ASSET MANAGEMENT – Fund Accountant – CONTRACT recruitment
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Overview
Deutsche Asset management (Australia) Limited is part of the Deutsch Bank Group. The Operations team is responsible for all aspect of operational support for all asset classes, including global equity and fixed income for various retail, institutional clients.
State Street Australia Limited (SSAL) provides fund admin, unit registry, accounting, tax, custody and regulatory reporting services for the Deutsche Asset Management unit trusts. SSAL is viewed as a significant business partner as its services represent a major component of the Division’s operational capability.
As a key member of the Operations team (5 staff), the Fund accountant will be involved in a full spectrum of operational issues as well as providing business support to Client Services/Fund Managers/Finance/Compliance teams with various regular (50%) and ad-hoc (50%) tasks.
Key Responsibilities
A key part of the Fund Accountant’s responsibility is to provide full operational support to various Asset Management business units, and to prepare regular monthly, quarterly reporting.
Operational tasks for all products including unit trusts outsourced to SSAL:
- Daily client cash inflow/outflow reporting for liquidity management
- Monitor daily unit price movement against relevant bench mark and sign-off price release
- Review monthly/quarterly client management fee rebate calculations and arrange for payments
- Payment, monitoring and analysis of fund related expenses and invoices
- Assist Ops Manager with functions of monitoring and reporting against internal business benchmarks, and SLA with outsourced service provider
- Assist with ad-hoc request from internal and external clients, and management
- Prepare quarterly unit trust distribution timetable, monitor SSAL deliverables and review SSAL taxable income calculation
- Take part in half yearly financial reporting process, review accounts prepared by SSAL and provide responses to KPMG on investment related queries
- Prepare monthly reporting to local operating committees on SSAL KPI performance
- Resolve a variety of problems and issues as raised by the business areas in a timely manner
- Complete all account-opening and tax documentation in overseas trading markets as notified by SSAL. Prepare documents for review by Legal, and obtain apostilles and consularisation as required
The Fund Accountant will also be trained to:
Prepare monthly, quarterly financial reporting for the unlisted infrastructure trusts. This involves communicating with custodian and fund managers to ensure all information required to complete the accounts is received on a timely basis:
- Cash flow instruction to custodian
- Daily bank reconciliation
- Prepare monthly accounts
- Maintain the infrastructure trusts investments on the investment system and reconcile this information to the general ledger on a monthly basis
- Monitor the individual trusts investments to ensure they do not breach the fund's investment guidelines
- Prepare quarterly accounts to support the quarterly reports which are sent to clients
- Prepare quarterly BAS returns for the Infrastructure Trusts
- Investigate queries from clients and Fund Managers on an ad-hoc basis
Act as a backup for the middle office related functions for the Fixed Income portfolios, which predominately is to ensure the smooth running of all daily trade flow to SSAL. Standard working hour is 9 am to 6 pm.
Requirements
To be successful in this role you will have:
- Fund Accounting experience in Funds Management industry
- Knowledge of various unit trust products and asset classes, and related operational processes
- Degree qualified in Accounting
- Superior verbal and written communication skill is required due to extensive dealings with internal and external stakeholders
- Strong attention to details, must have high personal standards and be proactive in acquiring new knowledge
- Strong analytical skills to be able to work independently
- Well organised self starter who can manage a range of competing priorities and projects, with desire to follow tasks through to completion
Deutsche Bank is an equal opportunity employer who seeks to recruit and appoint the best available person for a job regardless of marital status, sex (including pregnancy), age, religion, belief, race, nationality and ethnic or national origin, colour, sexual orientation or disability.