Entry Level Accounting & Finance Specialist
The Entry Level Accounting & Finance Specialist supports fund accounting and daily financial operations for investment funds and portfolios. This role involves assisting with NAV calculations, reconciliations, transaction processing, financial reporting, and operational controls while collaborating with internal teams and external service providers. It offers foundational experience in fund accounting, asset management, and investment operations within a financial services environment.
About Careertakes
👉 Important disclosure: Careertakes is a third-party recruiting platform supporting this hiring process. If selected, you will be employed directly by our client, Accounting & Finance.
Applicants for this role may also receive access to additional matched opportunities through the Careertakes platform.
Position Overview
This is an entry-level Fund Accounting & Finance Operations role supporting day-to-day fund accounting, NAV support, reconciliations, transaction processing, and financial reporting for investment funds and portfolios. The position is Contract — Full time and is located in West Chester, PA. You will work closely with internal accounting/operations teams and outside service providers (fund administrators, custodians, brokers).
What You’ll Do
- Support daily and monthly fund accounting and investment operations tasks.
- Assist with calculation, review, and validation of Net Asset Value (NAV) and supporting schedules.
- Perform cash, position, portfolio, and general ledger reconciliations; research and resolve discrepancies.
- Review and process investment activity: purchases, sales, income, expenses, fees, and cash movements.
- Monitor trade and settlement activity; resolve outstanding items with internal teams and third-party providers.
- Record and review journal entries and general ledger activity related to investment funds.
- Assist with month-end, quarter-end, and year-end close activities.
- Support preparation and review of fund financial statements, schedules, and management reporting.
- Track dividends, interest income, investment expenses, management fees, and other fund activity.
- Maintain documentation for reconciliations, transactions, and accounting entries.
- Assist with audit requests and provide supporting schedules and documentation.
- Prepare Excel-based reports and perform financial data analysis.
- Participate in projects to improve processes, data quality, controls, and operational efficiency.
Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, Economics, Business Administration, or related field.
- 0–2 years relevant experience; internships or co-op experience in accounting, banking, asset/investment management or financial services preferred.
- Foundational understanding of accounting principles, debits & credits, journal entries, general ledger accounting, and financial statements.
- Strong interest in investments, financial markets, fund accounting, and investment operations.
- Proficiency with Microsoft Excel (formulas, lookups, pivot tables, sorting/filtering, data analysis).
- Strong analytical, problem-solving skills and high attention to detail.
- Ability to identify and investigate differences across financial data.
- Strong organizational skills; able to manage multiple priorities and deadlines.
- Effective written and verbal communication skills.
Preferred Qualifications
- Internship, coursework, or exposure to fund accounting, investment accounting, asset management, or banking.
- Basic knowledge of investment products (equities, fixed income, mutual funds, ETFs, alternative investments).
- Familiarity with NAV calculations, portfolio accounting, trade settlements, or investment reconciliations is a plus.
- Exposure to accounting, portfolio management, or investment accounting systems.
Schedule & Compensation
- Employment type: Contract, Full time.
- No guaranteed salary range provided by the client in the source posting. An estimated market figure shown on the original listing is $80,953/year (Adzuna estimate) — this is not an offer. The hiring organization will disclose pay or a salary range during the process as required by applicable state laws.
About the Client
Confidential Client is hiring for a role within the Accounting & Finance industry. The client works with investment fund structures and financial services operations and is seeking candidates who want to build a career in fund accounting and investment operations.
Notes on Equal Opportunity & Compliance
Careertakes posts opportunities on behalf of Confidential Client and follows U.S. federal and state hiring requirements. Reasonable accommodations are available upon request for applicants with disabilities. Where applicable, fair-chance hiring practices and local ordinances will be respected.
Equal Opportunity & Hiring Transparency
Careertakes and our client are Equal Opportunity Employers committed to building a diverse and inclusive workforce. We prohibit discrimination or harassment of any kind. To support a fair and efficient hiring process, AI tools may be used to assist with application review or resume screening. These tools do not replace human decision-making. Final hiring decisions are made by people.
If you have questions about how your data is used, please contact us directly.
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