Principal, Private Markets Group

Principal, Private Markets Group

Department: Investments

Type: Permanent

Location: Toronto (Hybrid)

Posting Date: February 26, 2025

At OPTrust, paying pensions today, preserving pensions for tomorrow is our mission and business.

What OPTrust offers you

• Unique culture rooted in our core values – collaboration and teamwork, integrity, respect, flexibility, excellence and continuous improvement.

• A purpose-driven environment where we all work towards the common goal of paying pensions today and preserving pensions for tomorrow.

• Comprehensive benefits focused on your health and wellness, including dental, vision and extended health benefits, as well as membership in our world-class defined benefit pension plan.

• A flexible, hybrid work model

• A dedicated inclusion, diversity and equity strategy with meaningful opportunities to participate, including our employee-led resource groups.

• Extensive professional development opportunities and learning initiatives including access to LinkedIn Learning, guest speakers, tuition reimbursement, professional association memberships, leadership development programs, a mentorship program, monthly professional development time and more.

• A competitive vacation package with additional work-life balance days.

About OPTrust Private Markets Group

With net assets of over $25 billion, OPTrust invests and manages one of Canada’s largest pension funds and administers the OPSEU Pension Plan (including OPTrust Select), a defined benefit plan with over 111,000 members.

OPTrust Private Markets Group (“PMG”) is a dedicated business unit within the Investment Division of OPTrust, responsible for managing the global Private Equity and Infrastructure portfolios with a long-term target allocation of approximately 30% of total pension assets split evenly between the two asset classes. Today, PMG manages an investment portfolio with approximately $10B of NAV with significant diversification across investments, transaction types, sectors and geographies. PMG’s core tenets are middle-market focused, partnership oriented, highly flexible/creative investment approach, with an emphasis on downside protection. PMG has a global investment mandate with experienced investment professionals based in Toronto, London, and Sydney.

Why join the PMG Toronto Team?

• Differentiated private markets team with a strong investment track record.

• Unique opportunity to work across both the private equity and infrastructure asset classes, invest across the entire risk-return spectrum and gain experience across a diverse set of transaction types/structures.

• Opportunity for an immediate impact with significant runway for professional growth.

• Flexible investment mandate with substantial group autonomy and authority.

• Team-oriented environment with significant tenure across senior ranks.

About the Role

OPTrust is seeking a Principal candidate to be based in the Toronto Office. This Principal will have a key role in the Private Markets Group team supporting both Private Equity and Infrastructure investment strategies. Reporting to Global Co-Heads and Senior Managing Directors of PMG, the Principal will provide high quality analysis, research and investment opinions pertaining to new investment opportunities and existing portfolio investments managed out of the Toronto office (focused on North America), as well as providing support and collaborating more broadly with PMG, including the teams in the London and Sydney offices.

In collaboration with the PMG team, the Principal will participate in all aspects of a deal from origination, identifying key drivers of returns and risk, due diligence, conducting qualitative and quantitative analysis, structuring, negotiating terms, preparing investment recommendations, asset management and exit.

Investment Selection, Due Diligence and Execution:

• Identifies investment opportunities, working collaboratively with other PMG investment professionals.

• Assists in the evaluation, structuring and negotiation of investment opportunities.

• Performs detailed due diligence in evaluating investment opportunities, including industry and business assessment, reviewing third party due diligence materials and reports, and preparation of detailed financial models and returns analysis.

• Prepares investment approval documents and actively participates in the investment decision-making process, including investment committee meetings.

• Liaises with key counterparties including advisers, lenders, and corporate representatives.

• Represents PMG in meetings with management teams, investment partners and external advisors.

Portfolio Management:

• Support existing investments, including the on-going management and monitoring of financial and operating performance, and assisting with strategic initiatives alongside investment partners and management teams.

• Preparing various internal and external documentation related to portfolio investments, including valuations, approvals and consents.

• Identifies and monitors new trends relevant to the existing PMG investment portfolio and areas of focus.

• Acts as key relationship contact with relevant counterparts at external investment partners and management teams.

What You Bring

• 2-4+ years of relevant experience, including advisory at a leading investment bank and/or principal investment at a private equity or infrastructure fund, pension fund or other financial sponsors

• Undergraduate degree in business, finance, mathematics, economics, or engineering, with additional designations/certifications valued but not required (e.g., MBA, CFA, CA/CPA, etc.)

• Demonstrated experience of applied investment and valuation analysis, with strong financial modelling skills

• Self-starter, proactive, excellent attention to detail, intellectual curiosity, highly numerate with genuine motivation and drive to learn the business

• Team-oriented and collaborative by nature with ability to build and maintain relationships, working closely and effectively with colleagues, management teams, partners, and other stakeholders

• Proven ability to multi-task, manage timelines and perform in a high-expectation, unstructured environment

• Effective oral and written communication and presentation skills required

• Proficient with Microsoft Office

• Availability for extensive travel is required

• Exemplify OPTrust values: collaboration and teamwork, integrity, respect, flexibility, excellence, and continuous improvement.

Please submit your application via Workday by April 7th, 2025.

Serving a membership as diverse as ours and investing in a global market means cultivating an environment that embraces inclusion, diversity, and equity in everything we do. OPTrust is an organization engaged in building on our unique and diverse strengths. We know a diversity of backgrounds, cultures, gender identities and perspectives are critical to achieving our shared goals.

If you require accommodation at any time during the recruitment process, please send a message to careers@optrust.com, or discuss your needs with the Talent Acquisition Consultant during the telephone screening. We will do our best to work with you and provide appropriate accommodation.

As an organization we’re seeking ways to respond to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada’s Call to Action 92. We are working with the Canadian Council for Indigenous Business to build bridges with Indigenous communities and partners, and we have created an employee-led Reconciliation Working Group that will work with Indigenous experts to identify a path to reconciliation for our organization.

We thank all interested applicants, however only those under consideration will be contacted.