Senior Associate, Financial Planning & Analysis – Real Assets

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

Ares Management is seeking a Senior Associate to join the Real Assets Financial Planning & Analysis (“FP&A”) team, with primary responsibility for the Real Estate business. The Real Assets FP&A team is part of the firm’s larger Finance organization and partners closely with Real Assets business leaders, fund accounting, corporate accounting, business operations and global FP&A colleagues in Los Angeles, London and other regional offices.

The Senior Associate will play a hands-on role in the annual budget, monthly and quarterly forecast, and long-range planning processes for Real Assets. The candidate will build and maintain fund-level models and deliver clear, accurate reporting to senior management. The ideal candidate has a working understanding of real estate funds and management fee and incentive fee mechanics, and a strong aptitude for financial modeling, data and automation. This role requires a dynamic, detail-oriented professional who can operate with increasing independence in a fast-paced, growing environment.

Primary Functions and Essential Responsibilities

The Senior Associate will support the broader Real Assets FP&A team in partnering across the enterprise to provide accurate projections and insights to senior management.

Financial Planning, Budgeting & Forecasting

Support the annual budget, monthly and quarterly forecast, and long-range plan for the Real Assets business, including consolidation of inputs and preparation of the P&L

Build and maintain fund-level models for Real Estate funds and co-investment vehicles, forecasting FPAUM, management fees, other income and promote/incentive fees

Forecast and track general and administrative expenses at the vendor level, identifying cost-saving opportunities and partnering with business leaders on accountability

Incorporate quarterly projected fund models from Fund Accounting, and assumptions on capital raising, deployment, exits and fee-basis changes, into the forecast

Prepare scenario and sensitivity analyses and respond to ad hoc requests from senior management

Reporting & Analysis

Prepare variance analysis and commentary for actuals vs. forecast, budget and prior periods, with a focus on FPAUM, management fees, other income and promote

Produce executive-ready reporting packages, dashboards and presentations for senior leadership, including forecast calls and business reviews

Support preparation of materials for firm-wide consolidation, board and senior leadership reporting

Dive into underlying fund and deal-level data to explain drivers behind results and recommend actions

Business Partnership & Collaboration

Serve as a day-to-day FP&A contact for Real Assets investment professionals, business operations and regional finance leaders

Coordinate with Fund Accounting, Corporate Accounting, Investor Relations and Business Operations to gather, validate and reconcile key inputs on a timely basis

Build working knowledge of new fund structures, fee terms and revenue streams, and translate this into forecast assumptions

Collaborate with the global FP&A team to align methodologies and ensure consistency across regions and segments

Process, Systems & Automation

Maintain and improve financial models, dashboards and planning tools for accuracy, consistency and scalability (e.g., OneStream, Anaplan, SQL, Power BI)

Clean, structure and consolidate data from multiple sources into repeatable reporting processes

Contribute to automation and AI-enabled initiatives that reduce manual work and improve forecast turnaround time

Support implementation of new systems and processes, including data collection, testing and roll-out

Team Contribution

Take ownership of workstreams and deliver work independently with a high level of accuracy

Support, train and mentor Analysts and Associates as the team grows

Qualifications

Education / Certification

Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Accounting, Economics, Real Estate, Data Science or a related field

MBA or graduate degree, CFA and/or CPA a plus, but not required

Experience Required

5–7 years of relevant experience in FP&A, corporate finance, fund accounting, investment banking, consulting or Big 4 accounting; experience at an alternative asset manager or real estate investment firm strongly preferred

Working knowledge of real estate fund structures (open-end and closed-end), management fee and incentive fee/carried interest mechanics, and co-investment structures preferred

Demonstrated experience building and maintaining financial models, forecasts and variance analyses

Experience with planning and consolidation systems such as OneStream and Anaplan preferred; SQL, Power BI, Tableau or similar a plus

General Requirements

Advanced Excel and financial modeling skills; strong PowerPoint skills

Strong understanding of financial statements and accounting principles

Strong analytical, problem-solving and attention-to-detail skills, with the ability to turn complex data into clear insights

Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including presenting to senior stakeholders

Ability to manage multiple deadlines and priorities in a fast-paced environment

Highly motivated, collaborative team player with a strong work ethic and a passion for process improvement, automation and new technology

Reporting Relationships

Associate Vice President, FP&A

Compensation

The anticipated base salary range for this position is listed below. Total compensation may also include a discretionary performance-based bonus. Note, the range takes into account a broad spectrum of qualifications, including, but not limited to, years of relevant work experience, education, and other relevant qualifications specific to the role.

$130,000 - $150,000

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.

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.