Investment Associate

Cedar Pine, LLC; Northbrook (IL); On-site; USD 165,000 - 175,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Life Insurance

Disability insurance

FSA plan

401(k) program

Paid time off

Sick leave

Holidays

Discretionary bonuses

Long-term bonus

Job summary

Cedar Pine, a private investment firm near Chicago, seeks an Investment Associate for its private company Investments Team. You will conduct diligence, analyze companies and industries, and prepare presentations with key insights for the team.

The position offers a hybrid work policy with three days on-site in Northbrook, exposure to healthcare and defense, and a salary range of $165,000–$175,000 per year, based on qualifications.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree from a leading four-year educational institution; MBA preferred.
• 4-6 years of industry experience spanning investment banking or other equity analysis roles and investing at a buy-side institution.
• Driven to perform rigorous research with top-tier financial modeling skills and ability to analyze potential transactions.
• Exceptional attention to detail with the ability to perform multiple tasks in a fast-paced, entrepreneurial environment.
• Experience with the complete transaction process and successful deal closing(s).
• Self-motivated, critical thinker with intellectual curiosity and strong teamwork.

Responsibilities

• Assist the VP in all aspects of direct investments, including company and market analyses and industry research.
• Perform in-depth due diligence and prepare formal investment memos.
• Contribute to the investment process across all deal lifecycle stages, including sector research, due diligence, financial modeling, and portfolio monitoring.
• Lead financial modeling exercises, including three-statement models, DCF, comps, and precedent transactions.
• Analyze and research market sectors for theme exploration, thesis development and deal due diligence.
• Communicate findings and questions clearly within the team and with the investment committee.
• Track deal stages and manage ongoing opportunities; outreach to target businesses.

Skills

Financial modeling

Due diligence

Investment analysis

Market research

Communication skills

Attention to detail

Team collaboration

Education

Bachelor’s degree from a leading four-year educational institution

MBA preferred

Tools

Pitchbook

DealCloud

AlphaSense

Job description

About this position

Cedar Pine is a private investment firm specializing in strategic, long-term assets. Headquartered near Chicago, Cedar Pine’s team strives to create value by applying and building on decades of unique expertise as operators and investors in healthcare, finance, and other industries. Cedar Pine is not an investment adviser and does not accept outside capital.

Overview

Cedar Pine seeks an Investment Associate for its private company Investments Team. Investment Associates are key to the team by conducting diligence, analyzing companies & industries, and creating presentations to share key insights with the rest of the team. Cedar Pine’s investment platform focuses on direct investments in privately held, high-growth businesses and invests at multiple points during a company’s lifecycle, including growth financings and late-stage buyouts. The platform has a dual focus on the healthcare and defense industries, with flexibility to selectively invest in other verticals. Additionally, the team continues to research additional sectors to build investment theses and expand our cannon. The platform will lead de novo financings or follow in syndicated deals , coinvest alongside sponsors and lead control transactions. Furthermore, the platform will support portfolio companies via subsequent investments as they grow. In select instances, the team will invest in funds that advance the investment strategy. This is an exciting opportunity to work with accomplished investors within a highly collaborative team, support a rapidly growing and diverse portfolio of private investments, and have a considerable impact on the family office investment strategy.

Cedar Pine has a hybrid in-office work policy, which requires three days per week on-site in Northbrook.

Responsibilities

• Reports to the Vice President of Investments on the Investment Team and is responsible for assisting the VP in all aspects of direct investments, including company & market analyses and industry research.
• Perform in-depth due diligence and prepare formal investment memos for the family.
• Contribute to the investment process during all stages of the deal life cycle, including sector research, introductory meetings, due diligence, financial modeling, management and banker calls, presentations to the investment committee, deal execution, and ongoing portfolio monitoring.
• Utilize financial analyses to create alternate projections to objectively demonstrate downside protection and support conclusions for integration within investment presentations.
• Lead financial modeling exercises, including integrated three-financial statement models, discounted cash flows, comparable company analysis, precedent transaction analysis, investment returns analysis, and entity distribution waterfalls.
• Analyze and research market sectors for theme exploration, thesis development and deal due diligence.
• Effectively communicate findings, questions, and ideas among the investment team internally, on due diligence calls, and with the broader investment committee.
• Track deal process stages and monitor the existing pipeline of new opportunities.
• Outreach to targeted businesses and management teams that may be potential investments for Cedar Pine.
• Balance the investment objectives of the platform with external parties’ goals to reach attractive compromises while always protecting the family’s best interests.

Qualifications & Skills

• Bachelor’s degree from a leading four-year educational institution, MBA preferred.
• 4-6 years of industry experience spanning investment banking or other equity analysis roles and investing at a buy-side institution, e.g., a private equity firm or family office.
• Driven to perform rigorous research with top-tier financial modeling skills, and ability to analyze potential transactions with an open mind and free of selection bias.
• Exceptional attention to detail with the ability to perform multiple tasks in a fast-paced, entrepreneurial environment.
• Experience with the complete transaction process and successful deal closing(s).
• Self-motivated, critical thinker with an intellectual curiosity that will pair with and contribute to a strong team.
• Innate desire to dig deep for information, immerse oneself in research to arrive at a well-informed conclusion, as opposed to a convenient or shallow finding.
• Collaborative demeanor with proactive and inclusive interpersonal and communication skills.
• Willingness to step up and down as needed to ensure work product is high quality and delivered on time.
• High level of integrity, professionalism, and ability to manage sensitive information with confidentiality and discretion.
• A strong work ethic and ability to elicit confidence from the organization.
• Experience with investment databases and deal CRM platforms, such as Pitchbook, DealCloud and AlphaSense, are pluses but not required.

Additional Benefits

Cedar Pine believes in embracing an environment that empowers our employees to amplify their potential and create enduring value for our Firm and its investments. One of the many ways we invest in our culture and people is through a competitive, comprehensive benefits package such as:

• Ancillary benefits such as Life Insurance, short and long-term disability, FSA plan, and 401(k) program
• Paid time off, sick leave, holidays
• Discretionary bonuses based on employee contributions, time-in-role, and company performance
• Long-term bonus program designed to reward employees for time spent with the Firm
• Daily onsite lunch stipend program
• "Last mile" transportation coverage for those commuting via train
• Gym membership reimbursement program
• Education and Tuition reimbursement program to further our employee’s development in areas related to their role in the company
• Regular onsite and offsite cultural events hosted throughout the year to provide opportunities for employee networking outside of office hours
• A variety of charitable giving programs and opportunities to volunteer and give back on behalf of the firm

Compensation Range:

$165,000 and $175,000 annually. Compensation is dependent on qualifications, experience, and other factors. The salary offered will align with the Company’s budgeted amount for the position.

Equal Opportunity Employer:

Cedar Pine is committed to equal employment opportunity in both principle and as a matter of policy. We will recruit, hire, train, promote, compensate and provide benefits to all applicants and employees without regard to ancestry, sex, race, color, ethnicity, national origin, gender, age, religion, religious creed, mental and/or physical disability, medical condition, military and/or veteran’s status, genetic information, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, or any other basis protected by applicable federal, state and local laws. This policy applies to all recruiting, hiring, promotions, upgrades, layoffs, compensation, benefits, terminations and all other privileges, terms and conditions of employment. The firm complies fully with all federal, state and local equal employment opportunity laws.