Portfolio Accountant, LaSalle Debt Investors

Portfolio Accountant LaSalle Investment Management

Location: Chicago, 4 days a week in-office

What This Job Involves:

Join LaSalle Debt Investors (LDI), a specialized platform within LaSalle Investment Management, as a Portfolio Accountant supporting our debt fund operations. In this strategic role, you'll work directly with the Portfolio Controller to manage essential accounting and reporting processes for debt portfolios utilizing Fair Value GAAP accounting standards. This position offers an exciting opportunity to gain exposure to debt fund accounting while contributing to critical SEC reporting requirements and investor communications. You'll be at the forefront of innovation, helping to transform traditional accounting workflows through AI-driven automation and process enhancement initiatives. If you're an analytically-minded accounting professional with CPA aspirations who thrives in a fast-paced investment environment and wants to shape the future of financial reporting through technology, this role offers exceptional growth potential within a global investment management platform.

What Your Day-To-Day Will Look Like:

• Manage monthly, quarterly, and annual accounting close activities for debt fund portfolios utilizing Fair Value GAAP, ensuring accuracy and timeliness of financial reporting deliverables.
• Prepare consolidation files for SEC filings including 10-Q and 10-K reports, working closely with the Portfolio Controller to ensure regulatory compliance and reporting accuracy.
• Prepare and post journal entries, review NAV packs from the accounting administrator, and coordinate quarterly and annual reporting alongside tax requirement preparation.
• Coordinate with the cash management team to execute investor subscriptions and distributions, invoice payments, quarterly fee processing, and other critical cash transactions.
• Lead AI-driven process improvement initiatives to automate recurring accounting tasks, enhance efficiency in financial statement preparation, and eliminate manual processes across the reporting cycle.
• Calculate, analyze, and report investment performance returns while conducting quarterly financial analysis and reviewing investment accounting information for accuracy.
• Proactively identify operational challenges, develop creative solutions, and collaborate with off-site managers and clients to continuously improve financial reporting effectiveness and client service delivery.

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in Accounting from an accredited institution with 1-3 years of professional accounting experience in public accounting, fund accounting, or financial services.
• CPA designation strongly preferred; candidates must be committed to achieving CPA certification as a requirement for future career progression within LaSalle Investment Management.
• Strong technical knowledge of GAAP accounting principles with ability to prepare complex journal entries, reconciliations, and financial statement components.
• Strong proficiency in Microsoft Excel (pivot tables, VLOOKUP, complex formulas) and working knowledge of AI tools with demonstrated interest in applying technology to accounting workflows.
• Authorization to work in the United States without sponsorship.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience with Fair Value accounting, debt fund structures, or exposure to SEC reporting requirements (10-Q, 10-K filings) in an investment management or financial services context.
• Familiarity with NAV calculations, performance return methodologies, or investment-level accounting in alternative investment funds.
• Prior experience with financial consolidation processes, fund administration platforms, or accounting systems used in institutional investment management.
• Demonstrated track record of process improvement initiatives, particularly involving automation, workflow optimization, or technology implementation.
• Natural curiosity about emerging AI technologies with willingness to evaluate, pilot, and champion new tools as part of the team's continuous improvement agenda.
• Proven ability to manage competing deadlines in a dynamic environment while maintaining exceptional attention to detail and accuracy.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills with ability to explain technical accounting matters clearly to non-financial stakeholders and collaborate effectively across teams.