SVP | Real Assets | Abu Dhabi
Citco · Abu Dhabi
Role Overview
As a key member of the Real Assets leadership team, the Senior Vice President will be responsible for establishing and scaling a high-performing Fund Accounting operation supporting Real Estate, Infrastructure, and related Real Assets investment structures. The role combines client leadership, operational oversight, talent development, technical accounting expertise, and strategic execution.
The successful candidate will serve as a senior partner to clients, executive management, and functional leaders while driving operational excellence, accounting quality, scalability, and client satisfaction across the Abu Dhabi platform. This role builds upon leading practices already established within the Real Assets Fund Accounting business and will play a critical role in supporting future growth and client onboarding initiatives.
Key Responsibilities
1. Operational Excellence & Delivery
- Oversee end-to-end fund accounting delivery across Real Assets mandates, ensuring timely, accurate, and high-quality reporting.
- Work closely with Client Integration and Operations teams to onboard new clients, structures, and products effectively.
- Ensure adherence to service level agreements, reporting deadlines, policies, procedures, and regulatory requirements.
- Drive capacity planning, resource allocation, and work forecasting to support a scalable operating model.
2. Technical Accounting & Oversight
- Act as the senior technical accounting authority across fund, holding company, and SPV structures.
- Provide oversight and challenge over financial reporting, consolidations, accounting judgments, complex transactions, and fund structures.
- Support teams in the interpretation and application of IFRS and applicable GAAPs including industry accounting practices.
- Partner with clients, auditors, and internal stakeholders to resolve complex accounting and reporting matters.
3. Risk, Governance & Control
- Maintain oversight of operational, accounting, and client service risks across the portfolio.
- Lead escalation management, incident resolution, and complaint handling activities.
- Review control environments, operating procedures, and governance frameworks to ensure consistency and effectiveness.
- Deliver KPI reporting, risk insights, and management updates to clients and executive leadership.
- Ensure continuous assessment of existing and prospective funds under administration, with appropriate risk-based governance and oversight.
4. Talent, Leadership & Platform Development
- Build, mentor, and develop high-performing fund accounting teams and leadership talent.
- Establish robust training, onboarding, and development programs that promote technical excellence and consistent service delivery.
- Foster a culture of accountability, collaboration, client focus, and continuous improvement.
- Lead departmental and strategic projects that enhance efficiency, scalability, and operational performance.
- Partner with onshore and offshore teams to promote knowledge sharing, best practices, and consistent execution across the platform.
5. Client Leadership & Business Growth
- Work collaboratively within functions and serve as the SPOC for fund accounting operation ensuring exceptional service delivery and long-term client satisfaction.
- Partner with Executive Management in client presentations, prospect meetings, due diligence exercises, and business development initiatives.
- Visit clients regularly to assess service quality, identify opportunities for enhancement, and strengthen strategic partnerships.
- Lead client governance meetings, conference calls, and escalation discussions as required.
Required Qualifications, Skills & Experience
- Professionally qualified accountant (ACA, ACCA, CPA, CA or equivalent), with a degree in Accounting, Finance, Business, or a related discipline.
- 12+ years of progressive experience in fund administration, asset management, financial services, or public accounting, including substantial leadership responsibility.
- Deep Real Assets accounting experience across Real Estate and Infrastructure structures at fund, holding company, and SPV levels.
- Strong technical knowledge of IFRS, applicable local and European GAAPs, fund and SPV accounting, financial reporting, consolidations, investor allocations, capital activity, valuations, and complex multi-entity transactions.
- Proven leadership of Fund Accounting or Financial Reporting teams, with accountability for service quality, reporting deadlines, operational performance, workforce planning, and talent development.
- Demonstrated success managing senior client relationships, resolving complex accounting and service matters, and engaging effectively with auditors, advisers, executive leadership, and other stakeholders.
- Experience onboarding new clients and fund structures, implementing operating models, and managing service-level agreements, reporting requirements, and delivery expectations.
- Strong experience working through a global team-extension model, aligning local, onshore, and offshore teams to deliver consistent, scalable, and high-quality client outcomes.
- Sound understanding of governance, internal controls, operational risk, escalation, and incident management, with the ability to use KPIs and risk indicators to drive improvement.
- Proven ability to build technical capability, establish training and best-practice protocols, lead change, and promote accountability and collaboration across a matrix organization.
- Proficiency with Yardi, Investran, Workiva, eFront, or comparable fund accounting and financial-reporting platforms would be advantageous.
Knowledge of the ADGM regulatory environment and its application to fund administration would be advantageous but is not essential.
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