Senior Finance Manager (Fund)

Employer:           DWS Group

Title:                    Senior Finance Manager (Fund) 

Corporate Title: AVP

Location:             Sydney, Australia    

Job Code:            #LI-ZL1 #LI-03

About DWS:

Today, markets face a whole new set of pressures – but also a whole lot of opportunity too. Opportunity to innovate differently. Opportunity to invest responsibly. And opportunity to make change.

Join us at DWS, and you can be part of an industry-leading firm with a global presence. You can lead ambitious opportunities and shape the future of investing. You can support our clients, local communities, and the environment.

We’re looking for creative thinkers and innovators to join us as the world continues to transform. As whole markets change, one thing remains clear; our people always work together to capture the opportunities of tomorrow. That’s why we are ‘Investors for a new now’.

As investors on behalf of our clients, it is our role to find investment solutions. Ensuring the best possible foundation for our clients’ financial future. And in return, we’ll give you the support and platform to develop new skills, make an impact and work alongside some of the industry’s greatest thought leaders. This is your chance to achieve your goals and lead an extraordinary career. This is your chance to invest in your future.

Read more about DWS and who we are here.

Team/ division overview

The DWS Alternatives business is a diversified set of business activities including Private Equity, Private Real Estate, Private Infrastructure, Liquid Real Assets (Real Estate/Infrastructure and Commodity Securities), Sustainable Investments and Hedge Funds. The global team invests on behalf of a global client base that includes governments, corporations, individuals and institutional investors.

The Fund Deputy CFO will support the Sydney Fund CFO team in managing a portfolio of foreign investment fund mandates investing in Australia and potentially an Australian Build-to-Rent (BTR) fund, trusts and associated SPVs. The role acts as a key deputy to the Fund CFO, with responsibility for helping to oversee day-to-day fund finance, statutory and stakeholder reporting, outsourced service provider delivery, tax and audit coordination, treasury, governance and control activities across the assigned mandates, together with advanced Excel-based analysis and modelling to support reporting, forecasting and decision-making.

This is a diversified, hands-on role with meaningful ownership and AVP-level expectations. It requires strong technical accounting, tax and operational capability, sound commercial judgement, confidence in managing internal and external stakeholders, and the ability to independently lead key deliverables, resolve issues in a timely and well-controlled manner, escalate appropriately and contribute to the uplift of team standards, operating discipline and risk culture.

Your responsibilities

As a  Senior Finance Manager (Fund), you will be responsible for:

Technical Skills

• Take ownership of day-to-day fund and SPV operations across accounting, corporate administration, cash management, compliance and governance, ensuring tasks are delivered accurately, completely and on time.
• Coordinate and review monthly, quarterly and annual reporting deliverables, including management accounts, NAV and valuation-related reporting, board and investor materials, statutory financial statements and other stakeholder reporting.
• Manage audit and year-end reporting processes for assigned entities, including planning timetables, coordinating deliverables, reviewing outputs, resolving issues and supporting the achievement of clean and timely audit outcomes.
• Support tax compliance and tax risk management and oversight across the portfolio, including reviewing tax calculations, income tax and GST reporting, distribution and withholding tax matters, FATCA/CRS obligations and liaison with external tax advisers.
• Apply knowledge of Australian unit trust and MIT structures to help monitor ongoing operational compliance, support tax-efficient fund operations and identify issues or improvements early.
• Coordinate board, director and unitholder matters for assigned entities, including supporting meeting packs, resolutions, approvals, signing processes and follow-up actions with internal and external stakeholders.
• Partner closely with Asset Management, Transactions, Property Management and wider APAC Fund CFO colleagues to provide reliable financial information, support acquisitions, divestments, complex structures and other strategic business initiatives.
• Lead or support cash flow forecasting, liquidity management, distribution planning, capital call analysis and performance reporting, with the ability to interpret results and provide practical recommendations to stakeholders.
• Maintain a strong risk and control mindset across all responsibilities, including payment controls, vendor governance, attestations, issue identification, escalation and remediation.

Managerial Skills

• Support the Fund CFO in overseeing a portfolio of Australian real estate funds, including BTR funds, trusts and SPVs, and operate as a trusted deputy with the ability to assume lead responsibility for selected workstreams, reporting cycles, projects, governance matters and stakeholder interactions as required.
• Oversee outsourced fund administrators and professional service providers, including auditors, tax advisers, company secretarial providers, property accountants and other vendors, to ensure agreed service standards, budgets and deadlines are met.
• Contribute to team leadership by helping to prioritise workloads, improve processes and controls, coach and support junior colleagues, share knowledge and reinforce a collaborative, dependable and speak-up team culture

We are looking for 

• A degree in Accounting, Finance or a related discipline, together with CA / CPA qualification.
• Relevant experience in fund finance, financial reporting or alternative investments, ideally with exposure to Australian direct real estate, including open-ended and closed-ended real estate funds, BTR funds, trusts and SPV structures.
• Strong technical accounting capability, including IFRS / general purpose financial reporting (including consolidation), together with a sound working knowledge of Australian tax across companies and unit trusts, including MIT concepts.
• Demonstrated ability to manage end-to-end reporting, audit, tax, cash flow and governance deliverables across multiple entities, with sound judgement, clear accountability and appropriate escalation.
• Experience working with and overseeing external service providers, including fund administrators, auditors, tax advisers, company secretarial providers, property managers and property accountants.
• Strong analytical capability, including the ability to interpret financial and cash flow outcomes, identify issues early, and provide clear, practical recommendations to stakeholders.
• Advanced Excel and financial modelling skills, with the ability to support reporting, forecasting, liquidity analysis and decision-making.
• A hands-on, proactive approach, with a strong sense of ownership and the ability to deliver accurately and reliably in a well-controlled environment.
• Strong stakeholder management and communication skills, with the ability to build effective relationships across internal teams and external counterparties.
• A collaborative working style and confidence to step up when required, support colleagues, improve processes and contribute positively to a high-performing team environment.
• Curiosity, sound judgement and a continuous improvement mindset, including the ability to identify opportunities to strengthen processes, controls and execution standards.

What we’ll offer you:

At DWS we’re serious about diversity, equity and creating an inclusive culture where colleagues can be themselves and it’s important to us that you enjoy coming to work - feeling healthy, happy and rewarded. At DWS you’ll have access to a range of benefits including, but not limited, to the below:

• A hybrid working model, allowing for in-office / work from home flexibility, comprehensive leave policy, personal and volunteer days
• Competitive compensation packages including health and wellbeing benefits
• Access to best in class trainings, in role development and career progression opportunities

If you require any adjustments or changes to be made to the interview process for any reason including, or related to a disability or long-term health condition, then please contact your recruiter and let them know what assistance you may need. Examples of adjustments include providing a change to the format of the interview, or providing assistance when at the DWS office. This will not affect your application and our recruitment team will discuss options with you. If you are a trans or gender diverse applicant and require support or a confidential contact during the hiring process please email dbPride.AusNZ@db.com

We at DWS are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive workplace, one that embraces dialogue and diverse views, and treats everyone fairly to drive a high-performance culture. The value we create for our clients and investors is based on our ability to bring together various perspectives from all over the world and from different backgrounds. It is our experience that teams perform better and deliver improved outcomes when they are able to incorporate a wide range of perspectives. We call this #ConnectingTheDots.