Vice President, Research Systems

Job Description

Ares Management is currently seeking a Vice President of Research Systems to join the Application & Data Solutions (ADS) team within the Technology & Information Security organization. The IT team consists of over 200 team members globally and is responsible for the firm’s technology landscape. The ADS team within IT oversees and manages Ares’ application platforms across all business operations from a technology perspective. The group supports the business across all Ares’ pools of capital, and the core functions include developing the technology strategy, vision, project execution, and support for these investment platforms. 

The ideal candidate will possess a mix of technology and functional experience and will have a critical role in supporting Ares’ Research systems. This role will have responsibility for continued modernization of the technology platforms, enabling business process innovation and optimization. This person will be expected to understand investment research and portfolio company financials, associated technologies, and possess a deep understanding of the investment management business. They will be responsible for partnering with the Head of Research Systems and other leaders within the organization to define the technology strategy and roadmap for the systems and solutions. This role will require a dynamic, adaptive, and agile hands-on leader who will be capable of driving innovation and change in a fast-paced and rapidly growing environment. 

Reporting relationships 

Reports to: Principal, Research Systems 

Primary functions and essential responsibilities 

Specific responsibilities include, but are not limited to: 

• Develop the technology vision, strategy, and roadmap for the Research and Portfolio Monitoring platforms to drive innovation, scalability, and efficiency across business strategies 

• Manage both Product Managers/Business Analysts and Developers on the team, provide coaching and best practices 

• Serve as a key business partner and advisor to senior business stakeholders; collaboratively develop technology roadmaps for associated business lines and pools of capital 

• Responsible for technology innovations by proactively identifying and incorporating new solutions; Drive forward initiatives and influence outcomes with a broader group consisting of senior business partners and peers 

• Deliver change improvement projects while demonstrating ownership of the full project lifecycle 

• Apply thought leadership towards firmwide data and reporting initiatives, as it relates to Research data 

• Demonstrate exceptional leadership skills with expertise in building and developing team members and teams; Build and develop strong teams focused on innovation, agile delivery, and compliance 

• Assist with management of Research Systems budget and oversight on project expenditures 

• Manage relationships with the vendors and data providers; manage the vendor selection process, oversee contract negotiations, and manage consulting resources 

Qualifications 

Education:  

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or Finance required 

• Master’s degree preferred 

Experience Required:   

• A minimum of 10 years of relevant investment technology experience with multiple years in a leadership role 

• Solid understanding of alternative investments such as Direct Lending, Private Equity, and Real Estate; Inherent familiarity with institutional investment lifecycle, business workflows, and associated systems and data 

• Proficient with the core concepts behind a financial statement, associated company KPIs, and knowledge of how that information is utilized for investment analysis and decisions 

• Experience leading the implementation of investment applications from project initiation to architecture, design, deployment, stabilization, and support 

• Experience supporting on-prem and cloud (Azure preferred) distributed applications, with a deep understanding of optimal architecture supporting high availability, performance, and security 

• Ability to influence decisions and build consensus across a diverse group consisting of senior leadership, business stakeholders, peers, and team members 

• Developing long-term strategy while reflecting multiple dimensions (business needs, market trends, talent, etc.) and supporting organizational objectives 

• Proven people leader - hiring, developing, and fostering talent; building high-performing teams; driving change across global teams 

• Experience with vendor selection, relationship management, and contract negotiation 

• Exposure to one or more systems in the alternative asset space such as iLEVEL, Allvue/Black Mountain Systems, Mercatus, RealPage, Pereview, MRI, DealCloud, or similar platform(s) 

• Familiarity with programming languages (Python, Java, C#, or comparable), relational and non-relational databases, and designing/utilizing APIs preferred 

• Experience with a BI solution like Tableau or Power BI preferred 

• Preferred experience with data lake initiatives and implementing self-serve analytics solutions 

• Preferred exposure to data analytics platforms such as Databricks, Snowflake, etc. 

General Requirements:  

• Demonstrated ability to manage competing priorities and lead large scale projects to completion 

• Experience managing internal and external stakeholders and leading project prioritization discussions to drive product vision and roadmap 

• Strong management skills, including proven experience of managing and/or collaborating with teams in remote locations to ensure efficiency, effectiveness, and a high level of supervisory oversight 

• Strong sense of ownership and accountability 

• Exceptional critical thinker and strong business judgment; Inquisitive and committed to continual improvement/learning 

• Change agent/leader, self-motivated, self-starter; High accuracy and detail orientation 

• Excellent communication (written, verbal, presentation, documentation) and client service skills; capability of interacting with key stakeholders to direct prioritization of program-related activity 

• Experience and ability to proactively and continuously identify and analyze problem situations to develop an effective and improved course of action for resolution 

• Ability to work independently within a fast-paced environment with a hands-on approach 

• Ability to be flexible in terms of hours to coordinate with team members across time zones 

• Comfortable in dealing with ambiguity and uncertainty in a dynamic environment 

• Dependable, great attitude, highly motivated, and a team player 

Reporting Relationships

Compensation

$225,000 - $245,000

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.