Senior Associate, Investor KYC

Over the last 20 years, Ares’ success has been driven by our people and our culture. Today, our team is guided by our core values – Collaborative, Responsible, Entrepreneurial, Self-Aware, Trustworthy – and our purpose to be a catalyst for shared prosperity and a better future. Through our recruitment, career development and employee-focused programming, we are committed to fostering a welcoming and inclusive work environment where high-performance talent of diverse backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives can build careers within this exciting and growing industry.

Job Description

The Ares Compliance Department oversees and manages Ares’ global regulatory compliance and ethics program. Under the leadership of the Global Chief Compliance Officer, the Compliance Department is comprised of functionally aligned teams that operate collaboratively based on the Firm’s overall structure and include the following:

• Investment Advisory, which oversees implementation of the Advisers Act, regulatory reporting, and administers the Code; 

• Control Room, Conflicts and Trading, which oversees the regulations and guidelines applicable to trade surveillance, the handling of Material Non-Public Information, and conflicts;

• Marketing and Distribution, focusing on global marketing regulations as well as compliance for Ares’ registered broker-dealers;

• Regulated Funds, which oversees the compliance for advised and sub-advised registered funds and public companies;

• Financial Crime Prevention, which develops and administers Ares’ global program for anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing, economic sanctions, and anti-corruption (together, the “FCP Program”); and

• European and Asia Pacific compliance, which oversees region-specific compliance programs and regulatory matters.

Ares is seeking an experienced, highly organized and proactive Senior Associate to join the Financial Crime Prevention team focusing on Know Your Customer (“KYC”) processes. This individual will be responsible for ensuring premier client service and professional relations throughout the KYC process, as well as assisting in the development and design of the FCP Program, including compliance with the respective legal, licensing, and regulatory obligations.

Reporting relationships

Reports to: Vice President, Compliance

Primary functions and responsibilities

The Senior Associate will play a critical role in execution and supervision of the KYC process in line with FCP Program requirements, inclusive of jurisdictional requirements and third-party fund administrator guidelines. They will be primarily responsible for review and analysis of documentation, screening results, and other information obtained regarding the investor’s structure, business activities, source of wealth and funds, and other risk factors to perform a comprehensive risk assessment of the investor and relevant jurisdictional requirements.
Specific responsibilities will include but are not limited to:

• Directly liaise with investors, investment professionals, portfolio company representatives, internal deal counsel, external counsel, fund administrators and Ares internal constituents to ensure all relevant onboarding documentation and required information is obtained in accordance with the FCP Program

• Engage with internal business partners and external fund counsel to provide accurate and timely investor KYC status for fund closings

• Develop, maintain and execute consistent KYC reporting metrics

• Develop and maintain procedures, documentation and recordkeeping systems for KYC and provide guidance for implementation through collaboration with internal business partners within Business Operations

• Collaborate on the development and enhancement of technology-based solutions relating to KYC, including a document repository and screening alerts

• Aid in the review/update of the design of the risk assessment framework to support all customer interactions. Contribute to the improvement of tools to monitor, analyze, and report suspicious activity

• Maintain and update the FCP Program policies and procedures, in compliance with the respective legal, licensing, and regulatory obligations. Identify and inform of any changes to legislation and other regulatory requirements relating to the FCP Program

• Assist with identifying any high-risk situations and work with FCP leadership to address

• Coordinate and support projects to bring increased organization and efficiencies to the FCP Program

• Train new joiners in relevant processes, assist in cross-training as needed

• Support and assist with special projects and ad hoc requests/tasks as required

Qualifications

Education:

• Bachelor’s Degree is required, preferably from a top university with strong academic achievement

Experience Required:

• 5-8 years of relevant financial services compliance experience; previous financial crime prevention responsibilities a plus

• Knowledge of global asset management legal and regulatory compliance, risk management, and industry policy best practices

• Strong understanding of Anti-Money Laundering documentation requirements in accordance with relevant legislation and regulations in the United States; international exposure considered a plus

• Knowledge of complex corporate entity types, and the formation, constitutional, management/control and ownership documents of each and the information contained within them

• Familiarity with SEC, FCA, CSSF and CIMA regulatory reviews and interpretation of regulations

• Strong understanding of the investment adviser industry, and U.S. and global securities laws, including the Investment Advisers Act

• Demonstrated history of client relationship management via direct client contact

• Experience with direct investor/client communication and partnership

• Proficient in Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, Visio, Project, PowerPoint)

General Requirements:

• Strong sense of ownership and accountability; diligent work ethic

• High accuracy and extremely detail-oriented

• Ability to multi-task and prioritize deadlines; results-oriented

• Effective communication skills and excellent client-service orientation; responsive and dependable

• Ability to proactively identify and logically analyze problem situations to develop an effective course of action for resolution

• Exceptional organizational skills

• Adept at working independently within a fast-paced environment

• Ability to be flexible in terms of hours in order to coordinate with team members across time zones

• Comfort in dealing with ambiguity and uncertainty in a dynamic environment

• An analytical mind and a passion/interest in bringing new ideas to increase efficiency of existing processes

• Dependable, highly motivated team player; fosters team collaboration

• Ability to handle confidential information appropriately

Reporting Relationships

Principal, Compliance

Compensation

$120,000-$140,000

There is no set deadline to apply for this job opportunity. Applications will be accepted on an ongoing basis until the search is no longer active.