Assistant Vice President, Alternatives Research

at  Wilshire Advisors LLC

Company Description
As part of the Wilshire family, you can rest assured that every day you are contributing to an organization that is helping investors improve their financial outcomes. For more than 50 years, Wilshire has been dedicated to providing customized portfolio solutions grounded in research and powered by next generation technologies.
Wilshire advises on over $1 trillion in assets for some of the world’s largest and most sophisticated institutional investors and is headquartered in the United States with offices worldwide.
Wilshire’s Alternatives Research Group advises on more than $60 billion of assets across alternatives investment types, strategies, and geographies. We have a global perspective on the alternatives market with worldwide research capabilities and a major international client base. Both global and regional mandates are structured to meet client investment objectives. Today there are approximately 45 professionals in alternatives research working in five locations: Santa Monica (Western US), Pittsburgh (Eastern US), Chicago (Midwest US), Amsterdam (Europe), and Hong Kong (Asia/Pacific).
Job Description

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree
• Minimum 5 years of experience in the private equity industry
• Excellent analytical skills (both quantitative and qualitative); training from a recognized investment bank or management consulting firm is preferred
• Strong business and investment acumen
• Proven execution experience
• Strong institutional relationships in North America
• A self-starter who is independent and results-oriented
• Strong verbal and written communication skills - the ability to present ideas with precision and conviction
• A passion for excellence
• An entrepreneurial bent and a “roll-up-the-sleeves” orientation
• Organized, thorough and detail-oriented
• A natural team-oriented individual who can provide leadership to the North American team and mentorship to its investment professionals and staff
• Must be comfortable with travel which can be extensive at times
• Easygoing and able to work well with different personality types and with colleagues – junior and senior - across functions and global geographies
• A high degree of integrity and professionalism
• MBA or CFA preferre

Wilshire is seeking to recruit an investment professional to help lead research and due diligence efforts across all Alternatives segments with an emphasis on private markets (private equity, private credit, real assets) in North America. Familiarity with marketable alternatives (liquid alternatives, hedge funds) is a plus but not required. The individual will be responsible for developing and maintaining deep relationships with private fund managers across the region, as well as creating access to top-tier managers. The individual will act as a key member of both regional and global deal teams, leading due diligence efforts for both fund investments and transactions (co-investments & secondaries). The individual will also monitor existing and new portfolio commitments, including attending Annual Meetings, Advisory Board meetings, quarterly reviews of underlying portfolio companies, monitoring of LPA amendments, etc. The individual will help manage the North American team including the Analyst / Associate pool in staffing, deal execution, and development.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree
• Minimum 5 years of experience in the private equity industry
• Excellent analytical skills (both quantitative and qualitative); training from a recognized investment bank or management consulting firm is preferred
• Strong business and investment acumen
• Proven execution experience
• Strong institutional relationships in North America
• A self-starter who is independent and results-oriented
• Strong verbal and written communication skills - the ability to present ideas with precision and conviction
• A passion for excellence
• An entrepreneurial bent and a “roll-up-the-sleeves” orientation
• Organized, thorough and detail-oriented
• A natural team-oriented individual who can provide leadership to the North American team and mentorship to its investment professionals and staff
• Must be comfortable with travel which can be extensive at times
• Easygoing and able to work well with different personality types and with colleagues – junior and senior - across functions and global geographies
• A high degree of integrity and professionalism
• MBA or CFA preferred