Principal, Operational Strategy

Ares is seeking a versatile and highly motivated Principal to join the Corporate Strategy - Operational Strategy Group. Operational Strategy brings best-in-class execution discipline and program management rigor to the firm's most critical transformation initiatives, including M&A integration master planning, enterprise operating model evolution, corporate efficiency efforts, and governance support for senior leadership forums. Working across Ares' lines of business and business operations functions, the team advances high-priority strategic initiatives through disciplined solution design, enterprise coordination, strong delivery, and scalable execution. The Operational Strategy Group supports the Executive Office and serves as the enterprise control tower and nerve center for the firm's highest-priority transformations bringing together strategy, execution oversight, assurance, and cross-functional delivery to ensure these initiatives move in a coordinated, disciplined, and value-focused way. The team manages complexity across the targeted transformation portfolio, keeps priority programs on track, surface dependencies and risks early, and drive clear decision-making at the executive level. Positioned close to the Executive Office, the team executes enterprise programs across all Ares' lines of business (Credit, Private Equity, Real Assets, and Secondaries) as well as technology, legal, compliance, finance, Sales/Marketing and other functional groups, ensuring that the firm's most operationally critical initiatives are aligned to enterprise priorities, sequenced effectively, and delivering measurable value. This person will sit within Operational Strategy and be directly accountable for both the strategy and execution of several of the firm's key transformation programs, with a heavy focus on Technology, Investment, and Sales/Marketing workflows. They will own the end-to-end transformation agenda for their assigned programs, from defining the strategic objectives, target operating model, roadmap, success measures, and governance structure, through driving execution, managing dependencies, escalating risks, and ensuring measurable outcomes are delivered. To effectuate these goals, they will work across multiple PMOs, COOs, embedded project teams, and functional transformation resources that sit within the businesses and functions themselves, aligning those resources around a common strategy, execution plan, timeline, and set of outcomes. Operating across business, technology, investment, compliance, operations, and other functional stakeholders, this individual will serve as the senior execution lead responsible for translating strategic priorities into coordinated action across a highly matrixed environment. The role requires a strong problem-solver with knowledge of alternative investment asset classes, executive-level communication skills, fluency in technical system design, integrations and implementation, and experience leading large-scale changes where accountability, structure, influence, and delivery discipline are essential. Reporting relationships Managing Director, Corporate Strategy - Operational Strategy Group Primary functions & responsibilities - Translate executive priorities into executable programs focusing on enterprise sequencing - Convert broad strategic goals from the Executive Office or strategy leadership into clear problem statements, program charters, business cases, roadmaps, workstreams, milestones, and decision points. Decide what has to move first, what depends on what, and which initiatives conflict with each other. - Lead cohesive solution and operating-model design - Assess current-state processes, technology, data flows, controls, roles, and cross-strategy dependencies; define target-state vision, capabilities, operating models, organizational design, governance structures, and scalable process designs that work across business lines and functions. - Own program development, portfolio integration and execution planning -Build the integrated program plan, define sequencing and dependencies, identify required resources, establish timelines, clarify accountability, and ensure stakeholders understand how the work will move from strategy to implementation. Tie together business-unit specific transformation and project teams. - Drive disciplined program management and delivery - Manage complex, multi-workstream initiatives with rigor around scope, timeline, budget, risks, issues, dependencies, decisions, and deliverables. The role requires active ownership of program momentum, issue resolution, executive escalation, and workstream accountability; the person is expected to create momentum, remove blockers, escalate effectively, and hold workstreams accountable; validate deliverables, and ensure execution quality - Change Management and Adoption - Drive adoption of new processes, tools, and operating models by partnering with business teams to embed changes into day-to-day workflows and ensure sustained outcomes. - Translate complex transformation concepts into clear, compelling business narratives - Develop messaging that helps stakeholders across the Asset Management organization understand the purpose, value, and impact of transformation programs, including how initiatives support firmwide priorities, what role each group plays, and how business processes, operating models, and day-to-day workflows may change. This requires the ability to simplify complex operational, technology, and process concepts into practical, audience-specific communications that drive alignment, engagement, and adoption. - Support governance and executive decision-making - Prepare executive-ready materials, steering committee updates, decision memos, risk/issue logs, status reporting, and recommendation documents that give senior leaders transparency into progress, risks, decisions required, and expected outcomes. Escalate blockers, force decisions, and keep leadership aligned. - Track value realization and business impact - Define success metrics, quantify benefits, monitor realization, and connect transformation activity to tangible outcomes such as scalability, efficiency, risk reduction, improved controls, better data quality, operating leverage, or enhanced client/investor experience. - Advance process improvement and continuous improvement discipline - Identify inefficiencies, redesign workflows, standardize repeatable practices, institutionalize playbooks, and promote better ways of working across the firm. - Bridge business strategy, technology, data, and controls - Translate business needs into technology-enabled solutions, ensure target-state designs account for data, systems, controls, regulatory expectations, and operational risk, and partner with Technology and Operations to support implementation and adoption. - Lead certain M&A integration transformation workstreams - Partner with the Master Planning function within Operational Strategy to support the end-to-end M&A integration process, translating integration priorities into actionable operational plans across each phase of the M&A lifecycle. Work closely with Technology to assess systems, platforms, data flows, and integration dependencies, and collaborate with Business Support Teams to develop function-specific plans for operational diligence, Day 1 readiness, Day 100 execution, process harmonization, vendor and technology rationalization, governance, and post-close tracking. Qualifications Education: - A Bachelor's degree is required, preferably with a major in Accounting, Economics, Political Science, Finance, General Business or Management, and outstanding academic achievement. Experience Required: - 15+ years of experience in large-scale transformation, strategy execution, business operations, process redesign, integration, or management consulting. - Proven ability to translate strategic priorities into actionable programs, operating models, roadmaps, and execution plans. - Experience analyzing and redesigning business processes, systems, workflows, controls, and requirements from current state through implementation. - Demonstrated success leading cross-functional initiatives across business, Technology, Legal, Compliance, Finance, Operations, Investor Relations, Sales/Marketing, and external vendors. - Strong knowledge of alternative investments, including Credit, Private Equity, Real Assets, and Secondaries, with familiarity across fund, investor, sales/marketing, and investment related lifecycles - Structured problem solver with strong analytical skills, sound judgment, and the ability to simplify complex, ambiguous issues into clear recommendations and actions. - Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to develop executive-ready materials and influence stakeholders at all levels of the firm. - Highly organized, detail-oriented, and results-driven, with the ability to manage competing priorities, deadlines, risks, and dependencies in a fast-paced environment. - Proactive self-starter with a bias for action, continuous improvement mindset, and ability to balance tactical execution with the firm's broader strategic direction. - Demonstrated experience using program management tools and artifacts to manage highly complex, enterprise-wide programs with 10+ interconnected projects, including integrated master plans, dependency maps, RAID logs, milestone trackers, executive dashboards, and platforms such as Microsoft Project, Smartsheet, Jira, Confluence, Asana, Monday.com, or equivalent; people management experience preferred. - Familiarity with one or more relevant transformation domains is a plus, including client experience and investor transformation, deal pipeline management, allocation and investment workflow transformation, and treasury, banking, and liquidity operations transformation. Reporting Relationships Managing Director, Operational Strategy Compensation The anticipated base salary range for this position is listed below. Total compensation may also include a discretionary performance-based bonus. Note, the range takes into account a broad spectrum of qualifications, including, but not limited to, years of relevant work experience, education, and other relevant qualifications specific to the role. $250,000 - $280,000 / annum The firm also offers robust Benefits offerings. Ares U.S. Core Benefits include Comprehensive Medical/Rx, Dental and Vision plans; 401(k) program with company match; Flexible Savings Accounts (FSA); Healthcare Savings Accounts (HSA) with company contribution; Basic and Voluntary Life Insurance; Long-Term Disability (LTD) and Short-Term Disability (STD) insurance; Employee Assistance Program (EAP), and Commuter Benefits plan for parking and transit. Ares offers a number of additional benefits including access to a world-class medical advisory team, a mental health app that includes coaching, therapy and psychiatry, a mindfulness and wellbeing app, financial wellness benefit that includes access to a financial advisor, new parent leave, reproductive and adoption assistance, emergency backup care, matching gift program, education sponsorship program, and much more. There is no set deadline to apply for this job opportunity. Applications will be accepted on an ongoing basis until the search is no longer active.