Senior Fund Controller - Private Equity

Coopman Search & Selection is working exclusively with a growing, entrepreneurial private equity investment firm to hire its first dedicated Fund Controller. This is a unique opportunity to build the finance function of a successful investment manager from the ground up, and to grow with it into the FD/CFO seat.

Our client is an established private equity firm with several funds under management, an expanding portfolio and an investor base that has grown five-fold since launch. It buys entrepreneur-led businesses directly at attractive valuations, builds them up, and sells them on to larger private equity houses, strategic buyers and family offices.

The firm is about to launch its next fund with a cornerstone commitment from a leading global institutional investor. The team is small, diverse and commercially sharp. It runs a high-performance, entrepreneurial culture where people genuinely respect each other and offers good work-life balance.

Responsibilities:

Until now, finance has been handled by a partner alongside the wider team. This hire will take full ownership of fund finance and turn it into a scalable, professional function as the platform grows.

• Take end-to-end ownership of fund accounting, reporting and controls across the firm's funds and portfolio structures
• Professionalise the finance setup by designing processes, controls and governance that can scale through the next fund launch and beyond
• Lead the finance side of deals, including fund flows, capital calls, distributions and the accounting for acquisitions and exits
• Own quarterly investor reporting and fund performance metrics, and manage relationships with administrators, auditors and tax advisers
• Support the launch of the new fund, including investor onboarding, due diligence requests and setting up the fund's operations
• Manage the relationship with the firm's outsourced regulatory compliance provider, and support the planned move from an Appointed Representative arrangement to the firm's own FCA authorisation
• Drive a data-led, automated finance function. The firm uses Tableau Prep and AI-driven cloud reporting tools, and with no red tape and a flexible technology budget, you'll be free to bring in new tools
• Work directly with the partners as a trusted adviser, growing into the Finance Director / CFO role as the business scales

Requirements:

• Qualified accountant (ACA, ACCA, or equivalent) with proven fund finance experience across private markets/alternatives in your current role - essential
• Strong track record across fund accounting, investor reporting, valuations and deal execution - essential
• Experience building or upgrading finance functions; comfortable being hands-on in a lean team- essential
• Excellent academic background with a mininum of a 2:1 degree in a mathematical, economics or quantitative subject
• Strong interest in automation, data and AI, with a clear understanding of how financial data flows through a business
• Advanced Excel Skills
• Commercial and entrepreneur mindset and ambitious, with the presence to partner with senior stakeholders and investors
• Wants to grow into a leadership role within an entrepreneurial firm

Candidates must have prior right to work in the UK as the company is unable to provide visa sponsorship.