Associate - Private Equity Investments - StepStone Group

Position Overview:

The Private Equity Associate will engage broadly in various areas of the private equity industry, including manager and fund diligence for StepStone's advisory practice, as well as diligence responsibilities for StepStone's asset management business lines (i.e., co-investment and secondaries practices).

As a part of StepStone's advisory practice, your main responsibilities will be to contribute to all aspects of fund and manager diligence, including:

• Work in a team environment with other Research team members to target and perform due diligence on selected private equity fund managers
• Analyze PPMs, financial statements and investment returns
• Interpret financial analyses prepared by target fund managers, including investment track records; prepare valuation analyses on private companies using a variety of metrics
• Assess marketing and supporting materials of prospective fund managers to identify key value drivers and important areas for further investigation
• Conduct reference calls and personal interviews as a part of manager diligence
• Present recommendations to the investment team and the Firm's Investment Committee
• Monitor the performance of the Firm's existing fund managers and underlying portfolio companies; prepare for and participate in meetings with assigned managers, and conduct on-going due diligence

As part of co-investment and secondaries diligence, your main responsibilities will be to contribute to all aspects of co-investment and secondary deal processes, including:

• Deal sourcing, screening and conducting due diligence on private equity secondary and direct co-investments
• Interact with fund managers/portfolio company management teams to conduct in-depth portfolio and asset-level underwriting and analysis
• Perform quantitative and qualitative research and financial modelling/analysis on companies and assets across stages (i.e., buyout, venture capital/growth equity, distressed/credit, etc.), industries and geographies
• Work with outside groups, such as fund managers, company management teams and investment bankers, as well as internally at StepStone, to perform due diligence and find new opportunities
• Preparation and presentation of due diligence materials and investment committee memos
• Construct an opinion around various investment opportunities and efficiently communicate it both verbally and in written materials; with the ability to defend your position in a team environment, including investment committee meetings
• Support negotiation/coordination of deal closing/structuring process and post-close monitoring of existing investments

Education and/or Work Experience Requirements:

• Strong academic record (university and GPA)
• 2-4 years of investment banking, consulting and/or private equity experience

Required Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Excellent quantitative skills, including financial modelling, analytical and valuation skills for purpose of evaluating investment opportunities
• Capable of multi-tasking with strong attention to detail
• Strong sense of risk/reward trade-offs, and an ability to display sound investment judgement
• Self-starter, with strong abilty to think creativity and conduct research to solve problems or find solutions
• Ability to communicate and present ideas effectively, both verbally and in writing
• Fluent (written and spoken) English

Other Attributes:

• Flexibility—StepStone is a young and entrepreneurial organization; all professionals are expected to perform multiple functions as the firm continues to grow and develop
• Promote and demonstrate a positive, team-oriented attitude, with desire to work on various projects

Salary Range  - $100,000 - $110,000

The salary range is an estimate of pay for this position.  Actual pay may vary depending on job-related factors that can include location, education, skill, and experience.  The salary range does not include any benefits or other forms of possible compensation that may be available to employees.