Principal – Venture Capital

Position Overview

The Principal of StepStone Group venture capital team will play a critical role in the sourcing, underwriting and asset management of new investments across our venture investment platform. The Principal will be responsible for supporting the business in relation to its venture capital activities, as well as supporting with the review and diligence of new investment opportunities as they arise.

Essential Job Functions:

• Strong stakeholder interaction skills – must have exceptional ability to interact with clients globally, partners, management teams, GPs and develop new client relationships
• Support Senior Research staff on sourcing and managing the inflow of investment opportunities
• Assess marketing and supporting materials of prospective fund managers to identify key value drivers and important areas for further investigation
• Ability to manage an advisory process
• Develop and manage relationships with investment managers, advisors and brokers to source investment opportunities
• Source and lead potential venture funds, expansion stage start-up and secondary investments
• Perform broad scale industry research and analysis to learn about and understand industry landscapes within our focus areas, and advise the broader investment team accordingly
• Interpret financial analyses prepared by target fund managers, including investment track records; prepare valuation analyses on private companies using a variety of metrics
• Develop strong direct relationships with prospective clients and current investors in order to generate new business opportunities and fundraise for venture capital and growth
• Lead discussions with client/investor relationships to provide transparency into the portfolio and pipeline of investments
• Construct an argument around an opinion and efficiently communicate that argument both verbally and in written materials; be able to defend position in a team environment, including Investment Committee meetings
• Use creativity to source and analyze data and to test hypotheses regarding attractiveness of specific sectors and investment opportunities
• Analyze and monitor the performance of the Firm's existing fund managers and underlying portfolio companies; prepare for and participate in meetings with assigned managers, and conduct on-going due diligence
• Lead teams as necessary to tackle new initiatives
• Assist with developing and mentoring junior staff
• Oversight of all aspects of investment underwriting, including market analysis, due diligence, assessment of the management teams capabilities and expertise, etc.

Education and/or Work Experience Requirements:

• Bachelor's degree in finance, physics, mathematics, accounting, computer science, engineering or related
• 7+ years working in venture capital, private equity, finance, engineering, start-up operations, consulting or similar industry

Required Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Ability to represent the Firm credibly in written and interpersonal communications
• Demonstrable analytical capabilities, including strong quantitative/modeling skills
• Leadership potential
• High proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite
• Developing investment judgment and general understanding of risk/reward trade-offs
• Flexibility—StepStone is a dynamic and entrepreneurial organization; all professionals are expected to perform multiple functions as the firm continues to grow and develop
• Travel 5 to 7 days per month, primarily domestically

Other Attributes:

• A willingness to support all areas of our business, including our fund and direct investment strategies, both on a primary and secondary basis
• Hard working self-starter with an entrepreneurial mindset who excels with little direction
• An executive presence with the confidence to state your opinion and advocate for it

Salary range: $215,000 - $235,000

The salary range is an estimate of pay for this position.  Actual pay may vary depending on job-related factors that can include location, education, skill, and experience.  The salary range does not include any benefits or other forms of possible compensation that may be available to employees.