Senior Associate/Vice President, Private Equity Fund of Funds recruitment

Northern Trust’s private equity fund of funds team raises capital primarily from Northern Trust clients (wealthy families and institutions) and from outside entities. It invests in venture capital and buyout funds in the U.S., Europe and Asia. Northern Trust is seeking to add a mid-level professional to be part of an eight person team primarily to source, review, analyze, and close primary investments in these funds, and to a lesser extent, in secondary transactions. In addition, this individual would be responsible for assisting in fundraising efforts, portfolio monitoring, and other special projects.  

Knowledge and Skills

Excellent oral and written communication skills; strong interpersonal skills and the ability to build relationships with fund managers; self-starter with the ability to initiate and oversee projects to completion; strong analytical abilities; ability to present in one-on-one settings and to larger groups; ability to represent the group before investors, other LPs, fund managers, placement agents, and lawyers; must be resourceful in identifying private equity managers and gathering proprietary information about them; general knowledge about the venture capital and buyout industries, deals, structures, and players; knowledge of and experience in using various valuation techniques.

 Major Duties

1.Identifying venture capital and buyout fund managers in the U.S., Europe and Asia, meeting with them and building relationships.
2. Analyzing potential fund investment opportunities, evaluating their track records, strategies, and teams, and making a recommendation on whether to invest.
3. Conducting general research in the venture capital and buyout markets, identifying trends, and developing investment theses.
4. Meeting with fund managers and communicating thoughts to the private equity team.
5. Compiling information on the existing fund portfolio and developing performance presentations.
6. Attend annual investor meetings for underlying funds.
7. Assist with special projects as needed, such as writing industry white papers and compiling ad hoc performance reports.
8. Travel, potentially extensively, primarily within the U.S. but also to Europe and Asia.

Experience

Undergraduate degree; MBA a plus but not necessary; 5-7 years of work experience, preferably in finance, lending, banking, consulting, technology, or a startup; ability to work independently as well as part of a small team; experience in managing several tasks at a time and prioritizing.