Senior Fund Accountant

Lazard Asset Management; New York (NY); On-site; USD 150,000 - 200,000; Full time

Job summary

Lazard Asset Management is seeking a Senior Fund Accountant to support the CFO and Treasurer of Lazard’s retail funds. This role oversees ~36 registered funds with $32B and 37 non-registered funds with $10B, requiring technical accounting rigor and board-facing credibility.

The candidate will mentor teams, drive modernization using AI and automation, and interact with boards, auditors, regulators, and senior management. Base salary range discussed with compensation.”

Qualifications

• CPA designation and 8+ years of progressive accounting experience in asset management.
• Deep knowledge of registered mutual fund/ETF reporting, budgeting and filings (N-CSR/N-CEN).
• Experience applying automation, data analytics or AI tools to streamline fund accounting and reporting.
• Strong executive presence and the ability to communicate with boards, auditors and regulators.
• Judgment to move quickly while maintaining rigor under time pressure.

Responsibilities

• Review and approve annual and semi-annual reports and fund expenses.
• Own accuracy of regulatory filings including N-CSR, N-CEN and related SEC filings.
• Coordinate cross-functional input for fund prospectus information.
• Serve as senior liaison to front office, legal, compliance and tax.
• Mentor and develop a high-performing team of professionals.
• Lead annual audit coordination and interact with external auditors.
• Oversee nightly NAV process and reconciliation integrity.
• Identify control gaps and drive automation improvements.

Skills

Executive presence

Strong judgment

Board communications

Analytical thinking

Education

CPA designation

8+ years accounting experience

Tools

Automation / AI tools (Claude, GPT)

Data analytics tools

Job description

Job Description

Lazard is one of the world’s preeminent financial advisory and asset management firms.

Job Description

Lazard is one of the world’s preeminent financial advisory and asset management firms. Our people and culture make the difference. While global in presence and reach, ours is a close, collaborativecommunity of just over 3,000 professionals. Lazard is a place of continuous knowledge sharing, skill development and relationship building, where professionals grow and succeed together. Our entrepreneurial culture, flat structure and embrace of individual differences, allow creative ideas, original concepts, and unique perspectives to drive our business forward — and for careers to take flight.

We are seeking a Senior Fund Accountant to serve as the direct deputy and right hand to the CFO and Treasurer of Lazard’s retail Funds. This remit involves oversight of roughly 36 registered funds (exchange traded funds and mutual funds) with $32B in assets and 37 non-registered US and Canadian funds with $10B in assets. Our US ETF business has exploded — growing from zero to $2B AUM in less than two years. This is a highly visible role for someone who combines uncompromising technical rigor with the judgment and gravitas to operate as a peer in the room with Boards, auditors, regulators, and senior management.

Beyond core accounting deliverables, we’re looking for a senior hire with passion for developing and mentoring team members, as well as modernizing operations using AI. We want to see demonstrated experience adopting automation where it genuinely strengthens controls and frees the team for judgment-intensive work — but the foundation of the role is technical accounting rigor, sound judgment, and the credibility to represent the function at the highest levels.

We'll Trust You To

• Review and approve annual and semi-annual reports and prepare and review fund expenses, including allocations and complex expense analysis.
• Own the accuracy of regulatory filings — registration statements, N-CSR, N-PORT, N-CEN, and related SEC filings — including final review before submission.
• Direct the preparation and review of fund prospectus information and coordinate cross-functional input as required.
• Act as the primary alternate for the Head of Retail Funds in Board, committee, audit, and senior management settings, with the standing and judgment to make decisions in the moment.
• Coordinate deliverables for fund audits and lead dialogue with auditors during examinations, including negotiating scope and resolving technical accounting positions directly.
• Translate complex accounting and operational matters into clear, board‑ready narratives.
• Own reconciliation integrity across the fund complex — reviewing reconciliations prepared by others, resolving variances at the root cause, and setting the bar for accuracy across outsourced providers.
• Identify exceptions and problems affecting accounting records and prices, communicate these issues to management, and drive their resolution.
• Independently resolve and coordinate the resolution of problems within the budgeting and financial reporting process.
• Identify inefficiencies, risks and control gaps in existing processes, and lead the design and implementation of improvements — including automation tools where they clearly strengthen accuracy or controls — always with the review rigor of the underlying accounting as the priority.
• Conduct senior‑level quality control over reports and daily NAVs generated by outsourced service providers, with authority to require remediation.
• Review invoices and ensure accurate, well‑controlled processing across the funds.
• Lead the nightly fair valuation process for unpriced or stale‑priced securities, developing well‑reasoned marks and presenting recommendations directly to the firm’s Fair Value and Liquidity Committee.
• Serve as a confident, senior‑level liaison to internal functional areas (front office, legal, compliance and tax) and external providers (fund administrators, accountants, custodians and auditors), resolving issues directly and without unnecessary escalation.
• Help mentor and develop a high‑performing team of professionals.

You'll Need To Have

• CPA designation plus 8 or more years of progressive professional accounting experience within a accounting or asset management firm.
• Minimum 5 years of fund accounting experience for '40 Act funds (mutual funds, open/closed‑end, ETFs) and non-registered vehicles with direct NAV oversight, financial statement prep (N-CSR/N-CEN filings), and auditor liaison responsibilities.
• Deep, demonstrated command of registered mutual fund and ETF reporting requirements, auditing, and budgeting — with the fundamentals sharp enough to catch what others miss.
• Demonstrated experience applying automation, data analytics, or AI/GenAI tools (e.g., Claude, Rogo, GPT, or AI‑assisted reconciliation/reporting tools) to streamline fund accounting, reporting, or reconciliation processes, with the judgement to know where automation strengthens controls versus where it introduces risk.
• Comfort evaluating new tools and process improvements, including automation, as part of a broader continuous‑improvement mindset — but no substitute for strong technical fundamentals.
• Proven executive presence — the gravitas and communication skill to represent the function to Boards, senior management, auditors, and regulators without hesitation, and to build trust quickly with stakeholders at every level.
• Sound, decisive judgment — ability to move quickly while remaining thoughtful, and to make defensible calls on ambiguous issues under time pressure.
• Deep familiarity with external custody and admin service providers, including their operating and technology platforms.

What We Offer

We strive to enhance the total health and well‑being of our employees through comprehensive, competitive benefits. Our goal is to offer a highly individualized employee experience that enables you to balance your commitments to career, family, and community. When you work for Lazard, you are working for an organization that cares about your unique talents and passions, and will continue to invest in the development of your career.

Given the increased scope and seniority of this role relative to a standard fund accountant position, we would expect the base salary range to move up accordingly — illustratively in the $150,000-$200,000 USD range, depending on experience. This figure is an assumption for discussion and should be confirmed with Compensation/HR before this description is finalized or posted. Various factors contribute to determining the actual base compensation offered, including but not limited to the applicant's years of relevant experience, career tenure, qualifications, level of education attained, certifications or other professional licenses held, relevant skills for the role. Base salary is one component of Lazard Asset Management's compensation package, which also includes comprehensive benefits and may include incentive compensation.

Representation at Lazard

Lazard is an intellectual capital business committed to delivering the best advice and solutions to clients. To achieve these objectives, we focus on attracting, developing and retaining the best talent. We believe that a workforce comprised of people who represent a wide array of backgrounds, experiences and perspectives creates a rich variety of thought that empowers us to challenge conventional wisdom, solve problems creatively and make better decisions.

Lazard was built on the premise that a multicultural firm can best serve a global clientele. As a global firm that has grown organically from local roots in different countries, we have a deep tradition of respecting and appreciating individual differences. Doing so has been core to our success for over 175 years. We are committed to sustaining an environment where every colleague is supported in their professional pursuits, can maximize their individual potential and contribute to our collective success.

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