Morgan Stanley—Data Operations - Private Markets, Associate, Investment Management

Job description

Description: Data Operations - Private Markets, Associate Morgan Stanley Investment Management (MSIM) is one of the largest global asset management organizations of any full-service securities firm, with more than 50 years of history, a presence in 26 countries, and a total of $2.0 trillion in assets under management as of June 30, 2026. MSIM provides broad-based specialization across a range of asset classes in public and private markets. Our independent investment teams leverage Morgan Stanley’s global resources to serve a diverse client base of governments, institutions, corporations, advisors and individuals worldwide. Our investment solutions include a broad range of alternatives, high-conviction active strategies, customization strategies, ESG expertise and tax management solutions. For further information about Morgan Stanley Investment Management, please visit www.morganstanley.com/im. MSIM is at an important point in the evolution of its data capabilities. As a global investment manager with significant scale, continued growth, an increasingly diverse investment platform, and growing demand for data, analytics, and AI, we have a compelling opportunity to reimagine how data is organized, governed, architected, and consumed across the firm. We are seeking an Associate, Data Operations — Private Markets to support the execution of the data operating model across MSIM's Private Markets platform. The role will perform day-to-day oversight and control of data received from external fund administrators and internal platforms, helping ensure that critical investment and operational data is complete, accurate, timely, traceable and fit for use across the organization. The Associate, Data Operations will work closely with the Vice President, Data Operations and partner across Operations, Technology, Data Governance and external service providers to execute data quality controls, investigate exceptions and support the governance of critical Private Markets data. The role will require the Associate to understand both the data and the underlying business processes, enabling issues to be investigated beyond the initial exception and resolved as close to source as possible. This is an opportunity to develop broad expertise across Private Markets data while contributing directly to the modernization of the platform's data operating model. The successful candidate will combine strong analytical skills and attention to detail with an understanding of Private Markets operations and a disciplined control mindset. They will be comfortable investigating data at a granular level, identifying patterns and root causes, and working across teams to resolve issues. The successful candidate will help create an operating environment in which Private Markets data is easier to understand, govern, trust and consume. They will support the implementation of data governance standards, execute data-quality and reconciliation controls, maintain clear evidence of exceptions and remediation, and contribute to improvements that reduce manual intervention and recurring data issues. This role requires someone who is comfortable working in the detail while understanding how individual data points and controls contribute to the integrity of broader investment and operational processes. Key Responsibilities: - Execute data quality and control processes across critical Private Markets data received from fund administrators, third-party providers and internal platforms, assessing completeness, accuracy, timeliness and consistency. - Investigate and resolve data exceptions, identifying root causes, documenting findings and remediation, and escalating material or unresolved issues to the Vice President with clear analysis and recommendations. - Perform reconciliations and variance analysis across relevant investment and fund data, including positions, cash, capital activity, P&L and other accounting or operational data, as applicable. - Support data governance activities, including maintenance of Critical Data Elements (CDEs), business definitions, data ownership, sourcing information, lineage and data-quality requirements. - Engage fund administrators and internal data providers to resolve data and delivery issues, track outstanding items and drive timely remediation. - Execute and test data-quality rules and tolerances, identify recurring exception patterns and support enhancements to controls and exception-based workflows. - Maintain clear evidence and audit trails for data-quality reviews, exceptions, remediation and approvals in accordance with established control standards. - Produce data-quality and operational reporting, including SLA performance, exception volumes and trends, recurring issues and remediation status. - Support continuous improvement and automation initiatives by identifying opportunities to eliminate recurring data issues, reduce manual processing and strengthen preventative controls. - Partner across the Private Markets platform with Operations, Technology, Data Governance and other data consumers to support onboarding, change initiatives and ongoing data-quality requirements. Preferred Qualifications: - 3–6 years of experience in investment management, fund administration, financial services or a similarly complex data environment, ideally within Data Operations, Fund Operations, Investment Operations, fund accounting or a related function. - Working knowledge of Private Markets products and operating processes, ideally across private equity, private credit, real estate, infrastructure or other alternative investment strategies. - Experience working with investment, fund accounting or operational data supplied by fund administrators, third-party service providers or internal platforms. - Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with demonstrated ability to investigate data exceptions, reconcile information from multiple sources and identify root causes. - Understanding of core Private Markets fund and accounting data, including capital activity, positions, cash, trial balance/general ledger, P&L, fees and NAV-related data. - Familiarity with data governance and data-quality concepts, including CDEs, business definitions, lineage, data-quality rules, issue management and controls. - Strong attention to detail and a disciplined control mindset, with the ability to maintain clear documentation and evidence of reviews and decisions. - Advanced Excel skills; familiarity with data analysis or query tools such as SQL is beneficial. - Experience with Private Markets or fund accounting platforms such as eFront, Investran or comparable platforms is preferred. - Strong written and verbal communication skills and the ability to work effectively across global teams and with external service providers. - Bachelor’s degree in accounting, Finance, Commerce, Business, Information Systems or a related discipline; CA, CPA or equivalent qualification or progression toward a relevant professional qualification is beneficial. Who you are: - Operates with a strong sense of ethics and integrity in interactions with others and decision making. - Takes ownership and accountability for the quality and completeness of work. - Brings intellectual curiosity and a willingness to investigate issues beyond the initial exception to understand the underlying root cause. - Applies strong attention to detail while understanding the broader business process and downstream implications of data. - Demonstrates a disciplined control mindset and knows when an issue requires escalation. - Collaborates effectively across teams and works constructively with internal and external partners to resolve issues. - Communicates findings clearly and concisely, including the ability to explain complex data issues and recommended actions. - Brings a continuous-improvement mindset and looks for opportunities to simplify processes, strengthen controls and reduce recurring exceptions. WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT FROM MORGAN STANLEY: At Morgan Stanley, we raise, manage and allocate capital for our clients – helping them reach their goals. We do it in a way that’s differentiated – and we’ve done that for 90 years. Our values - putting clients first, doing the right thing, leading with exceptional ideas, committing to diversity and inclusion, and giving back - aren’t just beliefs, they guide the decisions we make every day to do what's best for our clients, communities and more than 80,000 employees in 1,200 offices across 42 countries. At Morgan Stanley, you’ll find an opportunity to work alongside the best and the brightest, in an environment where you are supported and empowered. Our teams are relentless collaborators and creative thinkers, fueled by their diverse backgrounds and experiences. We are proud to support our employees and their families at every point along their work-life journey, offering some of the most attractive and comprehensive employee benefits and perks in the industry. There’s also ample opportunity to move about the business for those who show passion and grit in their work. To learn more about our offices across the globe, please copy and paste https://www.morganstanley.com/about-us/global-offices​ into your browser. Morgan Stanley is an equal opportunity employer committed to building and maintaining a workforce that is diverse in experience and background. Our recruiting efforts reflect our strong commitment to a culture of inclusion, where individuals are hired, developed, and advanced based on their skills and talents. Our workforce reflects a broad cross-section of the global communities in which we operate, bringing a variety of backgrounds, talents, perspectives, and experiences. For more information, please visit: https://www.morganstanley.com/people-opportunities/eeo.