What Makes a Good Fund Administrator Great?

But, what sets a great fund administrator apart from the good, you ask? That’s a great question.

From a Good Fund Admin to a Great Fund Admin

Finding the right fit for a fund administrator is not as simple as aligning qualifications with a job description. There are plenty of qualified candidates who may fit the bill when it comes to the list of bullet points under the qualifications heading. However, these individuals may not offer all the value they should when serving in the role and as a part of the team.

Instead, finding the right person for the role requires a trifold analysis, including a set of fund manager considerations. Overall, the analysis and considerations will help identify the right person for the role and ensure the candidate will work in tandem with the rest of the team.
Considerations when selecting a fund administrator should focus on:

• Finding a candidate whose qualifications align with role requirements.
 

• Preferred personality traits that indicate performance excellence.
 

• A match with the established company culture. 


Although hiring for most roles within a company requires soft vs. hard skills analysis, a fund admin can really offer one key trait that combines hard and soft skills for the betterment of the company they serve.

Focusing on Success and Business Growth

While a fund manager’s traditional role is more along the lines of looking in the rearview mirror at last quarter’s performance and reporting it to ensure it will pass when audited, these individuals should do more than number crunching. Knowing the details of the financials and overall performance, smart fund admins can connect the dots – or numbers in this case – and offer valuable insights for future growth.

Essentially, the quality that will qualify a fund administrator as “great” will offer more than just reactive reporting. Instead, the admin will have the foresight and interest in looking ahead and identifying ways to improve the company by focusing on business growth. This vision and tenacity is the secret sauce and value-add all companies should seek when looking for a fund admin.

How Does Your Fund Admin Measure Up?

Fund administrators should work toward making fund managers’ jobs easier. It is about working as a team to run a tight, compliant ship while keeping one eye on the vision and helping a company advance. To know if your fund administrator is looking ahead and on the road to greatness, here are a few considerations:

• Are reports accurate? First and foremost, you must ensure that reporting is timely and accurate. This is the absolute basic function of a fund administrator and must be a strength for the fund admin to be successful.
• Is everything compliant? A fund admin should have experience working with government regulations and entities. Therefore, the fund admin’s job is to ensure profit and actions are properly logged and reported to avoid any potential non-compliance issues.
• What’s the strategy? Does your fund administrator have a vision and is there a supporting strategy? This will indicate if the fund admin is simply going through the motions to complete the job or is thinking beyond the day-to-day and reporting to analyze the numbers and offer insights for predictive actions and strategic steps.
• What’s the energy? Ultimately, a fund administrator who is not excited about the role or business will fall flat in their enthusiasm for going above and beyond. While some hard skills can be taught, most soft skills are more challenging to teach or can take more time than it is worth. As someone once said, “Hire for attitude and teach for the skills.” While that makes a lot of sense, you can hit the lottery when both attitude and skills match up, and your fund administrator is excited and does the job well.

Growth is a Direction for Your Entire Team

Overall, everyone involved in your organization should be focused on success and growth. It takes all eyes on the prize to plan and make the strategic steps toward success to provide momentum and drive toward advancement. If you cannot find what you need from within, then take a look beyond to get what you need.