Principal, Finance – Real Estate Credit
Location: New York, NY (In-office Monday–Thursday)
Overview:
Our client, a growing asset manager (AUM >$20B), is seeking a Principal, Finance – Real Estate Credit to lead the financial reporting and finance function for its growing real estate credit platform. Reporting directly to the platform’s Finance Lead, this individual will oversee fund financial reporting, fund operations, fund formation, and FP&A, while serving as a strategic partner to senior leadership. The role will be instrumental in building a scalable, well-governed finance infrastructure to support a complex and expanding credit platform. This is a highly visible position with broad exposure across investment, operations, capital markets, and investor relations.
Key Responsibilities:- Finance Leadership
- Oversee fund financial reporting, fund operations, and fund formation across funds, SMAs, and structured vehicles
- Lead FP&A including budgeting, forecasting, liquidity planning, and scenario analysis
- Deliver actionable financial insights and performance reporting to senior leadership
- Develop KPIs and reporting frameworks aligned with firm-wide strategy
- Operating Model & Administrator Oversight
- Design and implement a scalable third-party administrator governance model
- Optimize workflows between internal teams and external administrators
- Manage fund administrator relationships to ensure timely and accurate deliverables
- Technology & Data Transformation
- Partner with digital teams to automate reporting, forecasting, and workflows
- Own finance data architecture, governance, and reporting consistency (including Snowflake environments)
- Drive process improvements leveraging tools such as PowerBI, Anaplan, Geneva, iLevel, and related systems
- Support system implementations, integrations, and enhancements
- Financing & Capital Markets
- Support structuring and oversight of leverage facilities (warehouse lines, repo, TRS)
- Manage relationships with financing counterparties and capital providers
- Oversee liquidity management and capital planning
- Fund & Capital Formation
- Lead finance workstreams for new fund launches, SMAs, and product initiatives
- Partner with IR, legal, tax, and investment teams on fundraising efforts
- Ensure finance infrastructure is fully built out for new strategies
- Support investor reporting and communications
- Manage external auditors, tax advisors, and service providers
Qualifications:- Bachelor’s degree in Accounting or Finance 15+ years of experience in fund finance, fund accounting, or investment finance within real estate credit, private credit, or alternatives
- Strong experience with commercial real estate lending strategies (mezz, development, mortgage)
- Deep understanding of private fund structures (closed-end funds, SMAs, JVs, REIT-like structures)
- Experience supporting fund launches and/or finance transformation initiatives
- Strong systems and data orientation (experience with reporting tools and data platforms preferred)CPA and/or CFA preferred
