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Senior Associate, Real Assets & Sustainability Investment Team

Opportunity
Commonfund Capital is a leading global alternative asset management focused on private equity and venture capital. Commonfund Capital is a subsidiary of Commonfund, an institutional investment management firm headquartered in Wilton, CT with global offices in New York, London, San Francisco, Beijing and London. Founded in 1971, Commonfund is a nonprofit organization with over $25 billion in assets under management whose core mission is to enhance the financial resources of its investors through superior fund management, investment advice and services. The firm offers pooled investment funds, customized accounts and outsourced services spanning all asset classes to over 1,600 clients.
Formed in 1988, Commonfund Capital provides investors with the opportunity to achieve higher investment returns and diversification through the private markets. Commonfund Capital enables its investors to gain access to primary, secondary and co-investment partnerships in private equity, venture capital, and real assets and sustainability around the world. 
Commonfund Capital has managed over $20 billion of committed capital from our investors since inception. The investment team is currently made up over 25 professionals and divides responsibility by investment strategy, but takes a team approach to decision making.
Commonfund Capital has a proud history of investing in real assets since 1989. Across the funds our team invests we cover a range of real assets and sustainability verticals from traditional energy to renewables, food/agriculture and resource efficiency, all with the intent of delivering premium value for our investors. In planning for the future, the Real Assets & Sustainability team seeks to add a Senior Associate. In this role, the successful candidate will have the opportunity to gain invaluable experience working with top-tier private equity partners at one of the premier private markets investment firms in the world. The Senior Associate will also gain exposure to managing and executing diligence of direct investments, co-investments and secondaries as well as strategic primaries. He or she will also benefit from the mentorship of the Managing Directors of Commonfund Capital and the expertise of the rest of the Commonfund Capital team.


Role and Responsibilities
The successful candidate will play a key role in overseeing existing programs. This position entails: making and monitoring primary, co-investment and secondary commitments; liaising with investors and assisting with reporting; and participating in fundraising. This individual will work closely with the other members of the Commonfund Capital team. Specifically, this will encompass the following:
•            Undertake portfolio evaluation and analysis on investments and funds;
•            Contribute to overall investment strategy, investment selection and recommendation, as well as performance monitoring and measurement of investment programs;
•            Contribute significantly to co-investment and to the secondary efforts, including sourcing, conducting diligence, valuing, and monitoring;
•            Present investment opportunities and recommendations to the Investment Committee;
•            Complete analytical projects on specific investment topics and perform extensive due diligence on new potential investment firms including direct meetings and reference checks.
•            Maintain contact with managers and other industry professionals;
•            Oversee updates of internal databases, deal logs, models and presentations;
•            Drive analytical rigor through oversight and continued development of data collection efforts;
•            Provide support to the marketing team relating to private markets programs;
•            Present private capital programs to staff and trustees of investee institutions; and
•            Supervise analysts and associates on real assets and sustainability team.
Requirements
Ideally, the candidate will have four to six plus years of experience in the private equity investment business, MBA students encouraged to apply, or a closely related financial sponsor or similar business, as well as a history of success throughout their lives including in business and academia. Individuals must be intellectually curious and creative, possess exceptional judgment, a balanced ego and unquestionable integrity. The successful candidate will have a unique combination of investment acumen, personal drive and a passion for excellence that is characteristic of the Commonfund organization. The candidate will have the opportunity, and be expected, to invest in the private partnerships Commonfund organizes.


Ideal Candidate Qualifications Include:
•            Four-year college degree, MBA preferred, CFA a plus.
•            Demonstrated knowledge of financial markets broadly with a clear interest in real assets and sustainability.
•            Four to six plus years private equity or similarly relevant investment experience preferred; if candidate does not have private equity experience then experience in a closely related field is required.
•            Demonstrated analytical and technical skills to include experience with financial modeling as well as the use of spreadsheets and databases, all demonstrating both attention to detail and a capability to work autonomously.
•            Strong organizational, interpersonal and communication skills; excellent communicator in both written and verbal form; exceptional ability to network and build relationships.
•            Ability to complete assignments independently and follow through on extended projects
•            Driven self-starter and has bias for action: ability to identify and accurately initiate solutions, set priorities and meet deadlines.
•            Intellectual curiosity and avid learner who desires continuous growth.
•            Experience managing junior teams a plus.
•            Willingness to travel (generally at least 25 days a year and can be significantly more than that) and work globally and seamlessly across multiple offices.