Senior Associate, Investment Operations

Acadian Asset Management; Boston (MA); Hybrid; USD 105,000 - 125,000; Full time

Job summary

Acadian Asset Management, a global investment manager headquartered in Boston, seeks a Portfolio Controller in Investment Operations. You will oversee portfolio accounting, custody, and middle-office activities, coordinate onboarding, ensure accurate tax and regulatory filings, and drive process improvements across markets and providers.

The role offers a hybrid on-site schedule in Boston and collaboration with internal teams and external partners.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Mathematics or Economics is preferred.
• 7+ years of experience in investment operations or related roles.
• Strong analytical and financial accounting foundation.

Responsibilities

• Oversee portfolio accounting, custody, and middle-office functions; resolve discrepancies.
• Onboard new accounts and coordinate with internal and external stakeholders.
• Manage fund expense processes, budgeting, accruals, and payments; support audits.
• Open local markets for funds and maintain market/compliance documentation.
• Respond to client inquiries regarding fund taxes and filings.
• Identify process improvements and leverage AI to enhance scalability.

Skills

Analytical skills

Organizational skills

Interpersonal skills

Cross-functional collaboration

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Mathematics or Economics

Tools

Advent Geneva

Tableau

Job description

Acadian Asset Management is a global, systematic investment manager at the forefront of data-driven investing since 1986. Headquartered in Boston, with locations in Singapore, London, and Sydney, we manage over $232 billion on behalf of leading institutions worldwide—including pension funds, endowments, foundations, and sovereign wealth funds. We harness advanced technology, rich datasets, and multidisciplinary expertise to help clients navigate complex markets and uncover insights that may be overlooked by traditional approaches.

Position Overview

The role is in the Portfolio Control group within the Investment Operations department. The Portfolio Control team sits at the intersection of operations, fund accounting, and external service providers, with a focus on oversight, control, and issue resolution across client portfolios and Acadian funds. This role is responsible for ensuring the integrity of portfolio data, managing key operational relationships, and supporting the lifecycle of client accounts from onboarding through ongoing maintenance. In this role, you will gain exposure to a broad range of asset classes, global markets, and operational workflows, with opportunities to drive process improvements and interact with key internal and external stakeholders.

Acadian supports a hybrid work environment; employees are on-site in the Boston office 3 days a week.

What You’ll Do

• Fund Oversight - Oversee portfolio accounting, custody, and middle-office functions. Investigate and resolve discrepancies across internal systems and external providers. Interact with custodians, prime brokers, and derivative counterparties (e.g., ISDA relationships) to support new fund launches, trading, collateral, and account maintenance activities. Reconcile proxy-voting reports and address inquiries from external and internal parties.
• New Account Startup/Onboarding - Prepare documentation to complete counterparty welcome packages for separately managed accounts, complete internal system setups, and act as a liaison between stakeholders.
• Fund Administration - Manage and participate in oversight of fund expense processes including budgeting, accruals, invoice review, and payments. Prepare regulatory, compliance, and tax filings and support audits; research and resolve exceptions or breaches. Collaborate with external auditors and counterparties to finalize audited financial statements.
• Market Documentation - Open local markets for funds and maintain market and compliance documentation throughout the life of the fund.
• Tax Reporting - Respond to client inquiries regarding fund taxes; facilitate K-1 and Canadian tax filings, Form 5500, PFIC and other tax reporting.
• Operational Strategy - Identify process improvement opportunities including the use of AI across workflows, service providers, and systems; drive initiatives to enhance scalability, reduce operational risk, and improve data quality. Continuously assess and strengthen operational processes, controls, and governance.
• Technical Skills - Advanced Excel proficiency; experience with portfolio accounting systems (e.g., Advent Geneva or similar) preferred. Experience with data analysis and visualization tools (e.g., Tableau) a plus.

We’re Looking For Teammates With

• Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Mathematics or Economics preferred.
• 7+ years of experience in investment operations, fund accounting, or related roles.
• Strong organizational, interpersonal, and analytical skills with a proven ability to manage multiple priorities across daily tasks and long-term projects.
• Self-starter; highly motivated and driven individual with a strong work ethic and integrity.
• Strong analytical, organizational, and interpersonal skills with a detail-oriented approach and a solid foundation in financial accounting.
• Proven ability to manage multiple priorities across daily tasks and long-term projects while effectively solving complex problems.
• Effective communicator with experience working cross-functionally and with external partners.
• Ability to serve as a point of escalation for operational issues, driving root cause analysis and coordinating resolution across internal teams and external partners.

The base salary range for this role is $105,000 – $125,000 per year. Actual compensation will be determined based on a candidate’s skills, qualifications, and relevant experience.

In addition to base pay, this position may be eligible for discretionary incentive compensation and includes participation in Acadian’s comprehensive benefits program, which includes health, retirement, and wellness offerings.

Acadian Asset Management LLC is committed to providing equal employment opportunity to all employees and applicants. No employee or applicant shall be discriminated against on the basis of gender, race, creed, color, sex, age, national origin, marital status, pregnancy or parenthood, veteran status, citizenship status, disability, gender identity, or sexual orientation.