Fund Accounting - Onboarding Team Lead

About Piedmont Fund Services

Piedmont Fund Services is an independent fund administrator serving alternative asset managers across private equity, private credit, hedge funds, and OCIO strategies. Headquartered in Herndon, Virginia, with offices in Florida, Manila, and Kuala Lumpur, we combine deep fund accounting expertise with technology and AI-driven automation to deliver precision and a strong client experience.

The Role

Every client relationship at Piedmont starts with onboarding. The Onboarding Team Lead owns that first impression. You will lead our Manila-based team that sets up new funds and migrates client data into FIS Private Capital Suite (Investran), and you will make sure every engagement launches on time, within budget, and with data our fund accounting teams and clients can trust from day one.

This is a hands-on leadership role. You will be the team's technical expert on Investran, and you will also design how onboarding works: the process, the controls, the automation, and the economics.

Key Responsibilities

Fund Setup & Data Migration

• Lead new fund setups in FIS Investran, including legal entity structures, investors, chart of accounts, allocation rules, transaction types, and reporting configuration, in accordance with fund legal documents and internal standards.
• Review draft fund legal documents (e.g., LPA, PPM, IMA) for new clients and provide comments on provisions that affect fund setup, accounting, and reporting.
• Plan and run data migrations from prior administrators, spreadsheets, or other accounting systems into Investran. This covers data mapping, transformation, validation, and reconciliation of opening balances and historical activity.
• Serve as the escalation point for complex fund structures (feeders, parallel funds, AIVs, SPVs, co-investment vehicles, waterfalls, and credit facilities).
• Validate working papers, templates, and supporting schedules against internal quality and compliance standards.
• Make sure every fund passes defined quality and reconciliation checkpoints before it is handed to the Accounting Production team, and partner with that team to ensure a smooth transition into ongoing operations.

Process Design, Operating Model & Automation

• Design, document, and continuously improve the onboarding process flow, from kickoff through go-live and handoff.
• Build standardized templates, checklists, data-mapping tools, and control points so onboarding is repeatable and scalable.
• Maintain accountability for onboarding documentation, checklists, and audit trails throughout the onboarding lifecycle.
• Identify and build AI agents and automation (e.g., using Claude Code and Claude Cowork) to streamline data mapping, validation, reconciliation, and documentation, in partnership with Piedmont's technology team.
• Maintain and enhance processes for updating technology systems during onboarding and ongoing account activity, including Piedmont's proprietary tools, third-party accounting platforms, and other firm-wide technology solutions.
• Monitor the onboarding operating model through KPIs such as time-to-go-live, error rates, rework, and handoff quality, and act on what the data shows.
• Lead change management as new processes and tools are rolled out, driving adoption across the team and with cross-functional partners.

Engagement Economics

• Own the hourly budget for each onboarding engagement: estimate effort, track actual hours against budget, and forecast completion.
• Flag scope changes and budget risks early, and work with Client Relations to resolve them.
• Contribute to scoping and effort estimates for new business proposals so budgets are realistic from the start.
• Collaborate with the Business Development team to develop fee structures for prospective clients.

Client Experience

• Treat onboarding as the client's first real experience of Piedmont and set the tone for a relationship built on responsiveness, precision, and transparency.
• Serve as the primary day-to-day point of contact for new clients during onboarding, managing expectations and coordinating closely with Client Relations.
• Lead or support client kickoff meetings, data requests, status updates, and go-live readiness reviews.
• Resolve onboarding-related client inquiries promptly and professionally, escalating complex issues when necessary.
• Keep communication clear, proactive, and professional throughout the engagement.

Team Leadership

• Lead, develop, and coach the Manila-based onboarding team remotely.
• Provide technical guidance for Assistant Managers, Seniors, and Associate Accountants, resolving complex accounting issues and reinforcing best practices.
• Assign work, balance capacity across concurrent engagements, and hold the team to high standards of accuracy and ownership.
• Lead weekly onboarding meetings to provide status updates, clarify priorities, and address operational challenges.
• Build team capability through training, documentation, and knowledge sharing, identifying training needs and coordinating with the Learning and Development team on training programs and materials.
• Travel periodically between Manila or Batangas to visit the team (at least quarterly.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Work closely with the US-based Client Relations team to coordinate timelines, expectations, and client communications.
• Partner with Fund Accounting, Investor Services, Technology, Compliance, Legal, Operations, and Tax to ensure regulatory compliance, smooth handoffs, and consistent service.
• Maintain regular overlapping hours with US Eastern Time for meetings, client calls, and real-time coordination.
• Work on special projects and perform other duties as assigned.

Qualifications

Required

• Bachelor's degree in Accounting.
• 7+ years of experience in fund administration, fund accounting, or fund operations for alternative investments, preferably private equity and/or private credit.
• Deep hands-on experience with FIS Investran, including new fund setup and data migration or conversion projects.
• Strong understanding of fund structures, partnership accounting, capital calls and distributions, allocations, and waterfalls.
• High accuracy and attention to detail in reviewing fund legal documents and financial data.
• Proven ability to design and document process flows and operating procedures.
• Experience managing budgets, timelines, and multiple concurrent projects.
• 2+ years leading teams, including remote or cross-border teams.
• Strong interpersonal, organizational, and time management skills, with the ability to work independently, meet project deadlines, and collaborate across teams.
• Excellent written and verbal English communication skills, with the confidence to work directly with clients and senior US colleagues.
• Willingness to work regular overlapping hours with US Eastern Time.

Highly Preferred

• Experience using Claude Code and Claude Cowork to develop AI agents that streamline business processes.
• CPA designation (preferred, not required).
• Strong project management and change management experience, or a recognized certification (e.g., PMP, PRINCE2, Prosci, or equivalent).

Also Valued

• Experience with Investran Data Exchange or other bulk data-loading tools.
• Background in implementation or conversion at a fund administrator, software vendor, or Big Four firm.
• Advanced Excel skills; SQL, Python, or Power BI a plus.
• Exposure to process improvement methods such as Lean or Six Sigma.

What Success Looks Like in the First Year

• New funds go live on schedule with clean, reconciled data and minimal rework after handoff.
• Onboarding engagements consistently come in on or under budget, with scope changes caught and managed early.
• A documented, standardized onboarding playbook is in place and actively used by the team.
• At least a few AI-driven automations are live in the onboarding workflow, with measurable reductions in manual effort.
• Client Relations and new clients view onboarding as a strength of the Piedmont experience.
• A capable, well-organized Manila team that can take on growing onboarding volume without a matching increase in headcount.

Why Piedmont

• Build and shape the onboarding function at a growing, independent administrator.
• Work directly with senior leadership and US-based client teams.
• Join a firm that value innovation and expertise as a core competitive advantage, with real room to build.

Work Location: Hybrid remote in Lipa