POSITION SUMMARY:RFA is seeking a Portfolio Controller to be based in Denver, Colorado OR Los Angeles, California. The Controller will be considered a Vice President at the firm, leading the accounting, fund administration support, and portfolio reporting functions for the firm's institutional separate accounts and programmatic joint ventures, serving as the primary finance and accounting partner to the Portfolio Management team and ensuring the accuracy and integrity of portfolio accounting, fund administration, and financial reporting across the firm's institutional investment programs.
Working closely with institutional clients, investment managers, third-party accounting providers, and internal portfolio managers, this role maintains the integrity of portfolio accounting and reporting across multiple investment vehicles. The position combines fund administration, portfolio accounting, investment operations, financial analysis, and process improvement, requiring both strong technical accounting expertise and a deep understanding of institutional real estate investments. The ideal candidate has experience in real estate fund administration or institutional portfolio accounting and enjoys building processes, solving complex accounting issues, and collaborating across multiple stakeholders.
PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES:Executive Leadership & Team Oversight- Lead, mentor, and scale a high-performing team responsible for portfolio accounting, fund administration, and financial reporting.
- Set standards and long-term strategy for accounting and reporting excellence across all client portfolios.
- Serve as a senior leader within the platform, collaborating across departments in conjunction with the Portfolio Manager.
Fund Administration- Support the day-to-day fund administration activities for institutional investment vehicles.
- Coordinate quarterly reporting deliverables across investment managers, third-party accounting providers, and internal portfolio managers.
- Manage capital calls, investor contributions, distributions, and related cash movements.
- Review distribution calculations and waterfall allocations in accordance with governing agreements.
- Support cash management activities and monitor portfolio liquidity.
- Maintain reporting calendars and ensure timely completion of recurring client deliverables.
- Coordinate annual compliance requirements, including collection and review of investment manager fee calculations, waterfalls, insurance certificates and other required documentation.
- Support onboarding of new client mandates, investment managers, and investment structures.
Portfolio Accounting & Financial Reporting- Lead the quarterly portfolio accounting and reporting process for institutional clients.
- Ensure accurate consolidation of property- and manager-level financial information into portfolio-level financial reporting packages.
- Review quarterly financial statements, supporting schedules, and capital activity prepared by investment managers and third-party accounting providers.
- Ensure consistency of accounting treatment and reporting across multiple investment managers and investment vehicles.
- Own delivery of the financial components of quarterly and annual reports and investment committee materials.
- Review annual audits and respond to client due diligence requests.
- Maintain high standards of accuracy, consistency, and transparency in all financial reporting.
Investment Performance & Valuation- Review Net Asset Value (NAV), Gross Asset Value (GAV), performance metrics, leverage metrics, and other portfolio statistics.
- Investigate valuation discrepancies and reconcile differences between investment managers, accounting providers, and internal records.
- Support the preparation of performance attribution and portfolio analytics in partnership with the data analytics team.
External Relationship Management- Serve as the primary accounting and finance contact for investment managers and their accounting teams.
- Manage the firm's relationships with outsourced accounting providers.
- Review accounting deliverables for completeness, consistency, and compliance with client reporting requirements.
- Coordinate acquisitions, dispositions, refinancing activity, ownership changes, and other portfolio events to ensure accurate accounting and reporting.
- Resolve accounting issues and reporting discrepancies in collaboration with investment managers and service providers.
- Foster strong working relationships with clients, managers, auditors, custodians, and other external stakeholders.
Accounting Systems, Data Governance & Process Improvement- Oversee accounting data integrity across third-party accounting providers and internal reporting systems, including the investment management platform.
- Maintain standardized chart of accounts mappings across investment managers to support consistent portfolio reporting.
- Establish accounting standards and reporting methodologies that improve data quality and comparability across investment vehicles.
- Coordinate accounting system updates related to acquisitions, dispositions, restructurings, and new investment mandates.
- Identify opportunities to automate recurring reporting processes and improve operational efficiency.
- Document accounting policies, operating procedures, and reporting workflows to support scalability and consistency.
Portfolio Management Support- Serve as the primary accounting partner to the Portfolio Management team.
- Assist in preparing client presentations, investment committee materials, and ad hoc reporting requests.
- Collaborate across investment, analytics, accounting, operations, and client service teams to improve reporting processes and operational effectiveness.
- Participate in strategic initiatives to enhance the firm's investment operations platform.
CANDIDATE EXPERIENCE:- Bachelor's degree in Accounting or Finance; CPA designation strongly preferred.
- 10-15+ years of progressive experience in real estate investment accounting, fund administration, or private equity real estate.
- Experience in institutional real estate investment management.
- Demonstrated leadership of teams supporting institutional portfolios or investment management platforms.
- Strong understanding of institutional separate accounts, programmatic joint ventures, and real estate investment structures.
- Advanced Microsoft Excel skills, including financial modeling and complex data analysis; experience with RealPage, Yardi, MRI, Pereview, or comparable real estate accounting platforms.
- Experience preparing or reviewing portfolio-level financial reporting and capital account management.
- Thorough knowledge of GAAP, real estate investment accounting principles, NAV methodologies, waterfall and promote calculations, and valuation processes.
- Experience working with outsourced accounting providers and third-party property managers.
- Outstanding communication skills, executive presence, and ability to synthesize complex financial data into actionable insights.
- Strong judgment, operational discipline, and ability to manage multiple high-stakes deliverables with exceptional attention to detail.
- Viewed as a trusted advisor to clients, internal stakeholders, and senior firm leadership.
Estimated base salary, commensurate with experience: $140K-$150K, not including annual bonus.
Our benefits package includes:
- Hybrid schedule flexibility, with team members in the office 3 days per week and the option to work fully remote 4 weeks each year
- 100% paid healthcare for employees, including dental and vision insurance (with the option to upgrade plans and add dependents at team member's expense)
- Competitive vacation and wellness/sick time provided annually
- Family planning and fertility benefits
- Employee stipend for continuing education and professional development
- Employer-paid family leave after one year of employment
- Commuting stipend for team members not driving to work
- Cell phone stipend
- Wellness benefits such as an Employee Assistance Program, standing desks available to all team members, in-office walking pads, and healthy snacks supplied in each office location
- Option to participate in FSA, HSA, and 401(k) plan
- Employer contribution to 401(k) annually
- Access to back-up childcare, elder care, pet care, and other in-home resources
- Enjoyment of hosted in-office lunches and social events on a regular basis
- Paid time off to volunteer
