Vice President, Private Equity Secondaries

Description

 The Vice President will be a key leader on HighVista's GP-Led Secondaries team, responsible for driving deal origination, leading transaction execution, and building the infrastructure needed to scale a best-in-class strategy. This individual will have a high degree of ownership across the deal lifecycle — from proactive GP relationship development and initial opportunity screening through full underwriting, IC presentation, and portfolio oversight. 

The VP will work directly with the team's leadership and serve as a relationship manager for a defined coverage universe of lower middle market sponsors. This is a pivotal role in a nascent, high-conviction strategy at a firm with significant institutional backing, a sophisticated LP base, and a strong cultural orientation toward rigorous, independent thinking. The ideal candidate is a seasoned private equity or secondaries investor who is energized by the prospect of building something from the ground up. 

Key Responsibilities: 

1. Deal Leadership & Execution: Lead end-to-end execution of GP-led secondary transactions, including single-asset continuation vehicles, managing all workstreams from initial evaluation through signing and closing. Lead financial modeling and valuation work and provide oversight and quality control of Associate-level model output 
2. Sourcing & Relationship Management: Own a defined origination territory across lower middle market GP relationships, proactively cultivating primary fund relationships, co-investment partnerships, and continuation vehicle deal flow with sponsors in HighVista's target market 
3. Investment Committee (IC) Engagement: Prepare and present investment committee materials with a high standard of clarity, intellectual rigor, and analytical depth; manage the IC process from initial screening memos through formal approval 
4. Transaction Structuring: Oversee legal due diligence in partnership with external counsel — managing LPA reviews, SPA negotiations, regulatory analysis, and closing condition tracking 

Requirements

 

Qualifications 

1. 6–10 years of total experience in private equity, secondaries, or investment banking, with at least 3 years in a direct investing capacity focused on GP-led transactions, continuation vehicles, or lower middle market buyouts 
2. Established track record of sourcing, evaluating, and executing GP-led secondary transactions or lower middle market private equity investments from initial screen through closing 
3. Deep familiarity with GP-led transaction structures including single-asset and multi-asset continuation vehicles, tender offers, structured liquidity facilities, and stapled primary arrangements 
4. Strong existing relationships with lower middle market private equity sponsors, placement agents, and GP-led transaction advisors; demonstrated ability to translate sponsor trust into deal flow 
5. Expert-level financial modeling capability across LBO, DCF, NAV-based pricing, and secondary return frameworks; ability to think critically about entry pricing, return assumptions, and downside scenarios 
6. Demonstrated judgment in assessing business quality in small-cap and lower middle market contexts — ability to evaluate management teams, competitive moats, revenue visibility, and exit optionality for businesses 
7. Strong negotiating skills and practical knowledge of secondary transaction legal documentation, including SPA structures, reps and warranties, etc. 
8. Experience managing junior investment professionals; a genuine interest in team leadership, mentorship, and building institutional investment culture