Senior Investment Manager - Private Equity

Reporting to the Director of Public and Private Markets, this is a newly created Investment Manager position that will be responsible for the oversight, performance and evolution of Nest Invest's Private Equity portfolio, which currently sits at c.£1.3bn with an additional £700m already committed for new investments.

For context, Nest Invest is fast growing, and with the organisation currently taking in £500m of new pension contributions every month, we expect the overall asset base of the organisation to increase to c. £100bn by 2030, with that doubling to £200bn by 2040. There is a clear desire to grow significantly both in terms of Nest Invest as an organisation but also specifically across this asset class by building out the allocation to Private Equity. Therefore, this role has an appealing mix of future growth and opportunity for an immediate impact.

Key areas of focus include:

• Monitoring and evaluating the performance of existing private equity mandates and their underlying investments, tracking key performance indicators, analysing manager reporting and the underlying company’s financial reports, and preparing regular updates for relevant committees and senior management.
• Reviewing complex financial models provided by private equity partners to evaluate co-investment opportunities, analyse financial statements, calculate key financial metrics, and project future performance.
• Research into private equity markets.
• Maintaining a network of private equity manager relationships and building Nest’s reputation as a preferred partner.
• Analysing, and monitoring Nest’s private equity portfolio on an ongoing basis to ensure adherence with organisational ESG and Responsible Investment practices.
• Evaluating, modelling and delivering new private equity investment opportunities for improved long-term success of the portfolio.

The person:

The successful candidate will be an experienced and hands-on private equity Portfolio / Investment Manager with good knowledge of monitoring and driving investment performance through third party private market managers, as well as (ideally) exposure to private equity Co-Investments and/or direct PE transactions. Strong experience of identifying, modelling and realising new investment opportunities is important.

In addition:

• Good understanding of valuation method, financial models and investment risk.
• Proficiency in conducting market research, industry analysis, competitive landscape assessment, and operational evaluation.

Organisational Overview:

Nest is an award-winning workplace pension scheme, the largest in the country. Set up by the government to give every worker in the UK somewhere to save, our first-class responsible investment practice and governance are the backbone of what we do, supported by all the functions you’d expect to find in a thriving business. We’re committed to creating a workplace where you can be your authentic self and offer an inclusive and flexible working environment.

Flexible and agile working:

Everyone's personal situation is different. To make the most out of hybrid working, we've introduced different ways of working, which include (subject to role requirements):

• hybrid of office (Canary Wharf, London) and home working (there will be an expectation to attend the office, twice a week, or more, as required)
• reduce or vary working hours
• reduce or vary the days worked (minimum of 4 days per week)
• work compressed hours

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion:

Everyone is welcome to apply for our roles, and we are determined to ensure that no applicant or employee receives less favourable treatment because of their age, belief, disability, gender identity, marital status, national origin, pregnancy or caring responsibilities, socio-economic background, sex, sexual orientation, religion or race or any other legally protected status. We also recognise the importance of diversity of thought and other forms of neurocognitive variation. As a Level 2 Disability Confident organisation, we’re part of the guaranteed interview scheme. This means should you meet the minimum criteria for this role, you will automatically be put forward for an interview.

Please note that this advert may close early if we receive a sufficient number of satisfactory applications.

Seniority level: Mid-Senior level

Employment type: Full-time

Job function: Analyst, Strategy/Planning, and Research

Industries: Investment Management, Pension Funds, and Venture Capital and Private Equity Principals