Vice President, Marketing (RFP)

Adams Street Partners; Chicago (IL); Hybrid; USD 120,000 - 150,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical benefits

Dental & Vision

401(k) with employer match

Paid parental leave

Generous paid time off

Commuter benefits

Disability & life insurance

Job summary

Adams Street Partners is seeking a VP, RFP & Business Communications in Chicago (hybrid) to lead the firm’s global RFP, RFI, and DDQ program. You will craft executive-level responses, shape content strategy, and guide a team of writers and analysts.

The role requires exceptional writing, strategic thinking, and the ability to influence senior stakeholders across Investor Relations, Compliance, and Investment teams. A strong track record in private markets messaging is essential.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required in business, marketing, communications, or finance-related field.
• 8+ years of progressive experience in RFP/proposal management, investor relations, or marketing communications.

Responsibilities

• Own the strategy, quality, and execution of Adams Street’s global RFP, RFI, and DDQ program across product lines and regions.
• Mentor, develop, and coach a team of RFP and Business Communications professionals.
• Set priorities and allocate resources across a high-volume, deadline-driven pipeline.
• Serve as primary escalation point and final quality control for complex, high-visibility opportunities.
• Collaborate with Investor Relations, Investment teams, Compliance, and Shared Services.

Skills

Executive writing

RFP management

People management

Stakeholder influence

Project management

Content strategy

Team leadership

Communication

Education

Bachelor’s degree in business, marketing, communications, or finance-related field

Tools

Salesforce

Loopio

Job description

Adams Street Partners (“Adams Street”) is a global private markets investment manager that has nearly $76 billion* in assets under management. The firm is 100% employee-owned, which fosters a positive and unique culture of collaboration, intellectual rigor, integrity, and a commitment to professional development. For the eighth year in a row, Adams Street was named one of Pension & Investments’ Best Places to Work in Money Management in 2025.

Employees operate as a single global team, integrating the expertise of the firm’s investment professionals across five strategies: primary investments, secondary investments, growth equity, private credit, and co-investments. Adams Street is considered a private markets pioneer and was inducted into the Private Equity Hall of Fame in 2000.

The firm was founded more than 50 years ago, and clients include leading public and corporate pension plans, foundations, endowments, insurance companies, registered investment advisors, and high net worth individuals worldwide.

Adams Street has offices in Abu Dhabi, Austin, Beijing, Boston, Chicago, Hong Kong, London, Munich, Menlo Park, New York, Seoul, Singapore, Sydney, Tokyo and Toronto.

*As of June 30, 2026. Adams Street Partners’ methodology to calculate Assets Under Management (AUM) is based on fund net asset value (NAV), plus unfunded commitments, plus leverage, but excluding the effect of subscription lines of credit. The prior AUM methodology was based on investor commitments minus commitments to fully liquidated underlying partnerships. Such change in methodology was effective July 2026; however, for periods shown prior to December 31, 2025, Adams Street continues to use the previous methodology. This updated methodology more closely aligns with (i) the amount of assets managed on behalf of investors and (ii) the amount of capital available to make direct and/or partnership investments. Amounts stated by investment advisers in regulatory filings (“regulatory AUM”) have a prescribed methodology, which may, in some circumstances, differ from the methodology such adviser uses for other purposes, including marketing efforts. Additional information is available upon request.

VP, RFP & Business Communications

Adams Street Partners is seeking an accomplished Marketing & Communications leader to head our global RFP function within the Marketing organization. This is a senior leadership role for a proven writer and people manager who can both produce the firm’s most complex, highest-stakes executive RFP responses and set the strategy, standards, and team structure that allow Adams Street to compete at scale as one of the world’s premier private markets investment managers.

The ideal candidate combines exceptional writing craft with strong business judgment, executive presence, and demonstrated success managing and developing a team. While executive RFPs, RFIs, and DDQs remain the core of the function, this leader will also own a broader portfolio of firmwide business communications, partnering closely with Marketing, Investor Relations, Compliance, Investment teams, and senior firm leadership, including Partners.

This is a hybrid role based in Chicago, with a flexible mix of remote and in-office work.

What You Will Do

Team & Function Leadership

• Own the strategy, quality, and day-to-day execution of Adams Street’s global RFP, RFI, and DDQ program across all product lines and regions
• Manage, mentor, and develop a team of RFP and Business Communications professionals, providing hands‑on coaching on writing, business judgment, and career growth
• Set priorities and allocate resources across the team’s active pipeline, balancing workload, deadlines, and business priority across a high-volume, deadline-driven request queue
• Serve as the primary point of escalation and final quality control for the most complex, highest-visibility, and largest-mandate opportunities
• Represent the function in cross-functional governance forums and drive alignment on process, roles, and standards across Investor Relations, Investment teams, and Shared Services

Executive-Level Writing & Content Ownership

• Produce and edit executive-level responses for the firm’s most sensitive and complex RFPs, RFIs, DDQs, and firm awards
• Clearly articulate Adams Street’s investment capabilities, processes, performance, and thought leadership to institutional and wealth audiences
• Partner directly with subject matter experts, senior Investment professionals, and Partners to translate complex investment concepts into clear, persuasive, client‑ready messaging
• Own governance and quality standards for the RFP and content management system, ensuring resources remain accurate, current, and consistent firmwide

Process, Technology & Reporting

• Drive continuous improvement of RFP processes, tools, and content infrastructure (including content management and AI-assisted drafting platforms), identifying and implementing efficiency gains
• Develop and present reporting on RFP volume, win rates, and pipeline health to senior stakeholders and firm leadership
• Maintain deep, current expertise in Adams Street’s private markets strategies and platform
• Ensure all written deliverables across the team are accurate, timely, and aligned with the firm’s brand and quality standards

Collaboration & Stakeholder Management

• Collaborate seamlessly with colleagues across US, Europe, and Asia
• Build trusted relationships with senior stakeholders across Investor Relations, Compliance, and the Investment teams
• Respond to, and manage team responses to, requests and escalations from prospects, consultants, clients, GPs, and internal stakeholders

Essential Qualities

• Bachelor’s degree in business, marketing, communications, or a finance-related field required
• Minimum of 8 years of progressive experience in RFP/proposal management, marketing communications, or investor relations, with proven success in investment management, private markets, consulting, investment banking, or financial services
• Demonstrated people‑management experience, with a track record of building, mentoring, and developing high-performing writers and analysts
• Exceptional writing and editing skills — clear, concise, persuasive, and adaptable across executive, client, and consultant audiences
• Strong executive presence and the judgment and credibility to influence senior stakeholders, including Partners and senior Investment professionals
• Proven project management skills, with the ability to prioritize a high-volume pipeline and lead a team through sustained deadline pressure
• Strategic mindset, with experience driving process improvement and adoption of RFP/content management technology (e.g., Salesforce, Loopio, or similar platforms)
• Strong working knowledge of private markets strategies (primaries, secondaries, co‑investments, private credit, growth equity) strongly preferred
• Positive energy, intellectual curiosity, and a collaborative, team‑oriented leadership style
• Experience partnering with Compliance/Legal on regulatory and disclosure considerations in client communications is a plus

We offer a competitive U.S. benefits package designed to support health, financial security, and work‑life balance.

• medical, dental, and vision coverage
• a 401(k) with immediate vesting and employer match
• profit sharing
• flexible spending accounts (FSA)
• paid parental leave, including adoption
• generous paid time off
• commuter benefits
• employer-paid short- and long‑term disability and life insurance
• access to additional voluntary benefits

Illinois Pay Transparency

$120,000—$150,000 USD