Principal, Middle Office in London

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 Summary: EU Investment Operations is responsible for the European Agency and Private Debt deal closing functions as well as all Settlements activity in the European Capital Market funds and Managed Accounts. The Settlement functions cover a broad scope of asset classes including but not limited to Loans, Bonds, Structured Credit, Derivatives and FX. Both sides of the business involve the successful closing of all primary and secondary par and distressed loans within the Ares European Private Debt funds, Capital Market funds and Managed Accounts. They work closely with Counterparties, Trustees, Custodians, Agent Banks and Clients to ensure prompt settlement of all trades. They also run an active Agency Portfolio and work closely with the Front Office as well as all other Middle and Back Office departments and outsourced providers on a regular day to day basis as well as on ad-hoc projects.

Primary Functions & Essential Responsibilities:

• Responsible for working with Deal Team, Legal Counsel, Lenders, Borrowers and other internal teams on Direct Lending Deal Closings for Europe.
• Responsible for reviewing and negotiating administrative issues of the Credit Agreements, understanding operational compatibility and requirements around operational risk and efficiency.
• Coordinate initial deal funding, managing cash movements, payment mechanics, cut-offs and timely issue escalation.
• Coordinating with stakeholders such as the Deal Team, Internal and External counsel, Finance, Investment Accounting and Compliance.
• Management of equity bookings/funding; coordination of equity conversions/restructure bookings.
• Experience in Facility Agent role. Knowledge of cash/PIK calculations, facility upsizes, repayment mechanics, waivers etc.
• Participation in LMA initiatives.
• Manage high-volume inbox queries, prioritising and resolving stakeholder requests efficiently.
• Ensure accurate and timely booking of deals. Act as escalation point for par and cash breaks across Ares entities.
• Coordinate restructurings and amendments (Debt-to-Debt, Debt-to-Equity and term changes), driving stakeholder alignment and execution.
• Play an active part in the management of the outsourced Sub Agent. Assist with overseeing workflows and controls in order to maintain oversight and sign off for the relevant parts of the outsourced functions.
• Identify and transition suitable workstreams to India Operations, providing clear procedures and training support.
• Contribute to London Operations SOPs, identifying process improvements and participating in the implementation.
• Strengthen controls by identifying issues and contributing to KPI/KRI reporting.

Education/Certification: A degree is welcomed but not essential—equivalent experience and technical capability will be considered.

Required Knowledge:

• 10+ years knowledge of Bank Loans required.
• Knowledge of WSO, Advent-Geneva, Everest Black Mountain an advantage.
• Proficient in Microsoft Excel – knowledge of formulas a must (e.g. “vlookup, pivot tables”), Microsoft Outlook, and Microsoft Word.

Experience Required:

• Minimum 7-10+ years of Investment Management operations experience.
• Understanding of basic accounting theories.
• Experience working with Various internal and external clients as well as Offshore teams.

Skills/Abilities:

• Excellent communication skills (verbal and written).
• Strong organization and time management skills and ability to prioritise work.
• Ability to multi-task and work in a fast-paced environment including managing a high volume mailbox.
• Team-oriented work ethic that includes willingness to help others.
• Able to work independently and share results of assigned projects with team members.
• Proficiency in Power BI and/or Python (including Co-pilot features) an advantage.

Reporting Relationships: 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.