Operations Associate

Pacific Executive Search; Los Angeles (CA); On-site; USD 75,000 - 95,000; Full time

Job summary

Pacific Executive Search represents a Southern California–based financial services firm seeking an Operations Associate to manage the end-to-end lifecycle of syndicated and private loan portfolios. You will oversee trade capture, settlement processing, reconciliation, and control activities with investment teams and external counterparties.

Key responsibilities include managing the loan closing schedule, supporting closings and funding events, daily cash and position reconciliations, and driving

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required with strong academic credentials.
• 3–5 years of hands-on loan/credit operations experience in asset management, private credit, CLOs, hedge funds, or banking.
• Proven expertise in syndicated loan trade capture, settlement, and closing processes.
• Strong Excel skills and meticulous attention to detail with multiple transactions.
• Excellent communication across investment teams, counterparties, and service providers.

Responsibilities

• Oversee the complete trade lifecycle for syndicated and private loans, ensuring accurate trade capture, settlement processing, and timely resolution of exceptions.
• Maintain and actively manage the loan closing schedule, coordinating with agents, legal counsel, and service providers to facilitate smooth transaction settlements.
• Support private credit transactions by preparing operational readiness for closings and funding events alongside investment professionals.
• Conduct daily cash and position reconciliations, investigating discrepancies to uphold accurate fund balances and internal reporting integrity.
• Respond promptly to inquiries from investment teams and service providers regarding cash, positions, and trade-related matters, escalating significant issues as needed.
• Assist senior operations staff with complex lifecycle events such as restructurings, securitizations, and structured credit servicing activities.
• Contribute to refining operational procedures and controls, identifying automation opportunities to enhance scalability and resilience across loan operations.

Skills

Advanced Excel

Communication skills

Process improvement

Detail orientation

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Business Administration, or related discipline

Tools

ClearPar

WSO

Geneva

Eze OMS

Solvas

Hazeltree

GoLoan

Job description

Managing the operational intricacies of a $20 billion credit-focused investment platform, this position centers on overseeing the end-to-end lifecycle of syndicated and private loan portfolios within a specialized financial services firm headquartered in Southern California. The role demands a seasoned operations professional with deep experience in loan settlements and credit product workflows, offering direct collaboration with investment teams and external counterparties to ensure precision in trade capture, funding, and reconciliations.

Title: Operations Associate

Responsibilities:

• Oversee the complete trade lifecycle for syndicated and private loans, ensuring accurate trade capture, settlement processing, and timely resolution of exceptions.
• Maintain and actively manage the loan closing schedule, coordinating with agents, legal counsel, and service providers to facilitate smooth transaction settlements.
• Support private credit transactions by preparing operational readiness for closings and funding events alongside investment professionals.
• Conduct daily cash and position reconciliations, investigating discrepancies to uphold accurate fund balances and internal reporting integrity.
• Respond promptly to inquiries from investment teams and service providers regarding cash, positions, and trade-related matters, escalating significant issues as needed.
• Assist senior operations staff with complex lifecycle events such as restructurings, securitizations, and structured credit servicing activities.
• Contribute to refining operational procedures and controls, identifying automation opportunities to enhance scalability and resilience across loan operations.

Qualifications:

Must-Have:

• Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Business Administration, or a related discipline with strong academic credentials.
• 3 to 5 years of hands-on experience in loan or credit operations, preferably within asset management, private credit, CLO management, hedge funds, or banking environments.
• Proven expertise in syndicated loan trade capture, settlement, and closing processes, with ClearPar or similar loan settlement platform experience strongly preferred.
• Advanced Excel skills and a detail-oriented approach to managing multiple transactions and resolving operational breaks independently.
• Effective communication skills to collaborate across investment teams, counterparties, and service providers.
• Demonstrated initiative in process improvement and automation within operational workflows.
• High level of professionalism and discretion handling sensitive financial information.

Nice-to-Have:

• Familiarity with investment operations platforms such as WSO, Geneva, Eze OMS, Solvas, Hazeltree, or GoLoan.
• Experience supporting CLO trustee reporting and related reconciliations.
• Interest in leveraging AI and automation tools to optimize operational efficiency.