Senior Principal, Client Operations

Partners Capital•Boston, MA

7h•$180,000 - $210,000•Hybrid

About The Position

The Sr. Principal, Client Operations is a senior member of the global client operations function, responsible for the end-to-end operational health of client portfolios. Reporting directly to Tara Norton, Global Head of Client Operations, this individual will partner closely with client service teams to ensure a high standard of client experience across the full account lifecycle. This role demands a sophisticated understanding of the full trade lifecycle across asset classes — with particular depth in alternative investments, as well as equities, fixed income, and derivatives — combined with hands-on experience across the operational systems that support execution, accounting, and client reporting. The ideal candidate brings deep alternatives operations expertise, a working knowledge of ABOR (Accounting Book of Record) infrastructure, client performance reporting, and the client-facing polish to represent the operations function at the most senior levels. Beyond operational ownership, this role carries a second mandate: ensuring that the function’s transformation agenda — across system implementations, process redesign, and service elevation — moves forward with discipline and accountability. This individual is expected to be hands-on with these projects, not simply managing from a distance.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree required; advanced degree or professional certification (CFA, CAIA, or equivalent) preferred.
15+ years of experience in client operations, investment operations, or a related function at an OCIO, asset manager, custodian, or fund administrator.
Demonstrated experience managing client accounts operationally, with direct client-facing responsibility across endowments, foundations, pension funds, family offices, or similar mandates.
Deep alternatives operations expertise covering at least one of: private equity, private credit, hedge funds, or co-investments — including capital call and distribution processing, NAV validation, and side pocket tracking. End-to-end understanding of the trade lifecycle across asset classes also required.
Hands-on experience with ABOR infrastructure, including daily reconciliation, exception management, and ensuring data quality across downstream reporting and compliance functions.
Working knowledge of operations systems across the trade lifecycle, including execution management systems (EMS/OMS), portfolio accounting, and client reporting tools.
Background in process improvement, business requirements development, or operating model design.
Experience with performance measurement, attribution reporting, and related data validation for clients.
Demonstrated track record of driving cross-functional initiatives to completion in complex, matrixed environments.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills; comfortable engaging directly with clients, consultants, and senior internal stakeholders including C-suite leadership.
Proficiency with AI tools and advanced Excel skills; comfort working with large datasets and operational reporting systems.

Nice To Haves

Experience with SimCorp Dimension, Addepar, Canoe, or similar ABOR, client reporting, or alternatives data platforms.
CFA, CAIA, or other relevant professional certification.

Responsibilities

Demonstrate end-to-end command of the trade lifecycle across liquid and illiquid asset classes, ensuring operational touchpoints are controlled and exceptions are resolved at source.
Support the operational infrastructure for alternative investments — including private equity, private credit, hedge funds, and co-investments — encompassing capital calls, distributions, NAV validation, side pocket tracking, and fee calculations.
Partner with CIOs and trading teams on incorporating new structures into the operational workflow, ensuring ABOR and client reporting systems reflect account activity accurately and on a timely basis.
Own data integrity across client accounts within the Accounting Book of Record (ABOR), ensuring positions, transactions, cash, accruals, and valuations are accurate and reconciled on a daily and month-end basis.
Oversee reconciliation workflows between ABOR, custodian records, and client reporting systems — managing exception queues and driving root cause resolution for persistent or systemic breaks.
Ensure ABOR data is fit for purpose across all downstream functions including performance measurement, client reporting, compliance monitoring, and regulatory filings.
Maintain and improve data control frameworks and process runbooks across execution, accounting, and reporting systems, ensuring workflows are documented, auditable, and scalable.
Own the end-to-end delivery calendar for all active initiatives across Global Client Operations, maintaining a single source of truth on status, owners, and deadlines.
Lead weekly and monthly operational reviews with Senior Principals across Boston, London, Data Ops, and the Transformation Office; surface risks and resolve blockers.
Track and report on a defined set of operational metrics — including service delivery KPIs, project completion rates, and initiative progress — in close partnership with the Data Operations team.
Identify recurring operational issues and lead structured process improvement initiatives, partnering with technology, reporting, trading, client experience, and investment teams.
Develop business requirements for system enhancements across execution management, ABOR, and client performance reporting platforms — translating operational pain points into functional specifications for technology teams.
Contribute to the build-out of scalable onboarding workflows, data templates, and operational checklists that support OCIO business growth.
Partner with compliance and legal teams on account documentation and data for regulatory reporting relevant to client mandates.
Responsible for ensuring all information security processes, policies and procedures are adhered to and any issues or concerns are raised with the Cyber Security team
Ensure full compliance with all local data protection regulations and privacy controls, and any related issues are raised via the appropriate channels

Benefits

professional development
career progression opportunities
competitive compensation
exceptional benefits
flexible “results-focused” working model
medical insurance
dental insurance
vision insurance
short-term disability insurance
long-term disability insurance
life insurance
flexible spending accounts
commuter benefits
paid time off
401(k) plan with employer matching
global philanthropy via a charity program
volunteer day
wellness and social events
support the pursuit of professional certifications such as the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA), Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst (CAIA), etc.