Senior Associate / Manager – Fund Operations & Analytics

Category III Alternative Investment Fund | Mumbai

About the Role

We are a Mumbai-based Category III Alternative Investment Fund seeking a hands-on operations and technology leader to own fund accounting, investor servicing, automation, and data support while managing a 2-member junior analyst team.

This is a high-ownership role in a lean setup where youll be the single point of accountability for daily operations and the tech backbone supporting our investment process.

Location & Experience

Location: Mumbai (Work from Office)

Experience: 46 years in fund operations, fund administration, or middle office with AIF/PMS/Mutual Fund exposure

Key Responsibilities

1. Fund Accounting & NAV Calculations

Prepare and review daily/weekly NAV for Category III schemes (long-short equity, leverage, derivatives as applicable)

Coordinate with custodian, fund administrator, brokers, and banks for trade confirmations, cash movements, and position reconciliation

Ensure accurate holdings and cash reconciliation across internal books, broker statements, and custodian reports

Compute and validate management fees, performance fees (with high-water mark), expense accruals, entry/exit loads, and tax provisions (TDS, GST, advance tax) as per PPM and SEBI regulations

Support statutory audits and regulatory reporting (SEBI AIF returns, RBI reporting, income tax filings) in coordination with compliance and external advisors

2. Investor Servicing & Reporting

Oversee investor onboarding, applications, KYC compliance, and capital activity (subscriptions, redemptions, switches)

Own preparation and distribution of monthly investor statements, performance reports, distribution notes, and ad-hoc MIS

Maintain investor data room, CRM hygiene, and investor communication records

Track and respond to investor queries with quick turnaround time, coordinating internally as needed

3. Automation & Technology

Design and build Excel/Google Sheets + Python based tools for:

NAV and fee calculation templates with built-in checks

Reconciliation dashboards (broker vs custodian vs internal ledger)

Investor MIS and performance analytics automation

Drive continuous improvement: reduce manual touchpoints, improve data quality, build exception reports and control checks

4. Data Support for Equity Research Team

Maintain clean, well-structured equity and portfolio datasets (prices, fundamentals, internal performance metrics) for the research team

Build and maintain reusable analysis templates for:

Returns attribution and drawdown analysis

Factor exposure and risk metrics (Sharpe ratio, beta, tracking error, VaR)

Portfolio analytics and stress testing

Assist in one-off analyses, backtests, and custom dashboards using Excel, Python (pandas, numpy).

5. Team Management

Lead a 2-member team of junior analysts; allocate work, review outputs, and ensure quality control

Train junior team on fund accounting concepts, automation mindset, and operational excellence

Build SOPs and knowledge management systems for operational continuity

Required Skills & Qualifications

Must-Have Experience

46 years in fund accounting/operations/middle office with hands-on exposure to AIF/PMS/Mutual Fund operations

Strong understanding of:

Trade lifecycle, T+1/T+2 settlement, mark-to-market (MTM)

Corporate actions, reconciliations, NAV calculation mechanics

Performance fee and expense fee mechanics (including high-water mark)

Category III AIF experience is a strong plus (understanding of leverage, derivatives, short-selling)

Technical Skills

Advanced Excel: Complex formulas, pivot tables, VLOOKUP/XLOOKUP/INDEX-MATCH, conditional logic, data validation

Macros/VBA proficiency is a plus

Python: Working knowledge of pandas, numpy for data cleaning, joins, aggregations, and simple automation scripts

Soft Skills

Strong written and verbal communication; ability to explain technical topics to non-technical stakeholders (investors, management)

High ownership mindset; comfortable being the single point of failure for operations and data

Process-oriented yet adaptable to a lean, fast-moving, unstructured startup-like setup

Bias toward automating repetitive tasks rather than scaling headcount

Prior experience mentoring or managing juniors is preferred

Personality & Cultural Fit

Were looking for someone who:

Is comfortable wearing multiple hats in a small team environment

Takes pride in getting the details right (zero tolerance for sloppy data or errors)

Can work independently with minimal supervision while keeping stakeholders informed

Is curious and willing to learn new tools, markets, and investment strategies