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Antares Capital

Private credit manager delivering risk-adjusted returns

Assistant Vice President User Enablement Technologist

Full-TimeUpdated on 10/23/2026
$145k - $175k+ Discretionary annual bonus
Senior
Bachelor's
Chicago, IL, USA+2 moreMore locations: New York, NY, USA | Atlanta, GA, USA
HybridHybrid work from the Chicago, New York, or Atlanta office; unrestricted U.S. work authorization required.
Software EngineeringAI Application Engineering
No H1B Sponsorship

About the job

Requirements
  • A bachelor's degree in Information Systems, Computer Science, or a technology-related field, or equivalent experience.
  • At least 7 years of professional technology experience in roles that directly support or enable end users, such as solutions engineering, automation, systems engineering, IT product ownership, or senior technical support.
  • At least 3 years of hands-on experience building and delivering solutions on enterprise AI or large language model platforms, including prompt and context design, assistants or agents, and integration with business systems.
  • Ability to operate independently in ambiguity, taking loosely defined business problems through discovery, design, delivery, and handoff without close supervision while keeping concurrent commitments visible.
  • Practical scripting and integration ability, including a modern scripting language and consumption of REST APIs to connect systems and automate manual work.
  • Practical familiarity with Microsoft 365 productivity tools, including Copilot, Power Automate, Power Apps, and Teams, focused on end-user productivity rather than platform administration.
  • Ability to deliver within technology governance processes, including intake, architecture review, security review, and change control, and to work within applicable AI and automation acceptable-use, data handling, retention, and records policies.
  • End-user orientation, including patience with non-technical colleagues, interest in their work, and ability to distinguish stated requests from the underlying problem to solve.
  • Written and verbal communication skills sufficient to explain technical recommendations to business audiences and document solutions clearly for ongoing support.
  • Ability to pick up unfamiliar platforms, form a working understanding, and deliver useful solutions quickly.
  • Ability to reason through problems with stakeholders, propose workable solutions, and coach stakeholders to build their own capabilities.
  • Critical thinking and decision-making with incomplete information, including recognizing which decisions require escalation.
  • Hands-on capability in scripting, API integration, platform configuration, and prompt and agent engineering sufficient to produce working solutions.
  • Ability to define requirements by turning unstructured conversations into clear problem statements, scope, stakeholders, dependencies, and decisions needed.
  • Analytical listening to identify root causes beneath stated requests and ensure solutions address the business need.
  • Understanding of governance processes, including intake, architecture, security, and change processes.
  • Documentation discipline sufficient for colleagues to support solutions in the author's absence.
  • Ability to build trust with business partners and set realistic expectations without over-committing for the technology organization.
  • Ability to keep multiple concurrent commitments visible.
  • Must have unrestricted authorization to work in the United States.
  • Must be willing to comply with pre-employment screening, including drug testing, reference verification, and a background check.
  • Must be willing to work from the Chicago, New York, or Atlanta office on a hybrid basis.
Responsibilities
  • Design, build, and deliver AI-enabled assistants, agents, automations, and workflow integrations that solve end-user problems and are used in production.
  • Work directly with business stakeholders to understand their workflows, identify root causes, and translate ambiguous requests into actionable requirements.
  • Evaluate and pilot emerging AI and productivity technologies within approved firm platforms and form evidence-based recommendations about their usefulness to the firm.
  • Modernize manual and workaround-driven processes using approved AI and automation capabilities, ensuring solutions are documented, access-controlled, auditable, and supportable.
  • Build and maintain integrations across core productivity, service management, and work management platforms using scripting and APIs.
  • Support end users and AI platforms as needed through light configuration, troubleshooting, and escalation, focusing primarily on end-user productivity outcomes rather than platform administration.
  • Prepare technology intake submissions, architecture review materials, security review responses, and stakeholder requirement briefs for technology leadership to review and present.
  • Follow the technology intake and governance model, route requests for appropriate domain lead awareness, architecture review, security review, or formal intake, and document the reason for the handling path.
  • Author and maintain knowledge articles, runbooks, and technical documentation to firm standards so others can support solutions and single-point-of-contact risk is mitigated.
  • Define and track adoption, usage, and outcome measures for delivered solutions.
  • Cover recurring operational and reporting obligations, including request and queue health, work-item visibility, and management reporting, during absences and peak periods.
  • Partner with Infrastructure, Security, Data, PMO, and Architecture teams to ensure solutions are compliant, supportable, and consistent with firm standards.
  • Learn firm processes, policies, and controls and follow them, escalating when necessary rather than bypassing governance.
  • Stay current with changes in AI and end-user technology and proactively bring forward recommendations.
  • Lead, mentor, and coach business teams in effective use of AI-enabled tools and Microsoft productivity capabilities to build sustained adoption and reduce dependence on IT for routine automation.
  • Independently design and deliver small-to-medium solutions end to end, and escalate larger or higher-risk requirements with a clear problem statement, risk summary, and recommended path forward.
  • Participate in rapid prototyping sessions with business stakeholders, turning loosely defined ideas into working demonstrations to accelerate decisions and build confidence in new solutions.
Desired Qualifications
  • Experience introducing a new AI or automation capability to an organization end to end, including pilot design, guardrails, rollout, and support model.
  • Experience with enterprise service management and work management platforms, including workflow, form, and reporting configuration.
  • Familiarity with Microsoft 365 administration sufficient to configure and troubleshoot productivity tools.
  • Experience building integrations or extensions using an agent, tool-calling, or model-context framework.
  • Experience in a highly regulated environment with formal audit, data handling, retention, and change control obligations.
  • Experience in financial services, private credit, banking, asset management, or capital markets.
  • Experience with low-code and no-code workflow automation platforms.
  • Hands-on experience participating in or facilitating rapid prototyping or design sprint sessions that produce a working demonstration with business stakeholders within a compressed timeframe; strongly preferred candidates can describe specific sessions they led or contributed to and their outcomes.
  • Experience contributing to enterprise knowledge management and technical documentation standards.
  • Relevant platform, cloud, or AI certifications.

About the company

Antares Capital manages private credit investments for institutional investors. It deploys capital through private debt strategies to support middle-market companies and other borrowers, earning returns from interest, fees, and capital appreciation. The firm relies on a long track record and a seasoned, cycle-tested team to assess risk, structure loans, and monitor portfolio credit quality. With approximately $80 billion of capital under management as of December 31, 2024, and offices in multiple North American and European cities, Antares differentiates itself through depth of experience, scale, and a broad, globally aware approach to credit investing. The company aims to deliver attractive risk-adjusted returns for its investors and create long-term value for all partners by staying disciplined through credit cycles and maintaining a strong risk-management culture.

Company Size

501-1,000

Company Stage

N/A

Total Funding

$7M

Headquarters

Chicago, Illinois

Founded

1996

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Simplify Jobs

Simplify's Take

What believers are saying

  • Antares closed SLF III at $8.5 billion in May 2026, above target.
  • March 2026's $1.7 billion Ares-led continuation fund monetized old loans and attracted fresh capital.
  • Fitch's June 2026 stable outlook and $5.2 billion undrawn capacity support expansion.

What critics are saying

  • Private credit competition is pressuring structures and pricing across 2026 vintages.
  • AI disruptions will stress portfolio companies, especially healthcare and business-services borrowers.
  • A default spike would crush fundraising, impair AUM growth, and damage the franchise.

What makes Antares Capital unique

  • Thirty years of sponsor relationships still anchor Antares' direct-lending origination machine.
  • Antares held first place in 2026 large-cap direct lending with 26% share.
  • Fitch affirmed Antares BBB in June 2026, supporting institutional trust.

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Benefits

  • Health Insurance
  • Dental Insurance
  • Vision Insurance
  • Life Insurance
  • Disability Insurance
  • 401(k) Retirement Plan
  • Profit Sharing
  • Paid Vacation
  • Fertility Treatment Support
  • Family Planning Benefits
  • Parental Leave

Company News

aiCIO
Oct 6th, 2026
Octagon Credit Investors names investor relations head.

Octagon Credit Investors names investor relations head. John Zilko will lead institutional client development at the $31 billion manager. Alternative credit manager Octagon Credit Investors LLC announced Wednesday the appointment of John Zilko as head of investor solutions and business development, reporting to COO Douglas McDermott. The firm - owned by insurance asset manager Conning - manages $31 billion in assets across collateralized loan obligations, broadly syndicated loans, structure credit, multi-asset credit and direct lending strategies in the below-investment-grade corporate credit and private credit markets. "John has a proven track record of building and leading institutional client businesses at some of the most respected firms in our industry. His deep credit market expertise, strategic perspective, and collaborative approach make him an exceptional addition to Octagon," Octagon CEO Gretchen Lam said in a statement. "As we continue to expand our business, John will play an important role in identifying new areas of demand, growing our client base, and advancing our commercial strategy." Zilko previously was head of Americas investor coverage at CPP Investments-owned credit manager Antares Capital and had been head of U.S. institutional sales at PineBridge Investments. "It is a rare opportunity to join a firm of Octagon's caliber," Zilko said in a statement. "Octagon has built an enduring franchise over more than three decades, grounded in disciplined investing and longstanding client relationships. The breadth of the firm's credit capabilities creates significant potential to serve both existing and new investors in new ways.: Zilko earned a bachelor of arts degree in finance from the University of South Florida. CPP Investments Partners with AT&T, GIP on fiber joint venture. Forged Fiber 37 will invest across 16 US states to help meet the growing demand resulting from the artificial intelligence boom. AT&T Corp. announced on Tuesday an agreement with the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board and BlackRock Inc.'s Global Infrastructure Partners unit to form a joint venture to invest in commercial fiber internet infrastructure. The transaction is expected to close in the first half of 2027, pending regulatory approval. Under the agreement, AT&T will hold a 50% stake in the venture - Forged Fiber 37 - with GIP and CPP Investments owning the other 50%. A statement from AT&T noted that the new organization will accelerate the delivery of the infrastructure needed to support the high-performance connectivity demanded by the artificial intelligence boom. "Demand for reliable, high-capacity connectivity continues to grow, making fiber infrastructure an increasingly important part of the digital economy," said James Bryce, CPP Investments' head of infrastructure, in a statement. "By combining AT&T's extensive fiber expertise with strategic capital, this joint venture is well positioned to expand critical connectivity across the United States and to generate long-term investment value for the CPP Fund." GIP manages more than $200 billion in assets. CPP Investments managed C$863.6 billion ($606.46 billion) in assets as of June 30, benefiting more than 22 million contributors and beneficiaries.

Business Wire
May 12th, 2026
Antares Capital closes $8.5B Senior Loan Fund III, exceeding initial targets

Antares Capital, a leading alternative credit manager with approximately $90 billion in capital under management, has closed its Senior Loan Fund III with $8.5 billion in total commitments, exceeding initial targets. The fund invests in diversified portfolios of primarily senior secured loans across US and Canadian borrowers. SLF III attracted broad participation from new and existing investors, including employees, family offices, asset managers, insurance companies and other global institutions. The fundraise reflects continued institutional demand for private credit amid heightened manager selectivity. Antares leverages nearly 30 years of experience and long-standing sponsor relationships to source investment opportunities. The firm, backed by CPP Investments, maintains offices in Atlanta, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, Toronto and London.

Yahoo Finance
Apr 23rd, 2026
Thoma Bravo's $5.1B Medallia wipeout deepens software, private credit reckoning

Thoma Bravo is nearing an agreement to transfer control of customer experience software firm Medallia to its lenders, wiping out $5.1 billion in equity. Creditors including Blackstone, KKR, Apollo Global and Antares Capital, who hold $3 billion in Medallia debt, will take over the company. Thoma Bravo acquired Medallia for $6.4 billion in 2021 during the low-interest rate era. Lenders have already written down the debt significantly, with valuations ranging from 74 to 79 cents on the dollar. The collapse highlights mounting stress in private credit and software sectors. Business development companies are now trading at their deepest discounts to net asset values in over 5.5 years. There were $46.9 billion in distressed software loans across the private credit market as of February 2026.

Bloomberg Law
Apr 2nd, 2026
Pritzker-backed cleaning firm PLZ secures private credit refinancing from Ares

PLZ Corp., a cleaning-products maker backed by PPC Partners, has refinanced its debt through private credit lenders. Ares Management and Antares Capital arranged the financing for the company. PPC Partners was originally founded by Illinois Governor JB Pritzker and his brother Anthony, members of the billionaire Pritzker family. The investment firm's backers include family groups and institutions worldwide. PLZ has been working with Houlihan Lokey to address its debt refinancing. Representatives for PLZ, PPC Partners, Ares and Antares declined to comment on the transaction.

Royal Crescent Publishing Limited
Mar 30th, 2026
Antares closes $1.7B continuation fund led by Ares for private credit portfolio

Antares Capital has closed a $1.7 billion continuation fund led by Ares Management, marking its second such vehicle. The fund purchased assets from a closed-end private credit fund, comprising over 300 first-lien, floating-rate loans. Ares Credit Secondaries funds led the transaction alongside a commitment from Antares. The deal provides existing investors with liquidity options whilst offering new investors access to Antares' private credit portfolio. Antares, which manages approximately $90 billion in assets, will continue managing the continuation vehicle and underlying loans. The transaction represents the second continuation vehicle between Ares and Antares within the past year. Evercore served as lead financial adviser, with GreensLedge and Moelis & Company also advising on the deal. Ares cited the investment as demonstrating its scaled capital base and expertise across credit and secondaries markets.