.
Direct experience in Loan Operations and corporate actions for private and middle‑market loans is mandatory.
Proven experience working with a wide range of investment vehicles, including Institutional Separate Accounts, SMAs/Limited Partnerships, Open‑End Mutual Funds, Closed‑End Funds, UCITs, CLOs, and other complex fund structures.
Demonstrated ability to distill insights from extensive research and analysis, presenting findings clearly and concisely with strong attention to detail.
Self‑directed and proactive, with a positive, solutions‑driven mindset and the ability to operate effectively in a fast‑paced, highly collaborative environment with minimal supervision.
Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, including strong presentation, documentation, interpersonal, and cross‑functional collaboration capabilities.
Hands‑on approach with the ability to connect business operations with organizational needs and translate them into actionable outcomes.
Proven ability to manage multiple priorities and competing deadlines while maintaining high standards of accuracy.
Strong judgment in determining when to escalate issues versus resolving matters independently.
Strategic thinker with a solutions‑oriented mindset, capable of maintaining a broad perspective while addressing detailed operational challenges.
Comfortable navigating ambiguity and change in a dynamic, rapidly evolving environment.
Flexibility to adjust working hours to support global teams across multiple time zones.
Analytical and innovative, with a passion for identifying opportunities to enhance efficiency and improve existing processes.
Dependable, motivated, and team‑oriented, with a consistently positive and professional attitude.
Demonstrated leadership skills with the ability to influence, guide, and develop others.
Ability to travel to our global office locations multiple times a year

Nice To Haves

MBA, CFA and/or CPA preferred but not required
Knowledge of Solvas is a plus.
Background in hedge funds, credit, or private equity is considered a plus.

Responsibilities

Provide strategic leadership to the Global Asset Servicing team, optimizing manual processes and establishing scalable, efficient workflows.
Act as the primary escalation point for asset servicing inquiries and high‑risk breaks, proactively diagnosing root causes and driving timely resolution.
Manage and oversee fund administrator relationships, identifying recurring issues and partnering to design and implement sustainable long‑term solutions.
Assess, adopt, and integrate emerging industry technologies to strengthen operational effectiveness and scalability.
Lead automation and process enhancement initiatives, ensuring accuracy, consistency, and continuous improvement across key workflows.
Review and analyze daily reconciliations between internal systems and external parties to identify and remediate systemic discrepancies.
Coordinate asset servicing audit activities with internal teams, external auditors, consultants, and regulatory bodies such as the SEC.
Develop, track, and present key asset servicing metrics (KPIs) to senior leadership and cross‑functional stakeholders.
Develop and communicating asset management strategies and loan servicing policies.
Engage in asset and transaction underwriting, due diligence, and post-closing asset management.
Collaborate across functions and teams to set and execute strategies for evolving operations.
Ensure compliance with regulations and maintaining strong communication with asset owners.
Uphold rigorous quality control standards, incorporating feedback and performance insights to refine and enhance operational processes.
Partner closely with finance, offshore teams, deal teams, investment accounting, middle office, treasury, and trustees to ensure seamless communication, alignment, and issue resolution.