Capital Markets Specialist

We are currently recruiting a Capital Markets Specialist (m/f/x) who will be leading the structuring and execution of debt financing solutions for Waterland’s portfolio companies and new acquisitions in the DACH region. This position serves as a key liaison between investment teams, lenders, external advisors, and portfolio companies, ensuring efficient capital structures for platform acquisitions and follow-on investments.

What will be your impact?

1. Lead debt financing processes for new platforms
   • Own the financing workstream for new platform acquisitions and add-ons, ensuring optimal leverage, terms & conditions and flexibility
   • Structure and negotiate senior, unitranche, mezzanine, and high-yield / capital markets financings tailored to a buy-and-build strategy
   • Oversee debt sizing, credit analysis, and covenant structuring, ensuring financing solutions support long-term portfolio growth
   • Drive financing due diligence workstreams, working closely with investment teams, legal advisors, and lenders
2. Portfolio company capital structure & debt management
   • Work with CFOs and treasury teams to optimize capital structures, refinance debt, and manage liquidity needs
   • Advise on covenant compliance, interest rate hedging strategies, and debt repayment schedules
   • Support dividend recapitalizations, debt-funded growth initiatives, and opportunistic refinancings
3. Lender & debt market engagement
   • Act as the primary point of contact for banks, direct lenders, and institutional debt investors, maintaining strong financing relationships
   • Lead lender selection and competitive bidding processes for acquisition financings and refinancings
   • Stay ahead of market trends, interest rate movements, and alternative financing solutions (e.g., NAV-based lending, structured credit)
   • Represent the firm in capital markets discussions, industry conferences, and lender negotiations
4. Internal strategy
   • Collaborate with investment teams pre-deal to provide financing feasibility insights and deal structuring recommendations
   • Oversee internal capital markets analytics, ensuring data-driven decision-making on financing terms, leverage ratios, and risk exposure
5. Contribute to internal financing process development
   • Introduce and support initiatives to improve debt financing processes and templates

Be your true self

We are seeking candidates (m/f/x) who can meet the following requirements:

• 5-8 years' experience in PE, leveraged finance, private credit, or capital markets, ideally at a bank, debt advisor, private equity firm, or debt fund;
• Experience across multiple geographies is an asset;
• Expertise in buy-and-build financing strategies, including accordion facilities, delayed-draw term loans (DDTLs), and syndications;
• Exposure to A&Es, covenant resets and waiver & amendment processes in (dis)stressed scenarios;
• Strong knowledge of European leveraged finance markets, private credit trends, and legal documentation;
• Proven ability to negotiate financing terms, handle intercreditor negotiations, and lead debt transactions;
• Excellent stakeholder management skills, with experience engaging lenders, investment teams, lawyers, external advisors, and portfolio company executives;
• Strong financial modeling, LBO structuring, and debt analytics capabilities.

As regards your personality:

A down-to-earth and open team player, having good communication skills with fluency in German and English, decisiveness, a creative yet pragmatic attitude, initiative-driven, curious and passionate.

A high degree of professional ethics and integrity.

Well-organized, hands-on, proactive, detail-oriented, ability to multi-task, and work to tight deadlines.

Taking responsibility for tasks at hand.

You want to know more?

The role will preferably be based in our Munich or Hamburg office.

We commit ourselves to encouraging true team spirit and creating an inclusive and dynamic working environment in which each team member can pursue the knowledge needed to boost their career.

Work-life integration and hybrid working are important to us.

About us

Waterland is an independent private equity investment group that supports entrepreneurs in realizing their growth ambitions. With substantial financial resources and committed industry expertise, Waterland enables its portfolio companies to achieve accelerated growth both organically and through acquisitions. Waterland is an active investor in the financial, strategic and operational sense.

In the current dynamic business environment with an increasing number of mergers and acquisitions, Waterland is a partner that provides entrepreneurs with a powerful position in the increasingly competitive international arena. Since the start in 1999, the firm has made investments in more than 1200 companies. Waterland currently manages more than € 14 billion of investor commitments.

Investments are made in markets with attractive characteristics for a consolidation strategy: consistent growth, sufficient size, sustainable profitability, fragmentation and (indication of) consolidation. Waterland focusses on industries that are undergoing change as a consequence of one or more of the following trends: ageing population, digitalization and outsourcing, leisure and wellbeing, and sustainability.

Waterland employs more than 200 professionals. Our teams are based in Antwerp (Belgium), Barcelona (Spain), Bussum (the Netherlands), Copenhagen (Denmark), Dublin (Ireland), Hamburg (Germany), London (United Kingdom), Manchester (United Kingdom), Munich (Germany), Oslo (Norway), Paris (France), Warsaw (Poland) and Zurich (Switzerland) and operate across Europe.