VP, Engineering Lead - Investment Operations

As the Vice President and the Engineering Lead - Ares Investment Operations within the Technology & Information Security organization, you will lead the design, development and deployment of solutions for Investment Operations function for the firm.

The Investment Operations group is responsible for Investment Accounting, Fund Administration Flows, Performance Management, Asset Servicing & Treasury Management functions covering the all Asset Classes for the firm including Private Credit, Private Equity, Real Assets, Secondaries etc. The team is responsible for providing the Investment Middle/Back-office solutions covering ~620 Billion in AUM.

We are seeking an engineering leader to be a catalyst in building differentiated engineering solutions to enable the exceptional growth of the firm.

The ideal candidate will possess strong technical and functional expertise with a demonstrated track record of leading high caliber engineering teams covering Private Markets. The candidate will be responsible for partnering with other engineering leaders within the firm to define and implement the technology strategy and roadmap for the business. Strong business knowledge and interpersonal skills will be required to partner with stakeholders from Investments Teams, Operations, Controllers, Quants, Information Security, Compliance and other divisions of the firm.

This role will require an agile hands-on engineering leader experienced in modern technology stack, capable of driving innovation and excellence in a fast-paced and rapidly growing environment.

Reporting To: Principal, Engineering Head of Investment Operations & Secondaries

Primary Responsibilities:

• Set technical vision and roadmap for Ares Investment Operations covering all aspects of investment lifecycle.
• Lead, mentor, and grow a team of software engineers
• Oversee the end-to-end development of engineering solutions for the business.
• Lead by example, roll up sleeve and participate in all aspects of solution ideation, architecture, design, development and delivery.
• Work with senior engineering and business leaders of the firm on defining the product roadmap and strategy.
• Implement industry best practices for both engineering and product management.
• Manage relationships with the vendors and data providers; manage the vendor selection process, oversee contract negotiations, and manage consulting resources when necessary.
• Lead technological 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.
• Ensure a culture of excellence, collaboration, inclusivity and accountability.

• Bachelor’s in Computer Science or Engineering is required
• 10+ Years of hands-on software development experience and 4+ years of experience managing a team of 5-10 members.
• 5+ years of Private Markets experience in Asset Management covering investment lifecycle, business workflows, associated systems and data.
• Solid understanding of alternative investments such as Direct Lending, Private Equity, and Real Assets.
• Proven people leader - hiring, developing, and fostering talent; building high-performing teams; driving change across global teams
• Strong programming skills in Java, Python, Typescript, JavaScript, SQL.
• Strong in Object Oriented Analysis and Design principles
• Experience in building full stack modern scalable applications using industry-leading technologies e.g. Angular/React, Node, TypeScript, JavaScript, Spring Boot, Java, Python, JPA, Hibernate, My-Batis, Redis etc.
• Experience in both SQL and No SQL technologies e.g. Postgres, SQL-Server, Mongo, Elastic, Redis etc.
• Knowledge of modern UI/UX best practices.
• Experience in modern software development stack including GitHub/GitLab, CI/CD.
• Strong understanding in streaming and messaging platforms like Kafka.
• Experience in using GenAI coding assistants and IDEs like GitHub Co-Pilot, Claude Code, Cursor, Codeium etc.
• Experience in modern application packaging, containerization, deployment, execution and IaC stack using Kubernetes, Docker and Terraform
• Understanding of cloud computing concepts is preferred but not required
• Proven engineering leader with strong technical and functional capabilities
• Experience in modern technical stack and industry best practices
• 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