Private Equity Senior Associate

CSC Generation is the AI-native holding company re-engineering omni-channel retail. We acquire iconic brands and transform them with Genesis—our operating platform unifying a Data Fabric, Automation Engine, proprietary tools, and shared services—to modernize operations, elevate customer experience, and expand margins. With $1B+ in revenue across 13 brands, our portfolio includes Sur La Table, Backcountry, One Kings Lane, and more—premier home and outdoor banners that double as real-world innovation hubs. CSC Generation continues to grow through M&A, revitalizing companies with strong brand recognition and loyal customers. 

Reports to: Director of Corporate Development 

Location: Austin, TX (Hybrid); Salt Lake City, UT (Hybrid - 3x/week in-office); Los Angeles, CA (Hybrid); Toronto, ON (Hybrid)

About the Role

CSC Generation continues to grow through M&A, acquiring and revitalizing consumer and retail brands with strong recognition and loyal customers. The Investments team needs a senior individual contributor who can own critical workstreams across sourcing, diligence, execution, and portfolio value creation.

As Private Equity Senior Associate, you will evaluate and execute acquisitions spanning carve-outs, distressed, and special situations while partnering with functional leaders across merchandising, supply chain, digital, finance, and data/AI to drive post-acquisition performance. Within your first six months, you will have led workstreams on live deals, contributed to investment committee materials, and helped launch value-creation roadmaps for newly acquired brands.

This is a lean team. You will own a lot, move fast, and make decisions with full end-to-end responsibility.

What You'll Do

Investment Analysis & Evaluation

• Screen inbound and proprietary opportunities across consumer, retail, ecommerce, and related sectors.
• Build and refine LBO and returns models, including sensitivity analysis by channel, store fleet, and digital KPIs.
• Lead market and competitive research to size opportunities and benchmark category performance.
• Develop sector theses (e.g., omnichannel retail, outdoor & sporting goods, home, specialty consumer) and maintain target lists.

Diligence & Transaction Execution

• Own day-to-day workstreams on live deals: data requests, model builds, Q&A, and coordination with internal teams and external advisors.
• Analyze historical and projected financial performance, working capital, unit economics, and store/SKU productivity.
• Partner with CSC's functional leaders (merchandising, supply chain, digital, finance, data/AI) to run operational and technology due diligence.
• Draft investment committee materials: investment thesis, value-creation plan, risks/mitigants, and exit scenarios.
• Support negotiation of key business terms, including structure, earn-outs, and go-forward management incentives.

Portfolio Value Creation & Monitoring

• Help launch 100-day plans and multi-year value-creation roadmaps for newly acquired brands.
• Track portfolio performance through dashboards and monthly reviews; flag variances and assist operators in course correction.
• Support initiatives such as pricing and promotion optimization, channel mix improvements, merchandising strategy, store fleet rationalization, and SG&A efficiency.
• Work with CSC's AI and analytics teams to embed automation and data-driven decision-making into portfolio operations.

Firm Building & Leadership

• Mentor and develop deal team members on modeling, research, and communication.
• Contribute to internal tools, playbooks, and templates that enhance the investment and operating approach.

Required Qualifications

• 4–7 years of total professional experience, including 2+ years in investment banking, management consulting, or restructuring/special situations advisory and 2+ years in private equity, special situations, or principal investing.
• Advanced financial modeling skills: full LBOs, operating models, returns analysis, and debt sizing.
• Strong command of accounting, cash flows, and capital structures; comfortable evaluating lender viewpoints.
• Ability to turn incomplete or messy data into clear insights and recommendations.
• Meaningful experience running workstreams on live deals (diligence, QofE, legal docs, financing, or integration planning).
• Strong communication skills with the ability to work directly with senior executives and advisors.
• High proficiency in Excel and PowerPoint.
• Comfort operating in lean teams with high ownership and ambiguity.
• Willingness