Role: Fund Controller



Location:
London

Contract: 6 months (with potential to go perm or longer term)



Salary:
£550/day Outside IR35

Working Model: Predominately office based // 4 days in & 1 day from home

FryerMiles are delighted to continue their partnership with this renowned Real Estate Investment and Asset management powerhouse; with immense strategic growth plans, several lines of business including discretionary value add and core+ funds, a substantial increase in AUM, and plans to further their European foothold; my client requires a highly capable senior finance professional to join their team and hit the ground running.

An excellent opportunity for a qualified accountant (ACA/ACCA) with 5+years of PQE with relevant RE investment industry experience to join an entrepreneurial investment & asset management firm.



Responsibilities:


- Delivery of draft figures to agreed timetables for insertion into quarterly property reports, quarterly fund management reports and quarterly investor reports

- Working collaboratively with the Fund Operating Officer to draft quarterly property reports, quarterly fund management reports and quarterly investor reports to agreed timetables

- Overseeing preparation of monthly project and fund liquidity reports prepared by the Treasury Coordinator, including reporting on headroom in commitments and bridging loans

- Overall responsibility for working with the Treasury Coordinator in ensuring foreign exchange hedging is maintained in line with Fund requirements, including ensuring sufficient liquidity in advance of major events and ensuring contracts are rolled in a timely manner

- Providing support to the Fund Operating Officer for ad hoc investor queries and requests

- Assisting the Fund Operating Officers with investment valuation, maintenance of track record and KPIs

- Day to day management of the finance team

- Setting strategic objectives for the finance team which support the wider business objectives and guiding and coaching the team to achieve them

- Overall responsibility for ensuring the finance processes and procedures, as updated from time to time, are appropriate and adhered to. This includes but is not limited to:

The accounts payable process
Treasury processes including monitoring of key dates on hedging contracts and the bridging loans (ie rollover dates)
Quarterly reporting processes, including preparing a detailed timetable and driving those contributing to the timetable to deliver on time
Meeting with external accountants on a quarterly basis and challenging them on their processes and controls, including the bank reconciliation processes

Monthly liaison with central credit control to identify and appropriately provide for bad and doubtful debts
- Management of the external accountants to deliver high quality reporting to timetable

- Monthly monitoring of service charge accounts to ensure they are being maintained by property managers in a structured and organised manner, including updates on funding levels

Escalation of key issues at an early stage to ensure proactive resolution

Collaboration with asset management and origination teams from time to time on ad hoc queries/projects

Monitoring of statutory financial reporting requirements of all entities across funds, ensuring these are filed within 3 months of year end; coaching the Deputy financial controller in the coordination of this process

Managing the external audit relationship proactively and responding to audit queries quickly, ensuring timetables are adhered to

Regularly reviewing and challenging existing processes to identify efficiencies and mitigate risks

Ideal Candidate & Qualifications

Must have proven financial accounting and control experience within the Real Estate fund's industry

- Property accounting and service charge knowledge

- 4 years + Post qualification experience (ACA preferable) with both practice and in-house experience

- Able to demonstrate experience of implementation of efficiencies identified within operational/financial processes

- Strong project and relationship management skills and experience managing a third party relationship with ability to multi-task and prioritise effectively

- Able to work autonomously and as part of a team and being able to work in a deadline driven environment

- Strong communication skills, both written and verbal

- Detail oriented and thorough

- Degree qualified in accounting, finance or a related field an advantage

- Commercially aware / professional

- Horizon, Yardi or similar Property Management systems experience preferable

- Experience dealing with audit teams and managing an audit process