Senior Fund Accountant

Lazard is one of the world’s preeminent financial advisory and asset management firms. Our people and culture make the difference. While global in presence and reach, ours is a close, collaborative community of just over 3,000 professionals. Lazard is a place of continuous knowledge sharing, skill development and relationship building, where professionals grow and succeed together. Our entrepreneurial culture, flat structure and embrace of individual differences, allow creative ideas, original concepts, and unique perspectives to drive our business forward — and for careers to take flight.

We are seeking a Senior Fund Accountant to serve as the direct deputy and right hand to the CFO and Treasurer of Lazard’s retail Funds.  This remit involves oversight of roughly 36 registered funds (exchange traded funds and mutual funds) with $32B in assets and 37 non-registered US and Canadian funds with $10B in assets. Our US ETF business has exploded — growing from zero to $2B AUM in less than two years. This is a highly visible role for someone who combines uncompromising technical rigor with the judgment and gravitas to operate as a peer in the room with Boards, auditors, regulators, and senior management. 

Beyond core accounting deliverables, we’re looking for a senior hire with passion for developing and mentoring team members, as well as modernizing operations using AI. We want to see demonstrated experience adopting automation where it genuinely strengthens controls and frees the team for judgment-intensive work — but the foundation of the role is technical accounting rigor, sound judgment, and the credibility to represent the function at the highest levels.

We'll trust you to:

• Review and approve annual and semi-annual reports and prepare and review fund expenses, including allocations and complex expense analysis.
• Own the accuracy of regulatory filings — registration statements, N-CSR, N-PORT, N-CEN, and related SEC filings — including final review before submission.
• Direct the preparation and review of fund prospectus information and coordinate cross-functional input as required.
• Act as the primary alternate for the Head of Retail Funds in Board, committee, audit, and senior management settings, with the standing and judgment to make decisions in the moment.
• Coordinate deliverables for fund audits and lead dialogue with auditors during examinations, including negotiating scope and resolving technical accounting positions directly.
• Translate complex accounting and operational matters into clear, board-ready narratives.
• Own reconciliation integrity across the fund complex — reviewing reconciliations prepared by others, resolving variances at the root cause, and setting the bar for accuracy across outsourced providers.
• Identify exceptions and problems affecting accounting records and prices, communicate these issues to management, and drive their resolution.
• Independently resolve and coordinate the resolution of problems within the budgeting and financial reporting process.
• Identify inefficiencies, risks and control gaps in existing processes, and lead the design and implementation of improvements — including automation tools where they clearly strengthen accuracy or controls — always with the review rigor of the underlying accounting as the priority.
• Conduct senior-level quality control over reports and daily NAVs generated by outsourced service providers, with authority to require remediation.
• Review invoices and ensure accurate, well-controlled processing across the funds.
• Lead the nightly fair valuation process for unpriced or stale-priced securities, developing well-reasoned marks and presenting recommendations directly to the firm's Fair Value and Liquidity Committee.
• Serve as a confident, senior-level liaison to internal functional areas (front office, legal, compliance and tax) and external providers (fund administrators, accountants, custodians and auditors), resolving issues directly and without unnecessary escalation.
• Help mentor and develop a high-performing team of professionals.

You'll need to have:

• CPA designation plus 8 or more years of progressive professional accounting experience within a accounting or asset management firm.
• Minimum 5 years of fund accounting experience for '40 Act funds (mutual funds, open/closed-end, ETFs) and non-registered vehicles with direct NAV oversight, financial statement prep (N-CSR/N-CEN filings), and auditor liaison responsibilities.
• Deep, demonstrated command of registered mutual fund and ETF reporting requirements, auditing, and budgeting — with the fundamentals sharp enough to catch what others miss.
• Demonstrated experience applying automation, data analytics, or AI/GenAI tools (e.g., Claude, Rogo, GPT, or AI-assisted reconciliation/reporting tools) to streamline fund accounting, reporting, or reconciliation processes, with the judgment to know where automation strengthens controls versus where it introduces risk.
• Comfort evaluating new tools and process improvements, including automation, as part of a broader continuous-improvement mindset — but no substitute for strong technical fundamentals.
• Proven executive presence — the gravitas and communication skill to represent the function to Boards, senior management, auditors, and regulators without hesitation, and to build trust quickly with stakeholders at every level.
• Sound, decisive judgment — ability to move quickly while remaining thoughtful, and to make defensible calls on ambiguous issues under time pressure.
• Deep familiarity with external custody and admin service providers, including their operating and technology platforms.

What we offer

We strive to enhance the total health and well-being of our employees through comprehensive, competitive benefits. Our goal is to offer a highly individualized employee experience that enables you to balance your commitments to career, family, and community. When you work for Lazard, you are working for an organization that cares about your unique talents and passions, and will continue to invest in the development of your career.

Given the increased scope and seniority of this role relative to a standard fund accountant position, we would expect the base salary range to move up accordingly — illustratively in the $150,000-$200,000 USD range, depending on experience. This figure is an assumption for discussion and should be confirmed with Compensation/HR before this description is finalized or posted. Various factors contribute to determining the actual base compensation offered, including but not limited to the applicant's years of relevant experience, career tenure, qualifications, level of education attained, certifications or other professional licenses held, relevant skills for the role. Base salary is one component of Lazard Asset Management's compensation package, which also includes comprehensive benefits and may include incentive compensation.

Does this sound like you? 

Apply! We'll get in touch on the next steps.