Assistant Fund Controller — Downtown Los Angeles, CA | Pacific Executive Search

Assistant Fund Controller

(Job ID: 2065)

Downtown Los Angeles, CA

Hybrid

Direct Hire

Real Estate

$130,000 – $160,000 base

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Overview

Stepping into a hands-on fund accounting role within a $2 billion multi-strategy real estate investment platform, this position offers direct collaboration with senior finance leadership and external partners across audit, tax, and fund administration. The role demands a seasoned accounting professional with a blend of public and private fund experience, comfortable navigating complex financial reporting, consolidations, and investor communications in a hybrid work setting based in Southern California. This opportunity centers on managing the financial integrity of diverse real estate investment vehicles, including private debt and equity funds, while supporting a nimble team of finance specialists.

Title: Assistant Fund Controller
Industry: Real Estate Investment and Asset Management
Location: Downtown Los Angeles

Responsibilities

Oversee daily accounting activities and lead the month-end close process, ensuring accurate reconciliations and preparation of supporting schedules for fund financial statements.
Execute bank reconciliations and maintain journal entry records, including approval workflows for accounts payable through Yardi.
Calculate and update fund and investor-level performance metrics such as IRR, equity multiples, and time-weighted returns.
Prepare management fee computations, incentive accruals, and detailed supporting documentation for internal and external reporting.
Manage capital call and distribution processes, including precise investor allocation calculations and issuance of notices.
Coordinate year-end audit, tax, and compliance deliverables in partnership with internal teams and third-party service providers.
Maintain investment schedules and perform quarterly consolidations and eliminations across fund and joint venture entities, liaising closely with external fund administrators.

Qualifications

Must-Have:
- Bachelor’s degree in accounting or a related discipline; CPA designation preferred.
- Minimum of seven years in accounting, with at least five years focused on fund accounting within real estate private equity or private debt environments.
- Experience managing both open-ended (NAV) and closed-end fund accounting, including investor-level reporting and performance measurement.
- Strong knowledge of US GAAP, particularly fair value measurement, consolidation, and ASC 946 investment company accounting.
- Proficiency with Yardi and advanced skills in Microsoft Excel.
- Demonstrated ability to handle multiple deadlines and collaborate effectively with auditors, tax advisors, and fund administrators.
Nice-to-Have:
- Background combining public accounting and in-house fund or investment management experience.
- Familiarity with treasury functions such as cash forecasting within fund vehicles.
- Exposure to structured finance or special situations investment strategies.

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 do accounting roles in real estate often require a different kind of operator?
Because entity structures, property-level reporting, intercompany activity, partnership considerations, and ownership reporting can create a more structurally complex environment than many standard corporate settings. Real estate accounting roles usually demand a candidate who understands the operating rhythm of the business, not just the debits and credits.
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.
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.