Associate, APAC Relationship Management

Over the last 20 years, Ares’ success has been driven by our people and our culture. Today, our team is guided by our core values - Collaborative, Responsible, Entrepreneurial, Self-Aware, Trustworthy - and our purpose to be a catalyst for shared prosperity and a better future. Through our recruitment, career development and employee-focused programming, we are committed to fostering a welcoming and inclusive work environment where high-performance talent of diverse backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives can build careers within this exciting and growing industry.

Job Description

This position is part of the APAC Relationship Management team and will support investor relationship management, business development and client servicing activities across institutional investors in Australia. Working closely with senior Relationship Managers, the Associate will support investor communications, due diligence processes, CRM management, client reporting, market research and internal coordination to help deliver a high-quality client experience.

The role is intended to provide broad exposure to institutional relationship management and the firm’s investment capabilities. As the individual develops their investment knowledge, commercial judgement and client relationship skills, there will be opportunities to assume increasing client-facing responsibilities and develop toward a junior Relationship Manager role.

We are open to considering candidates at the Associate or Senior Associate level, depending on relevant experience, institutional client exposure and demonstrated potential for the role.

Primary Functions & Essential Responsibilities

• Provide support to the Australia Relationship Management team across investor relationship management, business development and client servicing activities
• Coordinate investor requests, due diligence questionnaires (DDQs), requests for proposals (RFPs), data requests and other client deliverables
• Maintain Salesforce and other CRM systems, including investor records, pipeline and opportunity updates, meeting activity and reporting
• Participate in client and prospect meetings, prepare meeting materials and briefing notes, document key discussion points and coordinate follow-up actions
• Develop an understanding of key institutional clients, including their investment objectives, portfolio priorities, organisational structures, decision-making processes and existing relationships with the firm
• Support senior Relationship Managers in developing and executing account plans and relationship strategies for priority clients and prospects
• Support senior Relationship Managers by responding to investor inquiries and coordinating information requests with internal stakeholders, with increasing responsibility for direct client communication as experience and capability develop
• Partner with investment professionals, product specialists, Investor Operations, Legal, Compliance and other internal teams to support investor servicing, relationship management and business development activities
• Develop a strong working knowledge of the firm’s investment strategies and broader platform, with the ability over time to communicate relevant investment capabilities and portfolio applications to institutional investors
• Assist with post-investment servicing activities, including investor reporting requests, portfolio inquiries, ongoing client communications and broader relationship management
• Conduct market, investor and industry research to support business development and relationship management initiatives, including identifying relevant trends, client priorities and potential opportunities
• Support pipeline and opportunity management, including tracking client engagement, next steps, potential opportunities and fundraising activity
• Assist with investor events, roadshows, investment professional visits, conferences and other client engagement initiatives
• Build relationships with relevant client and prospect contacts alongside senior Relationship Managers and contribute to maintaining regular and thoughtful engagement
• As experience and capability develop, take increasing ownership of selected client interactions, including meeting preparation, participation, follow-up and ongoing relationship coordination, with the opportunity to assume responsibility for selected relationships or prospects over time
• Undertake other projects and responsibilities that support the continued development of the Australia Relationship Management business

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Accounting, Economics, Business or a related discipline
• Minimum 4 years of relevant experience in asset management, private markets, investor relations, institutional client servicing, investment banking or a related financial services environment
• Understanding of alternative investments and institutional investor markets preferred
• Strong interest in developing a career in institutional relationship management and business development
• Strong analytical, organisational and problem-solving skills
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills with strong attention to detail
• Ability to understand investment concepts and develop the ability to communicate them clearly and appropriately to institutional investors
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and deliver high-quality work in a fast-paced environment
• Strong interpersonal skills and demonstrated ability to build relationships with internal and external stakeholders
• Commercial curiosity and an interest in understanding clients’ investment objectives, portfolio challenges and broader strategic priorities
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office applications; Salesforce or other CRM experience preferred
• Self-motivated, proactive and team-oriented, with a strong work ethic and willingness to take on increasing levels of responsibility

Reporting Relationships

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.