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Private Equity Associate - Deal Team Full-time | Chicago, IL | 2-4 Years of Experience

About the Company

This is a middle-market private equity firm founded over three decades ago with a simple premise: invest the personal capital of its partners in high-quality, market-leading businesses, and build long-term value alongside management through organic growth and strategic acquisitions. The firm's principals remain among the largest investors in their own funds, an alignment structure that shapes how the team approaches every deal. Over its history, the firm has completed more than 200 acquisitions and today manages over $1 billion in capital, with a current fund in the several-hundred-million-dollar range. The portfolio spans more than 20 active companies across commercial and industrial services, food and beverage, industrial technology, professional and tech-enabled services, technical services, and healthcare services.

About the Role

As an Associate, you'll work directly with deal partners and founder-operators throughout the investment lifecycle, including sourcing, diligence, board engagement, and value creation. You'll serve as a strategic peer and independent analyst to the founder-operator, responsible for rigorous assessment of business fundamentals, operational execution, and value creation priorities. You'll attend board meetings, lead diligence workstreams, manage portfolio company relationships, and contribute directly to investment decisions. The organizational structure provides meaningful responsibility and decision-making authority from day one.

What Makes This Opportunity Exciting

• Real ownership from the start — you'll be a genuine thought partner to founders, not a support function
• An entrepreneurial, hardworking culture built by people who are genuinely good to work with, with remarkable team loyalty over time
• Direct, sustained exposure to portfolio company operations, not just modeling from a distance
• A close-knit investment team where you'll know each portfolio company's business better than almost anyone outside the founder

The Path Forward

This is a firm that has grown its team steadily over more than a decade with very low turnover — a strong signal for anyone thinking about where a deal-team career can go long term.

Key Responsibilities

Deal Execution

• Qualify opportunities alongside partners, build relationships with sell-side advisors and entrepreneurs, and write the initial investment thesis
• Lead specific workstreams (financials, operations, customer concentration, competitive position), conduct management interviews, and identify the friction points that will determine whether an investment works

Portfolio & Firm Support

• Sit on portfolio company boards or in management meetings, identify operational priorities with the founder, and track execution against agreed milestones
• Spend time on-site with portfolio companies, maintain financial models, flag strategic decisions before they're made, and help founders think through scaling challenges

Professional Experience & Qualifications

• 2-4 years of relevant experience in investment banking, private equity, private credit, or operational roles at growth-stage companies
• Demonstrated ability to evaluate business fundamentals and operational performance — you understand how businesses generate returns and can identify value drivers independent of financial modeling
• Midwest presence or established relationships in the region — you understand the market and have credibility with local management teams
• Ability to partner effectively with founder-operators — you can assess organizational capabilities, identify execution risks, and provide counsel without undermining founder autonomy
• Strong financial modeling and written communication skills — you can build rigorous analyses and present findings clearly to internal teams and portfolio company management

Find your fit — view all open positions at Soul Equity Solutions.

About Soul Equity Solutions

Soul Equity is a retained executive search firm dedicated exclusively to guiding middle market private equity firms and their portfolio companies to best-in-class talent. Our boutique recruiting experience is highly bespoke and curated to our clients' needs.

This firm is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, or any other legally protected status.