Associate, Operational Strategy

Associate, Corporate Strategy Operational Strategy Group

Ares is seeking a versatile Associate to work within our Corporate Strategy Operational Strategy Group ("OSG"). Our OSG leads cross-functional projects to define and implement operational and strategic solutions across the entire Ares organization.

Our team works closely with business stakeholders in our five lines of business (Credit, Private Equity, Real Estate, Secondary Markets and Strategic Initiatives) and across our business operations functions (Investor Relations, Relationship Management and Sales, Compliance, Finance and Accounting, Investment Operations, Legal, Portfolio Management, Tax, and Technology).

We seek a candidate who can analyze current business processes and technology, lead discussions with senior stakeholders, provide process improvement suggestions, and execute using their specific industry knowledge and problem-solving capabilities.

This role requires a dynamic, adaptive, and experienced professional who can build and maintain strong business partner relationships. This position will require flexibility and rapid learning to become an expert in multiple functional areas and asset classes. The ideal candidate should have demonstrated an ability to manage large-scale change programs. Successful collaboration across all business functions, strategies, and external vendors will be crucial.

Given the broad nature of projects in our queue, knowledge of investor, fund, and deal lifecycles in alternative investment classes, will allow the candidate to make an immediate impact upon joining the firm. Strong knowledge of alternative investment asset classes with experience in external institutional and wealth client-facing functions (e.g., Investor Relations, fundraising, business development) and/or product management is highly preferred.

Primary Functions & Responsibilities

• Support senior team members as they advise business stakeholders, corporate functions and third-party service providers during project lifecycle and be go-to point for details and status updates on the project or program
• Deliver presentations to business partners at multiple levels, including process owners, senior managers, and executives, focusing on takeaways, answering questions clearly and at the appropriate level of detail
• Drive change adoption and stakeholder alignment across the organization
• Manage vendors and align on priorities
• Drive project lifecycle with ability to "connect the dots" between upstream/downstream dependencies and planning needs, while multitasking across multiple deliverables
• Identify best practices for operational processes and system optimizations
• Define project scope, gather requirements and assist with implementation and integration activities associated with process improvement efforts or new products
• Technically proficient communicator who can translate business language and requirements to technical teams and vice versa
• Ability and willingness to be hands-on in all aspects of project management, including:
• Requirements gathering, research and discovery, documentation, use case development
• Process workflow documentation and diagrams
• Change management planning and execution
• Communications with business stakeholders relative to the status
• Collaborate with business stakeholders to create business cases, project plans, steering committee presentations, business requirements, and other project or program documentation

Qualifications

Education:

Bachelor's degree in a business, finance, or related discipline

Experience Required:

• 3 years of experience in strategy, project management, operational transformation, or consulting within asset management with experience in Investor Relations, business development, and/or product management and strategy
• Domain knowledge of Alternative Investments (Private Credit/Private Equity/Real Estate/Secondaries) and an understanding of Fund, Investor, and Deal lifecycles
• An analytical mind and a passion/interest in bringing new ideas to increase the efficiency of existing processes
• Demonstrates a passion for continuous improvement and eagerness to identify and solve problems
• Strong communication skills (written and oral to all levels of the firm) and team management; capability of interacting with key stakeholders to prioritize project activities or initiatives
• Solutions orientated self-starter with the ability to see the big picture, balancing tactical solutions while being mindful of the strategic direction of the firm
• Ability to multi-task and prioritize deadlines; result oriented
• Strong technical skills with high proficiency in PowerPoint, Visio, and Excel
• Good judgement and understanding when to solve issues independently versus what needs to be escalated
• A demonstrated ability to research and leverage available resources to accomplish the task at hand
• Comfort in dealing with ambiguity and uncertainty in a dynamic and fast-paced environment
• Dependable, great attitude, highly motivated and a team player
• Ability to handle confidential information appropriately

Compensation

$120,000 - $135,000 / annum

The firm also offers robust Benefits offerings. Ares U.S. Core Benefits include Comprehensive Medical/Rx, Dental and Vision plans; 401(k) program with company match; Flexible Savings Accounts (FSA); Healthcare Savings Accounts (HSA) with company contribution; Basic and Voluntary Life Insurance; Long-Term Disability (LTD) and Short-Term Disability (STD) insurance; Employee Assistance Program (EAP), and Commuter Benefits plan for parking and transit.

Ares offers a number of additional benefits including access to a world-class medical advisory team, a mental health app that includes coaching, therapy and psychiatry, a mindfulness and wellbeing app, financial wellness benefit that includes access to a financial advisor, new parent leave, reproductive and adoption assistance, emergency backup care, matching gift program, education sponsorship program, and much more.