A fund accountantis primarily responsible for all aspects of day-to-day accountingfor one or more assigned mutualfundsand/or institutionalfunds. So how can you become a fund accountant in Ireland? We discuss what it takes to make it as a fund accountant in Ireland.
Ideally, professionals with an education in accounting, finance and/or business will be best suited to fund accountant positions.
What are the current market trends?
The funds industry is continuing to improve with a steady stream of permanent positions released to the market. Dublin is generally recognised as a global hub for fund administration with most of the world’s leading operators based in the city. Although the global financial crisis significantly impacted these organisations, many firms began to lift headcount freezes and are now looking for quality candidates to reinforce their fund accounting teams.
What are the necessary experience and qualifications needed?
Ideally, professionals with an education in accounting, finance and/or business will be best suited to fund accountant positions.
Employers generally prefer candidates with some relevant experience in the funds industry, with working knowledge of systems such as; Bloomberg, Reuters or InvestOne. Advanced MS Excel skills are also extremely beneficial.
What are the required skills?
As a fund accountant you will need to be an organised person who has the ability to handle deadlines under pressure such as month, quarter and year-end. You will also need to be a good team player as the average team size in this industry is between 8 – 12 people.
The right attitude is vital, especially at interview stage. Employers are looking for people who have a flair for the funds industry and have a desire to progress within this area. It is also important to target companies that suit your specific background, for example if you have experience in hedge funds it is important that you target a fund administrator that works on hedge funds and not (for example) fund of funds. It can be difficult to move between areas and employers have a preference for individuals who can come into a role and hit the ground running.
What is the career path of a fund accountant?
One of the major advantages of the funds industry is a clear and defined career path for fund accountants. In only a relatively short space of time, often just 2 – 3 years, a fund accountant could progress to a senior post and subsequently to a supervisor post before eventually moving into management.
