Funds Finance Controller/Senior Manager

POSITION OVERVIEW

The Fund Finance Controller should have a deep understanding of private equity fund structures and requirements as well as joint venture arrangement and is responsible for overseeing multiple private equity funds and joint ventures managed by ESR in terms of financial management, reporting, operations, compliance, budgeting and forecasting as well as providing support to senior management, investment professionals and transaction team on fund raising, investor relations, fund set-ups, deal structuring, acquisitions and dispositions.

MAIN RESPONSIBILITIES AND ACCOUNTABILITIES

Financial Accounting and Reporting

• Oversee the day-to-day accounting and financial operations, expense management, monthly/quarterly/yearly closing, monthly/quarterly/yearly consolidations and preparations of all required financial reports of multiple private equity funds and joint venture arragements as well as all entities in the private equity funds and joint ventures including those property-owning entities if the properties are in Singapore.
• Ensure accurate calculation of all relevant management fees, performance fees and carried interests.
• Review and approve relevant purchase orders, vendors’ invoices and vendor payments.
• Review and approve net asset value statements, capital account statements, financial statements, management reports, valuation reports and investor reports to ensure timely and accurate reporting.
• Liaise, coordinate, plan and lead statutory and other required audits with internal and external auditors.

Capital and Treasury Management 

• Oversee capital calls, distributions and investor allocations.
• Manage, monitor and review fund cashflows, liquidity forecast and all financing arrangements to ensure all liquidity needs are met.
• Review and approve fund transfers.
• Oversee and review equity tracking (capital commitments, contributions and distributions), carried interest accruals and ownership changes.
• Oversee bank account opening, closing and management.
• Ensure that all relevant agreements, documents and filings are in place and in order for any fund flows between the entities.

Compliance

• Ensure compliance with all fund agreements, statutory reporting, tax filings, tax documentations, transfer pricing documentations, statistical reporting and regulatory filings.
• Liaise, coordinate and plan with legal, compliance, company secretary, tax and external advisors as needed.
• CorpPass Administrator.

Investor Relations Support

• Work closely with fund management team or investor relations team to respond to investors’ requests and due diligence questionnaires on financial matters.
• Liaise, coordinate and plan with legal, compliance, company secretary, tax and external advisors as needed.

Business Partner

• Collaborate closely with the investment team to support and advise fund set-ups, group structuring and dissolution including review of all relevant agreements, reports and documents (term sheets, partnership agreements, shareholders’ agreements, joint-venture agreements, management agreements).

• Support and advise on deal structuring (acquisitions and dispositions) including review of all relevant agreements (sales and purchase agreements, financing agreements, tax reports) and financial modelling.
• Liaise, coordinate, plan and lead financial and tax due diligence.
• Review and approve financial and tax due diligence reports and completion accounts for all deals.
• Work closely with tax, company secretary and investment management to determine capitalization structure of each entity.
• Ensure prompt applications for relevant tax incentives for all private equity fund by working closely with tax team and external tax advisors.

Financial Planning and Analysis 

• Lead and coordinate the development and management of annual budgets, monthly/quarterly forecasts and long-term financial plans.
• Provide financial advice, analysis and insights as necessary.
• Collaborate closely with all relevant business functions and business unit leaders to understand financial performance and deviations from budgets and forecasts as well as identify areas of improvements.
• Monitor financial performance and provide variance analysis to explain deviations from budgets and forecasts.
• Review and approve financial reports on financial performance to senior management.

Company Secretary

•  Manage company secretary matters as necessary.

Team Leadership and Management

• Manage junior team members, third-party fund administrators, outsource fund accountants and third-party corporate secretary.

• Provide training and guidance as necessary on all relevant matters.

• Qualified accountant (CA/CPA/ACCA) with a minimum of 10 years of experience in private equity fund accounting, logistic real estate, data centre, infrastructure and one of the Big Four audit firms.
• Strong understanding of IFRS, SFRS(I), financial regulations, and compliance requirements.
• Demonstrated ability to manage multiple projects under tight deadlines while maintaining accuracy and work with third-party fund administrators and fund accountants.
• Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills with keen attention to detail.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills, capable of effectively liaising with various stakeholders.
• Ability to lead and mentor a team, driving performance and professional development.
• Advanced proficiency in Excel.
• Ability to work independently as well as collaboratively in a fast-paced environment.