VP, Operations Finance

AJ Capital Partners•Chicago, IL

3d•Onsite

About The Position

Adventurous Journeys Capital Partners (“AJCP”) is seeking a VP, Operations Finance to lead the firm’s real estate finance and accounting team to support AJCP’s rapid growth across multiple investment platforms, including Chief’s on Broadway, Field & Stream, Coral Sands, Hotel 1928, Hotel Pontchartrain, and Memoir Residential. The VP, Operations Finance will serve as a strategic finance leader supporting the operational, financial, and investment performance of AJCP’s hospitality, F&B, and residential assets, including Chief’s on Broadway, Field & Stream, Hotel 1928, Hotel Pontchartrain, Memoir Residential, Coral Sands, and additional platforms as the firm scales. In this role, you will partner closely with the SVP, Asset Management and act as a strategic partner to the business for the portfolio they manage. The role will interface directly with a variety of groups within AJCP including Fund Accounting, Asset Management, Capital Markets, Portfolio Management and Investor Relations. You will oversee a team of AJ professionals and collaborate with third-party operating partners to drive operational efficiency and accurate financial reporting. The portfolio includes complex real estate, hotel, restaurant, and residential operations providing leadership that elevates financial discipline, operational rigor, and value creation across the organization.

Requirements

AJCP is seeking a highly-motivated individual who enjoys working in a fast-paced, but disciplined, entrepreneurial environment. The ideal candidate will have extensive hospitality and real estate expertise.
Experience leading complex real estate or operating company finance functions, ideally within an investment manager or private equity environment.
Ability to communicate effectively with senior executives, investors, lenders, and operating partners.
A strategic, analytical mindset and the ability to resolve complex issues that span operations, finance, and investment structures.
Impeccable attention to detail and commitment to accuracy, timeliness, and precision.
Demonstrated success leading teams, driving change, and collaborating across functions.
Strong technical understanding of hospitality accounting, partnership accounting, and investment company structures.
B.A. or B.S. degree in accounting
10+ years of hospitality and/or real estate accounting, operations finance, and investment reporting experience
CPA or CPA candidate
Experience managing accounting or finance teams

Nice To Haves

Public accounting experience, combined with hospitality and/or real estate accounting, operations finance, and investment reporting experience
Experience in a broad base of asset classes, including hospitality, multi-family, office, and retail
An advanced degree, such as a Masters of Accountancy / MAC or a Masters of Business Administration / MBA

Responsibilities

Oversee all property-level and operational accounting for assigned assets, ensuring timely and accurate monthly close processes, financial statements, lender reporting, and internal reporting packages.
Ensure the integrity of daily operational accounting data across Toast, Shopify, Tripleseat, Tixr, Sage Intacct, Yardi, MarginEdge, and other systems supporting hotel, F&B, and residential operations.
Direct the preparation and review of reconciled balance sheets, P&Ls with variance analysis, statements of cash flows, and performance dashboards.
Oversee compliance with GAAP, including revenue recognition, capitalization, allocations, and fair-value considerations.
Manage relationships with third-party operators and coordinate oversight of their teams and the quality of reporting.
Strengthen and scale internal controls, accounting policies, and reporting workflows across the operations finance ecosystem.
Serve as the senior finance point of contact between AJCP and property management finance teams, setting priorities, resolving escalations, and driving alignment across operational stakeholders.
Partner with Asset Management to review monthly performance, forecasts, flex/flow analyses, STR reports, PACE reports, and other operational analytics; identify trends and provide recommendations to enhance revenue, margin, and working capital efficiency.
Oversee treasury and cash management activities across assets, including liquidity forecasting and lender reporting including loan covenant compliance.
Collaborate with Investments and Capital Markets by providing sophisticated financial analysis and operational insights to support underwriting, diligence, equity raises, joint ventures, and loan originations/refinancings.
Lead financial support for the closing of new acquisitions and capital markets transactions, including due diligence coordination, settlement statement reconciliations, onboarding, and alignment of acquired assets to AJCP’s financial standards.
Maintain deep understanding of, and compliance with, all significant agreements including operating agreements, loan agreements, joint venture documents, management agreements, leases, development agreements, and insurance requirements.
Lead, develop, and mentor a team of operations finance professionals; develop resourcing plans as the portfolio grows.
Look for efficiencies and improved reporting processes using technology and alignment of resources, challenging the status quo.
Enhance cross-functional processes and communication to support AJCP’s rapid expansion across multiple operating platforms.
Ensure robust documentation of financial processes and internal controls to maintain a best-in-class institutional finance environment.