Charleston Real Estate & Development company is seeking a Senior Accountant – Fund, Investor & Property Reporting to join their accounting and finance team! The Senior Fund Accountant is responsible for the accounting, financial reporting, and analysis of a portfolio of real estate development funds, joint ventures, and project-level entities. The role spans the full asset lifecycle — from land acquisition and construction through stabilization, refinance, and disposition — and requires fluency at both the property/project level and the fund/investor level. This is a hands-on senior individual contributor role. The Senior Fund Accountant owns the monthly and quarterly close for assigned entities, prepares and reviews journal entries with complete supporting documentation, translates capital structures and partnership agreements into correct accounting treatment, serves as a primary point of contact for multiple concurrent audits, and produces recurring and ad hoc reporting for internal leadership, lenders, and investors.
Key Responsibilities
Oversight of Third-Party Asset Accounting:
Review property- and project-level financial statements, reconciliations, and job cost reporting prepared by third-party accounting firms for accuracy, completeness, and timeliness.
Reconcile third-party reporting to fund-level books and resolve discrepancies at the source.
Serve as the primary accounting contact for third-party providers.
Journal Entries, General Ledger, and Documentation:
Prepare, review, and post entity- and fund-level journal entries, including accruals, deferrals, debt service and interest, capitalized interest, allocations, equity activity, and intercompany transactions.
Maintain general ledger and chart of accounts integrity for assigned entities.
Perform and document monthly balance sheet reconciliations, including cash and reserves, notes payable, investments in subsidiaries, and equity.
Maintain audit-ready supporting documentation sufficient for an independent reviewer to re-perform the work and meet the audit timeline.
Identify areas to improve the close process; document procedures and flag manual or duplicative steps.
Capital Structures and Partnership Accounting:
Interpret operating agreements, LPAs, JV agreements, loan documents, and translate their economic terms into accounting entries and reporting outputs.
Account for the full capital stack: common and preferred equity, sponsor and co-invest interests, construction and permanent debt, and contingent obligations.
Maintain investor capital accounts — contributions, distributions, income and loss allocations, preferred return accruals, and unreturned capital.
Use capital call and distribution calculations and notices to reconcile cash movements and update capital accounts.
Support the accounting for new entity formations, acquisitions, refinancings, restructurings, and dispositions.
Audit and Tax Support:
Serve as primary preparer and point of contact for multiple concurrent annual audits across fund, JV, and project entities.
Build and maintain audit workpaper packages, PBC schedules, and roll forwards; respond to auditor requests completely and on time.
Sequence overlapping audit calendars and coordinate third-party providers to keep engagements on schedule.
Investor and Ad Hoc Reporting:
Prepare recurring investor reporting: capital account statements, distribution notices, project status summaries, and performance reporting.
Respond to ad hoc requests from investors, lenders, JV partners, and internal leadership with accurate, well-supported analysis on short timelines.
Build and maintain reusable reporting templates that reduce manual effort on recurring deliverables.
Partner with development, asset management, and investor relations teams to explain financial results to non-accountants.
General:
Contribute to process improvement, system optimization, and automation initiatives.
Mentor staff-level accountants on real estate and fund accounting concepts.
Perform other duties and special projects as assigned.
Candidate Qualifications
Experience:
4+ years of progressive accounting experience, including at least two in fund accounting, real estate, or public accounting serving real estate or investment clients.
Real Estate Background: Direct experience with real estate developers, real estate investment companies, private real estate firms, REITs, private equity real estate, or similarly complex real estate organizations is required. Experience with distribution waterfalls and investor capital accounts. Familiarity with real estate development economics: construction draws, capitalized interest, and job cost reporting.
Multi-Entity Experience: Proven ability to work across complex structures involving partnerships, joint ventures, holding companies, development entities, and operating properties.
External Advisors: Experience reviewing or managing outsourced accounting providers.
Process Improvement: Proven ability to build repeatable processes, workpapers, controls, and documentation, with a strong focus on efficiency and scalability.
Excel & Systems: Advanced Excel skills required; experience with MRI or other real estate accounting platforms preferred.
Education:
Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, or related field required; CPA license or active candidacy a plus.
