Associate - Technology-Enabled Business Services

Brentwood Associates; United States; On-site; USD 140,000 - 210,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Unlimited PTO and paid holidays

Flexible Fridays

Competitive salary and annual bonus

401(k) retirement plan

Health, dental, vision insurance

Professional development opportunities

Job summary

Brentwood Associates in Los Angeles seeks a highly motivated Associate to lead deal sourcing, due diligence, financial modeling, and portfolio management. You will work closely with senior leadership and portfolio executives to shape our investments.

You will evaluate tech-enabled business services and software companies with up to $75M ARR, pursuing growth through add-on acquisitions and strategic consolidation.

Qualifications

• Up to 5 years of experience in private equity, corporate development, investment banking, or strategy consulting.
• Self-starter who’s comfortable juggling multiple responsibilities.
• Proactive and driven with ownership and accountability.
• Analytical mind with strong problem-solving skills.
• Excellent written and verbal communication; strong cultural fit.
• Willingness to travel and attend conferences and diligence sessions.
• Degree from a top-tier university; demonstrated academic excellence.
• Advanced skills in Excel and PowerPoint; interest in SaaS trends and software.
• Experience with recurring software, technology, or business services is a bonus.

Responsibilities

• Find and close great deals by identifying opportunities and building relationships.
• Conduct deep research to develop investment theses and market dynamics.
• Build and own detailed financial models and present to the Investment Committee.
• Lead due diligence processes and coordinate with advisors.
• Support portfolio companies’ growth and governance initiatives.
• Help recruit talent and foster partnerships for future exits.

Skills

Self-starter

Proactive and driven

Analytical mind

Written and verbal communication

Team-oriented

Willingness to travel

Education

Top-tier university degree

Tools

Excel

PowerPoint

ChatGPT

Systems thinking

Prompt engineering

Job description

Who We Are

Brentwood Associates is a Los Angeles-based private equity firm with over 30 years of experience investing in middle-market growth businesses. Our investment strategy is focused on companies providing essential services and products, including tech-enabled business services and software companies. Since 1984, we’ve backed more than 50 companies, with a combined transaction value exceeding $7 billion. Our specialty is partnering with ambitious entrepreneurs and management teams to scale great businesses, typically through control transaction in fragmented markets that benefit from consolidation and product or service innovation. If you love numbers, deals, and the thrill of building something big, you’ll fit right in. Check us out at www.brentwood.com.

What You’ll Be Doing

We’re looking for a highly motivated Associate to join our tech-enabled Business Services investment team. This role puts you in the driver’s seat of deal sourcing, due diligence, financial modeling, and portfolio management. Translation: you’ll be at the heart of the action, working closely with senior leadership and portfolio company executives to help shape the future of our investments.

You will be leading the evaluation of differentiated tech-enabled business services and software companies with up to $75 million of annual recurring revenue, strong growth profiles of 15-20%+, and attractive gross margins and cash flow profiles. We target businesses in fragmented end markets where there is an opportunity to supplement strong organic growth with thoughtful and strategic add-on acquisitions. Such end markets include education technology, healthcare technology, and financial technology/integrated payments, among other vertically focused markets.

If you’re the kind of person who enjoys dissecting businesses, diving into financial models, and debating the finer points of EBITDA over coffee, this might be the perfect role for you.

• Find and Close Great Deals:

  • Identify and evaluate investment opportunities that fit our strategy.
  • Build and maintain relationships with key industry players (think executives, bankers, consultants and advisors).
  • Conduct deep research to develop investment theses—you’ll conduct deep research through live customer calls and competitor reviews to thoroughly understand market dynamics and industry trends.

• Crunch the Numbers and Think Big:

  • Analyze financial, strategic, and operational performance.
  • Develop and own detailed financial models.
  • Present findings to our Investment Committee in a clear and concise way.
  • Structure transactions to ensure well-thought-out, strategic deal-making.

• Manage Investments and Create Tangible Value:

  • Lead due diligence processes and coordinate with third-party advisors.
  • Support portfolio companies’ growth by collaborating with their leadership teams.
  • Drive governance best practices and participate in Board-level initiatives.

• Make Brentwood Even Better:

  • Help recruit top talent (we love referrals!).
  • Build relationships with bankers and strategic partners to set up future exits.

Location: Los Angeles, CA (in-office Monday-Thursday, with flexible Fridays). Strong preference for candidates that prefer an in-office working environment (West LA, near Westwood) with strong ties to the LA area.

Timing/Program Length: Immediate start. This program is a two-year commitment, with an opportunity to earn a third year based on exceptional performance and fit. The firm is built from within, with tenured employees at all levels.

Requirements

What We’re Looking For

• Up to 5 years of experience in private equity, corporate development, investment banking, or strategy consulting.
• A self-starter who’s comfortable juggling multiple responsibilities.
• A proactive and driven individual who takes initiative and approaches responsibilities with a sense of ownership and accountability.
• A sharp analytical mind with problem-solving skills that impress even the toughest critics.
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills —you should be able to explain complex concepts clearly and persuasively.
• A positive, low-ego, team-oriented attitude —cultural fit is incredibly important to us.
• Willingness to travel and attend relevant conferences, management meetings, diligence sessions, etc.
• A degree from a top-tier university with strong academic performance.
• Advanced skills in Excel and PowerPoint, demonstrated intellectual curiosity in learning and leveraging new tools and approaches including ChatGPT, systems thinking, advanced prompt engineering, etc.
• Interest or experience in recurring software, technology, or business services (bonus points for knowing the latest SaaS trends!).

Benefits

What’s in It for You?

Brentwood Associates offers a competitive Total Rewards package because we know talent when we see it. Benefits include:

• Total rewards for this position include a competitive salary, a performance-driven annual bonus, and benefits listed below. Years of experience in a similar role, among other factors, will be used to determine actual compensation.
• Comprehensive health, dental, and vision insurance.
• A 401(k)-retirement plan.
• Unlimited PTO and Paid Holidays. We expect our colleagues to work hard but encourage them to recharge their batteries as needed.
• Flexible Fridays —get your work done, whether you choose to do it from our office or from your home.
• Professional development and team building opportunities. You will be paired with an experienced Development Advisor who will guide your progress, providing mentorship and support. You will receive annual performance reviews with quarterly check-ins to track growth and help you achieve your goals.

We’re an Equal Opportunity Employer

At Brentwood, we prioritize hiring and developing a diverse and inclusive team. We evaluate all applicants based on their qualifications and merit, ensuring decisions are not based on race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, disability, veteran status, or any other legally protected characteristic. Simply put, if you’re talented, driven, and a great cultural fit, we want you here.