Real Estate, Debt Origination in London

Nuveen is the investment management arm of TIAA. It is one of the largest global asset managers with specialist knowledge across a wide array of asset classes, including fixed income, equities and alternatives. Nuveen is driven not only by the independent investment processes across the firm, but also the insights, risk management, analytics and other tools and resources a truly world-class platform provides. As a global asset manager, our mission is to work in partnership with our clients to create outcome-focused solutions to help them secure their financial future.

Overview of the Role:

The Associate of Debt Strategies role (the “Role”) is within the London-based European Real Estate Debt Team (“Debt Team”). The Debt Team currently comprises twelve investment professionals, eight focused on investment strategies, capital deployment and fundraising and two on managing the portfolio of completed investments, and two covering Capital Markets. The Debt Team operates self-sufficiently within the context of Nuveen Real Estate’s $40B+ global debt business and with the support from functions including Equity / Fund Management, Legal, Global Client Group, Investor Relations, Finance and Research.

The Debt Team in Europe relies on each team member to be able to contribute to the execution of any loan transaction from origination to funding to portfolio management. Critically, the Role therefore requires the ability to assist/support more senior members of the team across the entire value chain of debt investment.

Key responsibilities:

• Initial analysis, loan quote/ term sheet preparation, due diligence, execution, documentation, closing of loans.
• Production and on-going maintenance of complex underwriting financial models covering a variety of asset classes (leased real estate assets, living / residential assets, operating assets) and leverage structures.
• Preparation of all relevant transaction approval materials, including final investment committee memo.
• Collecting and maintaining loan portfolio data, documents, etc.
• Investor reporting and performance monitoring.
• Preparation and updating of materials for presentation of existing and new strategies to potential investors.
• Play a leading role under the oversight of more senior members of the Debt Team in analysing, structuring, underwriting, preparing all relevant IC materials, executing and closing debt transactions to deliver key investment and risk/reward objectives.
• Mentor and supervise more junior team members.
• Participate and contribute to pipeline maintenance and discussions.
• Provide input to operational support functions where required, including loan, fund and portfolio performance measurement and compliance functions.
• Build strong real estate debt and equity relationships with other Nuveen Real Estate and TIAA businesses across Asia, UK, Europe and the US as appropriate.
• Upon request, contribute to the preparation of marketing materials for the debt platform to raise additional capital from potential investors in collaboration with members of the Global Client Group or Placement Agents.
• Working in conjunction with other members of the Debt Team, maintain complete and well-ordered sets of data, documents and records for loans included in the portfolio.
• Comply with governance, committee and risk management processes.

Qualifications & Experience Required:

• Between 3 and 8 years of relevant professional experience at an investment bank or a buy-side real estate investment management firm (equity and / or debt).
• BSc, MSc or MBA at a leading university, ideally with a major in finance and / or real estate.
• Demonstrable track record of real estate debt and / or equity transactions underwritten, structured and closed across European countries and asset classes.
• Experience and good understanding of the typical due diligence and legal documentation requirements for non-recourse mortgage secured commercial real estate lending across most European jurisdictions.
• Prior experience with loan-on-loan / back-leverage of loan investments would be very beneficial.
• Excellent quantitative analysis and financial modelling skills.
• Microsoft Office - Excel, Word and PowerPoint proficiency required.
• Experience and interest in coding languages such as VBA or Python would be viewed positively.

Competencies Required:

• Rigorous attention to detail.
• Professional curiosity and a keen interest in real estate investment and finance in general.
• Ability to work proactively, multi-task and manage priorities effectively and independently across various deadlines, with minimal guidance and supervision.
• Strong oral and written English language skills.
• Proficiency in one or more other key European languages, particularly: German, Spanish, French, Dutch or Italian in line with key target markets would be viewed favourably.
• Presentation and communication skills (oral and written).
• Critical thinking.
• Ability to explain and summarise complex ideas and concepts.
• Project management and organisational skills are essential.
• Networking and communication – with investors, borrowers, service providers, and internally.
• Professional maturity, self-confidence and business judgement.
• Commercial acumen.
• Act in line with Nuveen Real Estate’s Company Values and integrity to act in the best long-term interest of clients and the company.

Additional Information:

This role requires no regulatory designation. Nuveen is committed to providing equal opportunity across all employment practices and we believe our employees have a right to a diverse and inclusive workplace.