Assistant Fund Accountant

Globally, we help our clients succeed by providing expertise, trust and scale in the areas of Fund & Corporate Services, Capital Markets, Private Clients, as well as Regulatory and Compliance. We work closely with asset managers, financial institutions, corporates, high net-worth individuals and family offices to deliver solutions that solve the complex challenges that they face.

We have over 2,000 colleagues in 25+ office locations and are proud to be the trusted partner of over 9,000 clients. Our culture of support and recognition provides the tools and opportunities for you to grow and make your mark with Ocorian, while unlocking the most value for our clients.

In Belfast, we have a team of c.120 colleagues, with c.70 focused on Fund Services across our Accounting, Administration, Investor Services, Company Secretarial and Depositary teams.

The local office was established in the Titanic Quarter in 2011 and has grown to become a key strategic office for the wider group. We currently have c.50 staff providing Global Enablement Functions for Ocorian including Marketing, Internal Finance, IT, Compliance and HR.

In the Fund Accounting team, we work closely with the finance departments of our clients and consider ourselves as an extension of their team.

• On an ongoing basis, we bookkeep cash transactions and reconcile to bank accounts.
• On a quarterly basis, we calculate accruals, prepayments, loan interest and other accounting journals to provide our clients with an accurate TB and ledger. We then receive the valuation of investments from the clients and record these to allow us to finalise the TB and prepare management accounts comprising Statement of Comprehensive Income, Statement of Financial Position, Statement of Cash Flows and related notes.
• On a semi-annual or annual basis, we prepare full statutory accounts for each fund ranging from simple entities to complex group structures and PLCs. We draft and maintain timetables, host calls with all parties and manage the audit on behalf of our clients. For some clients, we attend formal board meetings to present accounts and related matters.

The Fund Accounting team has c. 30 accountants based in Belfast and provides a career pathway from school leavers entering a Higher-Level Apprenticeship, through graduate Trainee Fund Accountants, part-qualified Assistant Fund Accountants and qualified Fund Accountants. We also have Senior Fund Accountant and Manager level roles for more experienced staff.

We offer hybrid working, typically with 2 days in the office and 3 days working from home.

Purpose of the Job

The Assistant Fund Accountant would work as part of a team who are responsible for the planning and preparation of financial reports for a portfolio of funds, ensuring reporting deadlines are met and the delivery of client accounting requirements follow Ocorian’s contractual obligations.

Main Responsibilities

Core Accounting

• Day-to-day bookkeeping (to include but not limited to) expenses, VAT, accruals, prepayments, loan interest calculations, investment and investor transactions such as movement in valuations provided by the client / Investment Manager
• Assisting in the preparation of quarterly management accounts comprising Statement of Comprehensive Income, Statement of Financial Position (showing Net Asset Value), Statement of Changes in Equity and Statement of Cash Flows in accordance with individual fund requirements
• Assisting in the preparation of interim and annual financial statements, including responding to audit queries
• Work with the Fund Accountants and Managers to ensure that regulatory and statutory reporting requirements are met and that current accounting standards (UK GAAP or IFRS) and best practice principles are applied to the accounts production process and kept current as such standards and principles develop

Stakeholder Management

• Work with the Fund Accountants and Managers to develop an understanding of clients, including the nature of their transactions and reporting requirements, and help maintain the client relationship

• Maintain a process to ensure the timely delivery of client accounting requirements in relation to financial reports and accounts
• Liaise with clients, auditors and other professional advisers to ensure that timetables for the production of accounts are adhered to

Other duties

• Ensure Ocorian’s policies and procedures are used and adhered to within the accounts team and contribute to the continuing development of those policies and procedures
• Any other such duties that might be reasonably required for this role.

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Knowledge, Skills & Experience

The role would suit a part-qualified accountant (minimum halfway towards qualification) with:

• A good grounding in accounting skills, eg from an Accounting or Finance related degree and relevant experience.
• Good presentational, written and verbal communication skills
• Attention to detail
• Organisational and planning skills including managing expectations and determining that which is important versus that which is urgent
• Solid Excel, Word and general IT skills
• Professionalism and ability to win the respect of clients
• Ability to work on own initiative and as part of a team
• Ability to interact with colleagues at all levels
• The drive to make continuous improvements
• Flexibility to adapt as the role develops

All staff are expected to embody our core values that underpin everything that we do and that reflect the skills and behaviours we all need to be successful.  These are:

• We are CLIENT CENTRIC – Clients are at the centre of our world, and we’re committed to providing expertise and specialist solutions to meet their most complex challenges.
• We are AMBITIOUS – We aim high. We think and act globally, seizing every opportunity to delight our clients and support our colleagues - wherever in the world they may be.
• We are AGILE – We act on our initiative to get things done for our clients. Our independence gives us the flexibility and freedom to keep things simple, efficient and effective.
• We are COLLABORATIVE – With a curious mindset, we ask the right questions to get to the right solution, for our clients faster. We collaborate to win together and share our successes.
• We are ETHICAL – We behave with integrity at all times and assume positive intent, building trust through responsible actions and honest relationships.

Equal Opportunities for Everyone

Please let us know if there’s anything we can do to make the process easier for you. You can reach us at [email protected].

We’re an equal opportunity employer. All applicants will be considered for employment without attention to age, ethnicity, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, family or parental status, national origin, or veteran, neurodiversity or disability status.