Controller — Greater Los Angeles, California | Pacific Executive Search

Controller

(Job ID: 1955)

Greater Los Angeles, California

Hybrid

Direct Hire

Fin Serv - Investment

$175,000 – $200,000 base

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Overview

We are seeking a highly skilled Controller to join our dynamic team, where you will play a pivotal role in overseeing financial operations and ensuring compliance within a fast-paced investment environment. This position offers significant opportunities for career growth and development, allowing you to enhance your expertise in fund accounting and financial reporting. Our collaborative culture values innovation and flexibility, fostering an environment where your contributions will directly impact our success and drive strategic initiatives.

Responsibilities

Review and analyze quarterly NAVs, financial statements, and partner allocations to ensure accuracy and compliance with U.S. GAAP.
Oversee fund accounting processes and manage relationships with outsourced teams to streamline internal reporting.
Assist in trade allocation management within a multi-master fund structure, optimizing leverage facilities.
Collaborate with legal teams to review fund Offering Memorandums (OMs) and Limited Partnership Agreements (LPAs), providing insightful feedback.
Coordinate with tax teams on blocker entity accounting and fund management mechanics to ensure regulatory compliance.
Manage fund operations, including capital calls, distributions, and valuation activities, to support effective fund management.
Support cash management and liquidity planning, while preparing performance reports and quarterly board materials.

Qualifications

Must-Have:
Bachelor’s degree in Accounting or Finance.
10+ years of investment accounting experience, particularly with Private Credit Funds, Hedge Funds, SPVs, and Co-Investments.
Strong understanding of U.S. GAAP and relevant accounting standards.
CPA license or equivalent certification preferred.
Nice-to-Have:
Experience with financial analysis and the ability to identify complex financial issues.
Proficiency in ERP systems such as SAP or NetSuite.
Excellent communication skills to effectively engage with investors, service providers, and internal teams.
Strong organizational skills to manage multiple tasks and deadlines efficiently.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why do Accounting Manager hires fail?
Because companies hire for close execution when the real need is issue ownership and team leadership. Many candidates can manage a checklist. Far fewer can stabilize the function under pressure, improve weak processes, coach staff, and hold the line during audit, turnover, or reporting stress.
What are strong Accounting Manager candidates evaluating during the interview process?
They are usually trying to understand whether they are walking into a stable environment, a cleanup situation, or an under-resourced function. Strong candidates do not just evaluate title and compensation. They assess whether success is realistically achievable and whether leadership understands what the accounting team actually needs.
Why does ERP experience matter so much in roles like this?
Because many accounting and finance roles are really process-and-systems roles disguised as job titles. A candidate may know the accounting, but if they cannot operate effectively inside the company's environment, ramp time becomes risk. Exact system match is not always mandatory, but comparable complexity often is.
How do strong candidates typically evaluate opportunities like this?
Strong candidates rarely evaluate a role based on title alone. They look at what the position actually owns, how the function is viewed internally, whether the environment is stable or in transition, and what success will realistically look like in the first 6 to 12 months. Many first discover a role through a posting, but the strongest career decisions usually come from understanding the context behind the opportunity, not just the job description. In accounting and finance hiring, that level of context is often what separates a lateral move from a meaningful one. Learn more about how strategic accounting and finance searches differ from transactional recruiting.
Is the CPA really required for roles like this?
Sometimes yes, and often functionally yes even when the posting says "preferred." At leadership levels especially, the CPA frequently acts as a credibility signal for hiring managers, auditors, lenders, investors, or boards. There are exceptions, but in many accounting searches it remains one of the clearest markers of technical foundation.