Private Equity Associate (Spring / Summer 2027)

The Brydon Group; Vermont; On-site; USD 200,000 - 250,000; Full time

Job summary

The Brydon Group seeks outstanding early-career professionals to join its investment team as Private Equity Associates, with a focus on transitioning from strategy consulting into investing. You'll work directly with Partners and portfolio CEOs across investment lifecycle including sourcing, evaluation, and value creation.

Associate roles offer hands-on experience across sourcing, investing, and operating with mentorship, responsibility, and a steep learning curve, plus career development

Qualifications

• 2–4 years of experience at a leading strategy consulting firm or comparable analytical/investment-focused role
• Exceptional analytical and problem-solving skills with ability to structure complex problems and translate findings into insights
• Genuine curiosity about how businesses work and how to create value through growth and operational improvement
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills to present ideas clearly and build relationships with teams and executives
• Ownership mindset with proactive, entrepreneurial attitude and willingness to take responsibility
• Intellectual humility and desire to learn; openness to feedback and continued development

Responsibilities

• Support investment strategy and sourcing, developing theses and identifying acquisition opportunities
• Evaluate potential acquisitions with market attractiveness, competitive positioning, and financial performance; build financial models and scenarios
• Prepare investment committee memoranda and presentations; assist with LOIs, due diligence, financing, and closing
• Collaborate with portfolio-company CEOs on growth, pricing, operations, and M&A initiatives
• Contribute to portfolio monitoring, valuations, and investor reporting
• Assist with due diligence scoping and execution under tight timelines
• Attend portfolio company board meetings and participate in performance reviews

Skills

Analytical skills

Communication skills

Ownership mindset

Curiosity about businesses

Problem-solving

Tools

Financial modeling

Job description

From Advising Businesses to Investing in and Building Them

The Brydon Group is a Washington, D.C.-based private equity firm that partners with exceptional executives to acquire, operate, and grow businesses in B2B, B2G, and healthcare software and services. We are currently investing from Fund III, which closed in July 2025.

We are seeking outstanding early-career professionals to join our investment team as Private Equity Associates, with a particular interest in talented strategy consultants looking to transition into investing.

This is an opportunity to move beyond advising businesses to helping acquire and build them. You will work directly with Brydon's Partners, investment professionals, and portfolio-company CEOs across the full investment lifecycle—from identifying attractive industries and evaluating acquisitions to executing transactions and helping our businesses grow.

Unlike more narrowly defined roles at larger institutions, our Associates gain hands-on experience across sourcing, investing, and operating, with meaningful responsibility, direct mentorship, and a steep learning curve.

We are passionate about developing exceptional investors and operators. We invest heavily in our team's technical capabilities, commercial judgment, leadership skills, and professional development, with significant opportunities for increasing responsibility and career advancement.

What You'll Do

Investment Strategy and Sourcing

• Conduct industry research, develop and test investment theses, and identify attractive acquisition opportunities.
• Work closely with Brydon's CEO-in-Residence executives to evaluate industries and identify potential platform acquisitions.
• Help manage transaction pipelines and build relationships with business owners, intermediaries, and industry executives.

Investment Evaluation and Deal Execution

• Evaluate potential acquisitions, including market attractiveness, competitive positioning, financial performance, and opportunities for growth and value creation.
• Build financial models to evaluate investment returns, capital structures, and different operating scenarios.
• Conduct key diligence analyses, including market research, customer analysis, competitive assessment, and financial evaluation.
• Help develop investment committee memoranda and presentations, synthesizing complex analyses into clear investment recommendations.
• Support deal teams through all stages of transaction execution, including preparation of LOIs, due diligence, financing, and closing.

Portfolio Company Value Creation

• Work with Brydon's investment team and portfolio-company CEOs on strategic and operational initiatives, including growth, pricing, operational improvement, and M&A.
• Support add-on acquisitions and other initiatives to build and scale our portfolio companies.
• Participate in portfolio-company board meetings and performance reviews.
• Support portfolio monitoring, quarterly valuations, and investor reporting.

Responsibilities

We are looking for you to:

• Support / manage a pipeline of transactions with a target of 5 - 6 transactions per year
• Build financial models with scenarios involving different capital structures and investment assumptions
• Support deal teams with the creation of investment committee memos and presentations
• Support deals including preparation of LOIs, term sheets, and transaction documents
• Support due diligence, including scoping and executing key analyses within tight timelines on prospective investment target companies
• Assist with the monitoring of portfolio company performance, including execution of value creation initiatives and attending board meetings
• Support the execution of quarterly investment valuations and investor presentations
• Contribute positively to firm culture
• Conduct industry research to develop and test investment theses

Who We're Looking For

We are looking for intellectually curious, highly analytical, entrepreneurial professionals who are excited to learn the craft of private equity investing and develop into exceptional investors and business leaders.

Ideal candidates will bring:

• Professional experience: 2–4 years of experience at a leading strategy consulting firm or a comparable analytical or investment-focused role. Exposure to private equity due diligence is a plus, but not required.
• Exceptional analytical and problem-solving skills: Ability to structure complex problems, conduct rigorous analysis, and translate findings into clear, actionable insights.
• Genuine curiosity about businesses: An interest in understanding how companies work, what drives their success, and how to create value through growth and operational improvement.
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills: Ability to communicate effectively, present complex ideas clearly, and build relationships with colleagues, executives, and business owners.
• Ownership and initiative: A proactive, entrepreneurial attitude, strong work ethic, and willingness to roll up your sleeves and take responsibility.
• Intellectual humility and a desire to learn: Openness to feedback, sound judgment, and a commitment to continuous professional development.

Experience in software, business services, or healthcare is a plus, but not required.

Prior full-time private equity or investment banking experience is not necessary. We place a premium on analytical ability, problem-solving skills, commercial curiosity, and a strong ownership mindset—and are committed to helping talented professionals develop the financial and technical skills of private equity investing.

Why Brydon?

• Learn private equity from the ground up. Develop hands-on experience in financial modeling, investment evaluation, due diligence, deal execution, and portfolio value creation.
• Get meaningful responsibility early. Work on live transactions, contribute to investment decisions, and engage directly with Partners, CEOs, and management teams.
• Develop as both an investor and an operator. Our differentiated investment model emphasizes deep industry understanding, commercial judgment, and helping businesses grow—not simply financial engineering.
• Accelerate your professional development. Receive direct mentorship, structured learning opportunities, and exposure to a broad range of industries, businesses, and investment situations.
• Build a long-term career. Join a growing, entrepreneurial firm with opportunities to take on increasing responsibility and advance into senior investment roles.

Location / Benefits

• Compensation: Commensurate with experience and expected to range from $200,000 - $250,000
• Location: on-site in our office in Washington, D.C. office (in-person role)
• Timeline: Start date in Spring / Summer 2026 (flexible with candidate based on graduation dates)
• Deadline: Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis and interviews will take place in Dec. / Jan.
• Brydon's Associate role is a typical PE 2-year program, after which there is ample opportunity for growth and promotions (we are excited about candidates who would like to grow with the firm and we do not require associates to attend business school before becoming eligible for senior associate roles).