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

Within a $2 billion private equity real estate platform spanning multiple U.S. markets, this position offers hands-on involvement in fund accounting and investment management operations. Reporting to senior finance leadership, the role demands a blend of public accounting rigor and in-house fund expertise, with direct collaboration across fund administration, audit, and tax functions. Located in Southern California with hybrid flexibility, this opportunity centers on managing complex fund structures and delivering precise financial reporting under tight deadlines.

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, including preparing reconciliations and detailed schedules for fund financial reporting.
Conduct bank reconciliations and accurately record journal entries to maintain ledger integrity.
Review and approve accounts payable transactions through Yardi’s workflow system.
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 supporting documentation for fund operations.
Coordinate capital call and distribution calculations with investor-level allocations and generate corresponding notices.
Collaborate with external fund administrators and internal teams to support quarterly financial statement preparation, consolidations, eliminations, and audit processes.

Qualifications

Must-Have:
- Bachelor’s degree in accounting or a related discipline; CPA designation preferred.
- Minimum of 7 years in accounting, including at least 5 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 structures.
- Strong knowledge of US GAAP, particularly fair value measurement, consolidation, and ASC 946 investment company accounting.
- Proficiency with Yardi or similar real estate accounting software.
- Demonstrated ability to manage multiple deliverables and deadlines in a complex fund operations setting.
Nice-to-Have:
- Background combining public accounting experience with in-house fund or investment management roles.
- Familiarity with treasury functions such as cash forecasting and capital management.
- Advanced skills in Microsoft Excel and other Office applications.
- Exposure to audit, tax compliance, and investor relations coordination.

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 are SaaS accounting and finance roles different from general corporate roles?
Because recurring revenue models create different pressure points around revenue recognition, deferred revenue, forecasting, metrics, and scale. Even strong general accounting or finance candidates can struggle if they have not operated in an environment where recurring revenue and growth-stage process discipline matter.
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.