Vice President, Finance

ABout Clay Cove Capital

Clay Cove Capital is a real estate private equity firm that builds niche real estate platforms. We target categories with durable supply/demand dynamics, fragmented ownership, and high barriers to entry where real estate and operations are deeply intertwined. By assembling institutional-quality portfolios in partnership with trusted operators, we capture both real estate income and platform value. Across 25 years and $50B in collective transactions, this approach has delivered opportunistic returns through the cycles.

Company Values

• Forge Your Path: We believe in the power of individual initiative. Your growth and our firm’s success are intertwined. Take risks, seize opportunities, and don’t wait for permission to lead.
• Stay Humble: True strength lies in openness to new ideas and respect for different viewpoints. Listen intently, learn constantly, and remember that mutual respect drives our collective success.
• Be An Owner: Approach every challenge, big or small, with the dedication of an owner. Take pride in your work, own your decisions, and never settle for “good enough.” Accountability is everything.
• Embrace Change: Question assumptions, challenge the status quo, and continuously expand your knowledge. Your relentless pursuit of what’s next keeps us ahead in a fast-changing world.
• Customer First: Our investors and operating partners are our customers. Anticipate their needs, align our interests, and consistently deliver outsize value. Their success defines our own.

Job Description — Vice President, Finance (CFO TRACK)

Clay Cove Capital is seeking a Vice President, Finance to join its Philadelphia office, reporting directly to the Managing Partner. This is a foundational hire — and the first dedicated finance and accounting professional on the team. It is also conceived as the firm’s founding finance leadership role: as Clay Cove scales its GP-controlled fund platform, the successful candidate is positioned to grow in scope and title toward Chief Financial Officer.

The firm is transitioning from an LP equity investor structure — participating in operator-led joint ventures — to a GP-controlled commingled fund model in which Clay Cove holds the majority of equity alongside trusted operating partners. Building the accounting and reporting infrastructure to match that transition is the mandate.

Clay Cove’s principals bring technology and operational backgrounds that inform a clear-eyed view on AI in the firm’s infrastructure. The goal is not automation for its own sake, nor dashboards built on unvalidated data — it is building the data quality, governance, and systems conditions under which AI and analytics tools produce insights worth acting on. The Vice President, Finance should bring that same discipline to the accounting function.

This is a senior, cross-functional position at the intersection of fund accounting, asset management, investor relations, and compliance. Deep real estate fund accounting expertise, a CPA credential, and a demonstrated track record of building — not just maintaining — finance infrastructure are required.

Consistent with our belief that you should Forge Your Path and Be an Owner, this is a build-and-lead mandate, not a maintenance seat. The right person will stand up the finance function, recruit and lead the team that grows beneath them, and earn expanding ownership of capital formation, treasury, and investor and lender relationships over time — the scope against which a Chief Financial Officer is ultimately measured.

Primary Responsibilities

• Financial Operations & Oversight — Own all accounting, treasury, FP&A, and tax coordination across Clay Cove Capital and its affiliates — management company, fund(s), joint ventures, SPEs, and operating companies. The accounting function must consolidate reporting across both legacy LP positions and new GP-controlled vehicles with full data ownership.
• Accounting Infrastructure Design & Implementation — Evaluate the firm’s current unconsolidated mix of tools and architect a scalable, co-sourced operating model — including ERP/GL, fund accounting platform, property accounting system, and BI/reporting layer. Target platforms include Yardi, MRI, and institutional fund accounting solutions, built to optimize transparency and real-time portfolio visibility.
• Co-Sourced Provider Management — Manage the firm’s external accounting service providers — fund administrator, property accountants, tax preparers, and auditors — overseeing scope, reporting quality, and service delivery across all providers. Maintain full internal control ownership over all outsourced work product.
• Fund & Entity Accounting — Own accounting across the full entity stack — fund(s), management company, JVs, SPEs, and operating companies — with oversight of waterfall calculations, NAV, and capital account integrity. Clay Cove operates across both GP-controlled vehicles and legacy LP positions in operator-led JVs; accounting must accurately reflect both structures.
• Investor Reporting & Tax Compliance — Working closely with Asset Management and Investor Relations, oversee preparation and delivery of quarterly and annual investor financial reporting packages, K-1 coordination, and all LP tax deliverables. Over time, the role is expected to take on a direct LP-facing presence and a growing part in capital formation.
• FP&A & Management Reporting — Develop and maintain the management company budget, cash flow forecast, and fund-level financial models. Build the reporting dashboards and KPIs that keep the Managing Partners current across fund, asset, and management company levels.
• Controls & Audit Readiness — Design and maintain an internal controls framework aligned with SEC requirements, GAAP, and institutional LP expectations. Serve as primary point of contact for auditors.
• Regulatory Compliance & Registration — Working alongside the Chief Compliance Officer, the Principal of Investment Operations, and a third-party compliance consultant, serve as a key contributor to advancing SEC registration through key milestones and maintaining the ongoing compliance program.
• Lender Reporting & Covenant Support — Support Managing Partners on lender reporting, covenant tracking, and debt compliance across fund-level credit facilities and asset-level debt. Senior leadership owns lender relationships and capital structure decisions; this role ensures data, reporting, and compliance obligations are met accurately and on time. Direct exposure to lender relationships and capital-markets activity is expected to grow as the function matures.

Secondary Responsibilities

• Serve as a non-voting contributor to the Investment Committee, bringing an accounting and finance lens to deal underwriting, capital structure review, and return analysis. Influence and scope on the Committee are expected to expand as the role earns trust.
• Build and lead the firm’s finance and accounting team as the platform scales — beginning with a Staff Accountant or Senior Analyst anticipated within the first one to two years.
• Contribute to quarterly investor and team meetings, including financial reporting preparation and property tour coordination.

First-Year Objectives

The following are the foundational build-outs the Vice President, Finance should be prepared to own in the first 12–18 months. Ongoing scope is covered under Primary Responsibilities.

• Finance Stack Rationalization — Evaluate the firm’s accounting and finance technology landscape — ERP/GL, fund accounting platform, property accounting system, and BI/reporting layer — and consolidate onto a scalable, institutional-grade stack. Formalize vendor scope, SLAs, and review protocols; onboard replacements where warranted.
• AI & Automation Posture — Establish the firm’s standards for AI and automation in finance — identifying where these tools genuinely improve accuracy, transparency, and repeatability in accounting workflows and data architecture, and defining the review and control requirements that ensure AI-assisted outputs meet the same or better bar as human-produced work.
• Fund Launch Readiness — Assess and optimize existing fund-level accounting infrastructure — entity structure, waterfall, reporting templates, and capital call processes — in coordination with the fund administrator in parallel to first close.
• Management Company Build-Out — Assess current management company financial operations, identify gaps, and drive improvements — with a full rebuild as an option if that is the warranted conclusion.
• Audit & Compliance Posture — Prepare the firm for its first-year fund audit and contribute to RIA registration milestones by implementing controls, policies, and SOPs — drafting and distributing those not yet documented — to the standard LPs and the SEC expect.

Qualifications

The ideal candidate will have 10+ years in real estate fund accounting or investment management finance, with prior experience at a REPE fund manager, institutional real estate operator, Big 4 or regional accounting firm serving real estate or PE fund clients, or a fund administration firm. Manager-side experience is strongly preferred. A demonstrated track record of building or significantly improving finance infrastructure in a growth or early-stage environment is required.
Education & Credentials:

• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, or related field required
• CPA strongly preferred; demonstrated technical accounting depth required regardless of credential
• Advanced degree (MBA) a plus but not required

Technical Accounting Skills:

• Deep knowledge of GAAP fund accounting — waterfall calculations, NAV, capital accounts, investment company accounting (ASC 946)
• Property-level accounting; management company accounting; multi-entity intercompany accounting and eliminations
• Experience with both GP-controlled vehicles and LP-position reporting from operator-led JVs
• Tax structuring in fund/JV contexts — partnership taxation, K-1 process, REIT considerations
• Lender reporting, covenant compliance, and draw management

Software & Systems Proficiency:

• Proficiency in multiple ERP/GL platforms (Yardi, MRI, or similar)
• Experience with institutional fund accounting platforms (Investran, Yardi Investment Management, or similar)
• Strong Excel financial modeling; familiarity with AP automation and bank feed integrations
• BI/reporting tools (Power BI, Tableau, or similar) a plus

AI, Automation & Data Judgment:

• Clear-eyed view of data quality, auditability, and review requirements; track record of integrating new tooling without compromising controls or accuracy
• Demonstrated ability to evaluate where AI tools and automation genuinely strengthen a finance function — specifically in accounting workflow automation and data architecture/governance — and where they introduce risk

Analytical & Communication Skills:

• Ability to design and explain multi-entity accounting structures to non-finance stakeholders
• Strong written communication for LP, lender, and operating partner audiences
• Comfortable presenting financial data and controls frameworks to Managing Partners and institutional investors
• Detail-oriented without being spreadsheet-bound; able to balance near-term execution with long-term architecture decisions

Ownership & Operating Style:

• Builder’s mindset with the resourcefulness to stand up function and process where none exists
• Comfortable rolling up sleeves on the work and leading change across the firm and its service providers
• High ownership, sound judgment under ambiguity, and the credibility to set the bar for a growing finance team

Total Rewards:  
We offer a competitive, holistic package of total rewards designed to recognize your time, talents, and impact. Along with competitive base compensation , this role is eligible for an annual discretionary bonus. Consistent with our "Be an Owner" philosophy, this role is also expected to participate in the firm's carried interest and long-term incentive programs, offering meaningful upside in the value the platform creates as it scales; specific terms are governed by the applicable fund and plan documents. Eligible employees also have access to a comprehensive benefits package, including:

• Professional Development: Up to $2,500 annually for approved development expenses
• Medical, Dental & Vision coverage, including STD/LTD, in accordance with plan terms
• 401(k): Company-sponsored retirement plan
• Flexible Time Off, as governed by the Employee Handbook

Reporting & Collaboration

Reports To: Managing Partner
Direct Reports: Fund Administrator (external); Property Accountants, Tax Preparers, Auditor (external); Staff Accountant or Senior Analyst (internal hire anticipated Year 1–2)
Works Closely With: Head of Investor Relations, Head of Investment Operations, Head of Asset Management
Committee Participation: Finance Committee (Chair); Asset Management Committee; Management Committee; Compliance Committee; Investment Committee (Non-Voting Contributor)
Officer Status: Expected to be appointed as an officer, subject to Managing Partner approval