Investment Operations Associate

Dimensional Fund Advisors; Santa Monica (CA); Hybrid; USD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Dimensional Fund Advisors is seeking a Senior Associate in Investment Operations to oversee outsourced fund operations. You will coordinate relationships with global service providers and review NAV production for mutual funds and ETFs, ensuring accuracy and timely reporting.

The role requires experience in fund accounting/operations, strong Excel skills, and ability to work with multiple stakeholders to improve processes and controls. Hybrid work policies apply.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Finance, Accounting, Business or Economics preferred.
• 3–5 years of relevant experience in fund accounting or operations.
• Experience with a third-party fund administrator or fund accountant.

Responsibilities

• Oversee daily operations with service providers for mutual funds and ETFs.
• Ensure adherence to accounting policies and procedures by fund service providers.
• Oversee NAV production oversight and reasonability review against fund benchmarks.
• Review daily deliverables from fund service providers.
• Evaluate NAV production exceptions with stakeholders and remediate root causes.
• Support new fund products and launches.
• Participate in system enhancements, testing, and process improvement.
• Monitor KPIs and ensure adherence to SLAs with providers.
• Provide daily metrics and reporting across vendors; track issues and trends.
• Handle client inquiries and provide high-quality service to clients and advisors.
• Manage escalated issues; develop operating controls.
• Oversee cash reporting for funds and projections to portfolio managers.
• May serve as lead in supervisor's absence.
• Support other Dimensional product lines (UCITS, Canadian Funds, SMAs).
• Support special projects and initiatives as needed.

Skills

Fund accounting

Operations management

NAV oversight

KPI monitoring

Client service

Education

Bachelor's degree in Finance/Accounting/Business/Economics

Tools

Excel

Power BI

Power Automate

Job description

Dimensional's Investment Operations team coordinates and provides oversight of Dimensional's service provider relationships, including global transfer agents, fund accounting and administrative agents, custodians, and a complex network of service groups that provide fund operations services to the firm's primary and regional offices.

The Senior Associate will assist in the daily oversight of outsourced fund operations functions with regard to Dimensional's mutual fund and ETF business as well as other external vendors.

Responsibilities:

• Oversee daily operations with service providers for Dimensional's mutual fund and ETF business as well as other external vendors.
• Perform oversight of Fund service providers to ensure adherence to established accounting policies and procedures
• Responsible for NAV production oversight and reasonability review against relevant fund benchmarks.
• Review daily deliverables from fund service providers
• Evaluate exceptions in NAV production process and work with internal stakeholders and fund service providers to resolve Analyze root cause of exceptions and ensure remediation of root cause
• Support new fund products and launches
• Participate in system enhancements, testing, and process improvement
• Oversee vendor performance by monitoring KPIs; ensure service provider / Dimensional adheres to all contractual policies, procedures and controls through review of contractual Service Level Agreements
• Provide oversight of daily metrics and reporting deliverables received from service provider; track issues and trends as they occur across vendors, recommend and implement solutions together with service provider
• Service client inquiries and provide quality service and excellent customer experience to clients, registered investment advisors, banks, broker/dealers and other service providers; coordinate associated internal and external information flow
• Manage escalated issues from internal & external stakeholders; ensure timely development of operating controls
• Oversee cash reporting for funds and projections to portfolio managers
• May serve as lead in supervisor's absence; responsible for reviewing others' work in certain cases
• Provide support for other Dimensional product lines as needed which may include UCITS, Canadian Funds and SMAs
• Support special projects and initiatives for Investment Operations and other groups on an ad hoc basis

Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree: Finance, Accounting, Business or Economics preferred
• Minimum of 3-5 years of relevant experience in fund accounting or operations
• Past experience with a third-party fund administrator or fund accountant
• Working knowledge of financial services industry, including an in-depth understanding of custody, fund accounting and investment operations workflows in mutual funds and ETFs
• Results and detail-oriented individual capable of prioritizing multiple assignments in a fast-paced environment to meet deadlines
• Excellent written and verbal skills among clients, peers and to immediate manager
• Ability to proactively develop fresh ideas that provide solutions to workplace challenges
• Proactively communicates needs, challenges, and capacity
• Build constructive working relationships within the team and with other departments and service providers
• Seeks and acquires new competencies, work methods, ideas, and information that will improve own efficiency and effectiveness on the job
• Ability to seek and improve from constructive feedback in a progressive way over time
• Consistently engage with the Investment Operations team, peer departments and the work environment in a productive way, including adherence with firm and department hybrid work policies and practices
• Proficient in the Microsoft Office suite with Advanced Excel knowledge required
• Working knowledge of Power BI and Power Automate a plus
• This role is not eligible for immigration sponsorship