Associate / Senior Associate in London

The Associate / Senior Associate will work as part of the European Operations team, focused on judgement-based, time-critical and commercially sensitive tasks across the European Funds. This role is designed for a proven Finance professional who enjoys operating at the intersection of fund operations, transactions and strategic projects. You will act as a London based escalation point for complex matters, working closely with team members, AIFM, Investment Team and other internal and external stakeholders to ensure high-quality outcomes for our investors.

• Fund-level operational oversight
  • Act as a London-based point of support for the Funds, providing end-to-end operational oversight across all matters.
  • Review and challenge administrator outputs including NAVs, financial statements and investor reporting, with a focus on judgement areas, risk and commercial implications.
  • Support liquidity management, distributions and rebates where analysis, escalation or commercial judgement is required.
  • Oversee ISAE 3402 assurance program, internal and external audit, ensuring appropriate follow-up and resolution.
• Time-critical and unscheduled matters
  • Take ownership of unscheduled and time-sensitive issues, such as investor queries, administrator escalations, regulatory requests and transaction-driven activity.
  • Identify emerging issues early, assess implications and coordinate solutions with internal teams and external service providers.
  • Support ad‐hoc analysis, briefing notes and recommendations for senior management and investment teams.
• Transaction & structural support
  • Provide operational input into acquisitions, add‐ons and disposals, including fund flows, structures, documentation, execution mechanics and closing processes.
  • Assist with fund, co‐investment launches, restructurings and liquidations, ensuring operational readiness.
  • Support with facility funding and refinancing activity, coordinating with financing teams, lenders and internal stakeholders.
• Strategic projects & commercial initiatives
  • Play an active role in strategic operational projects, including change initiatives, process redesign, scalability improvements and data or reporting enhancements.
  • Provide commercial input into operational decisions, balancing efficiency, risk management and investor outcomes.
  • Contribute to cross‐platform and global operations initiatives.
  • Support preparation of quarterly board materials, and ad‐hoc board requests.
  • Work closely with Investment, Investor Relations, AIFM, Finance, Risk and Compliance teams to ensure alignment across fund matters.
  • Manage and coordinate third‐party service providers (administrators, auditors, legal and tax advisers) on complex or sensitive matters.
• London-Luxembourg transition support
  • Maintain a strong understanding of workstreams transitioning to Luxembourg, ensuring continuity, quality and appropriate escalation during the transition period.
  • Support knowledge transfer and documentation of processes as activities migrate.
  • Act as a London escalation point once routine activities are embedded in Luxembourg.
• Other responsibilities
  • Prepared to work outside normal business hours when required by transactions or time‐critical matters.
  • Commitment to high standards of professionalism, integrity and control.
  • Adhere to Igneo and First Sentier policies, procedures and control frameworks.
  • Undertake any other reasonable tasks required to support the business.

About you

• Qualified Accountant (ACA, ACCA or equivalent).
• Relevant experience in fund operations within infrastructure, private equity or alternative investments is essential.
• Hands‐on experience reviewing administrator outputs and engaging with auditors and advisers.
• Exposure to change initiatives, transactions or fund structuring is desirable.
• Sound professional judgement, with the ability to assess complex operational and commercial issues, identify key risks and form clear, well‐reasoned recommendations.
• Strong analytical capability, able to interrogate financial and operational information, focus on what matters, and translate analysis into concise conclusions for senior stakeholders.
• Ability to operate effectively under pressure, managing competing priorities and responding calmly and decisively to time‐critical and unscheduled matters.
• Clear and confident communicator, able to engage credibly with Investment Teams, senior management and external advisers, and to explain complex issues in a practical, solutions‐focused way.
• Highly organised, and detail‐aware, with the ability to maintain controls across multiple workstreams whilst keeping sight of the bigger picture.
• Proactive, hands‐on mindset with a willingness to take ownership and "roll up sleeves" when required.
• Collaborative team player with a positive, flexible approach who contributes constructively to shared objectives.

About us

Powering possibilities. At First Sentier Group, we believe it is our responsibility to help clients achieve the financial freedom they desire, unlocking a world of possibilities. We support our distinct affiliate investment teams to deliver meaningful investment outcomes. By combining their specialist investment knowledge with our global support, we create an innovative and agile operating model designed to effectively respond to our clients' needs. We pride ourselves on our client‐centric approach, ensuring we are all working towards achieving our clients' goals and enhancing their possibilities for the future, while continually striving for better.

Igneo Infrastructure Partners

Igneo Infrastructure Partners is a specialist global infrastructure manager that invests in high‐quality, mature, mid‐market infrastructure companies in the renewables, digital infrastructure, waste management, water utilities, transportation, and logistics sectors worldwide. We have been an active infrastructure investor since 1994 and have consistently pursued an investment strategy which allows us to work closely with portfolio companies and other stakeholders to create sustainable long‐term value through proactive asset management focusing on innovation and responsible investment. We believe that managing environmental, social and governance risks and opportunities is an important part of creating, protecting and enhancing long‐term value in the infrastructure investments that we manage on behalf of investors.

Why work with us

Working at First Sentier Group gives you access to a growing, values‐led organisation with competitive pay and industry‐leading benefits including:

• Flexible working and a gender‐neutral parental leave programme that provides 26 weeks' paid leave in every region.
• Global collaboration, international mobility and the opportunity to build your career in different markets.
• Employee‐driven charitable foundation allows our people to give back in their local communities through donation‐matching and paid volunteering days.
• Access to learning and development opportunities including in‐house training and external programs.

Corporate Sustainability & B Corp

We are committed to ensuring that as a firm, we are contributing to building a sustainable economy and society by improving our environmental, social and governance standards and holding our own business to the same standards that we expect of the companies that we invest our clients' capital in; and by doing so, reinforcing our position as responsible investors. In 2022, First Sentier Group became a globally certified B Corp. B Corp Certification provides a framework that we can use to effectively assess our operations against high standards from an environmental, social and governance point of view, as well as to identify areas where we can enhance and improve.

Our commitment to Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DE&I)

At First Sentier Group, we value the different experience, ideas and perspectives that our people bring to the work they do. We are committed to fostering an inclusive and equitable culture where diversity can thrive. We believe this leads to better outcomes for our people and our clients, and it's the right thing to do. We provide equal employment opportunities to applicants regardless of race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, disability, age, family status, or any other category protected by law. If you require any adjustments throughout the recruitment process, please let us know so we can support you. We are proud to be recognised as an employer of choice for women by WORK180, a Disability Confident Employer and a member of the Business Disability Forum in the UK.