Investment Compliance Engineering Lead

Over the last 20 years, Ares’ success has been driven by our people and our culture. Today, our team is guided by our core values – Collaborative, Responsible, Entrepreneurial, Self-Aware, Trustworthy – and our purpose to be a catalyst for shared prosperity and a better future. Through our recruitment, career development and employee-focused programming, we are committed to fostering a welcoming and inclusive work environment where high-performance talent of diverse backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives can build careers within this exciting and growing industry. Job Description Ares is seeking a Vice President, Investment Compliance Engineering Lead to join Corporate Technology in New York , reporting to the Head of Legal Risk and Compliance Technology . This role will lead the engineering delivery, platform health, and ongoing evolution of technology solutions supporting Ares’ Investment Compliance capabilities, including surveillance, pre-/post-trade controls, approvals, monitoring, and governance processes. The ideal candidate is a hands-on engineering leader with deep familiarity across the investment process and a strong understanding of information barriers and related compliance controls. They bring a strong technical foundation (SQL and at least one coding language), experience delivering integrated solutions across data and enterprise platforms, and a proven ability to partner effectively with Compliance and investment stakeholders in a complex, regulated environment (experience at a large alternative asset manager or similar firm strongly preferred). Experience with low-code platforms (Pega, Appian, Power Platform) is a plus but not required. PRIMARY FUNCTIONS AND ESSENTIAL RESPONSIBILITIES Lead engineering delivery and operational ownership for the Investment Compliance technology portfolio, ensuring solutions are scalable, resilient, secure, and audit-ready. Partner with Compliance leadership and investment stakeholders to translate investment compliance requirements into clear technical designs, delivery plans, and measurable outcomes. Own end-to-end solution delivery: discovery, requirements, architecture/design, build, testing/UAT, release, and production support, aligned to SDLC, change management, and audit expectations. Establish and maintain integration patterns and data flows across core platforms (APIs, batch, messaging/events as appropriate) to support surveillance, monitoring, approvals, and downstream reporting. Drive strong engineering discipline: code quality, peer review, automated testing, environment management, release governance, and operational readiness. Ensure embedded controls across workflows, including approvals, evidence capture, traceability, segregation of duties, and access management. Maintain a strong point of view on information barrier requirements and technology controls (restricted lists, watch lists, access entitlements, monitoring, attestations), ensuring effective implementation and governance. Partner with Data/Analytics, Enterprise Architecture, Infrastructure, and Information Security teams to ensure alignment with data governance, cybersecurity, privacy, and resiliency standards. Lead a small team of technical resources, providing coaching, prioritization, delivery planning, and performance guidance; foster a culture of accountability and continuous improvement. Manage vendors/partners as needed to ensure delivery quality, predictable execution, and alignment with Ares standards and roadmap. Provide executive-ready reporting on progress, risks, issues, dependencies, and remediation plans for investment compliance-impacting items. QUALIFICATIONS 10+ years of progressive technology experience, including significant hands-on delivery experience supporting Investment Compliance, trading/investment platforms, or related risk/control domains. Demonstrated subject matter knowledge of the investment lifecycle (e.g., deal pipeline, trade execution, portfolio monitoring, reporting) and how compliance controls are implemented across that lifecycle. Experience implementing or supporting information barrier controls and related governance processes. Experience in complex, regulated financial services; alternative asset management experience strongly preferred. Bachelor’s degree required; Computer Science/Engineering background preferred. Strong written and verbal communication skills; proven ability to influence and collaborate across senior business and technology stakeholders. Experience Required Strong software engineering fundamentals and hands-on development experience, including: SQL (required), data analysis/troubleshooting, and comfort navigating complex data/process flows Experience with at least one general-purpose language (e.g., Python, Java, C#, JavaScript) and common integration approaches (REST APIs, services, batch) Working knowledge of SDLC, testing strategies, release/change management, and production support Experience building and operating integrated solutions spanning application platforms, data platforms, and reporting/analytics, with strong data quality and reconciliation practices. Demonstrated ability to deliver secure, audit-ready controls with robust traceability, workflow transparency, and evidence retention. Proven track record leading small teams and delivering results through a mix of direct technical contribution and team oversight. Preferred Qualifications Experience with compliance surveillance/monitoring platforms and ecosystems (and/or building equivalent capabilities in-house). Experience with low-code platforms (Pega, Appian, Power Platform) or workflow/case management tools (a plus, not required). Familiarity with enterprise data platforms and patterns (data warehouses/lakes, streaming/eventing, metadata/lineage concepts). Vendor/SI management experience. General Requirements Ability to thrive in a fast-paced environment, manage competing priorities, and