Fund Accounting Manager

(Job ID: 2080)

West Los Angeles, California

Hybrid

Direct Hire

Real Estate

$110,000 – $125,000 base

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Overview

Managing the financial operations of a substantial real estate debt portfolio, this newly established position offers direct collaboration with senior leadership in a specialized investment management firm headquartered in Southern California. The role demands a seasoned accounting professional with a strong foundation in public accounting and fund financials, tasked with overseeing complex investor reporting and cash management processes. Situated in El Segundo, this opportunity blends hands-on fund accounting with strategic oversight in a firm managing billions in commercial real estate assets.

Title: Fund Accounting Manager
Industry: Real Estate Investment Management
Location: West Los Angeles

Responsibilities

Oversee the preparation and analysis of consolidated financial statements by coordinating with external fund administrators.
Manage daily liquidity and cash operations, ensuring alignment with deal managers on funding requirements for closings.
Compile and update monthly and quarterly investor reports, including limited partner statements and capital account reconciliations.
Support capital call and distribution schedule preparation and review, maintaining accuracy and compliance.
Conduct reconciliations between internal records and third-party administrators, custodians, and investor statements during transition projects.
Review quarterly financial covenants and REIT asset and income tests to ensure adherence to lender requirements.
Assist external auditors by providing necessary documentation and responding to audit inquiries.

Qualifications

Must-Have:
- 3 to 4 years of public accounting experience with a focus on fund accounting, preferably involving real estate, private equity, or joint ventures.
- Strong proficiency in financial reporting, reconciliations, and investor communications.
- Excellent organizational skills with a detail-oriented approach to managing multiple priorities.
- Advanced skills in Microsoft Excel and familiarity with Microsoft Word and AI tools for enhanced productivity.
- Effective verbal and written communication skills, including experience addressing inquiries from limited partners, auditors, and administrators.
Nice-to-Have:
- Background at a Big Four accounting firm and CPA certification.
- Experience with real estate debt fund accounting and knowledge of valuation models.
- Exposure to fund administration software such as Real Insight (training provided if needed).

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.

Fund Accounting Manager — West Los Angeles, California | Pacific Executive Search