THE COMPANY

Our client is a global alternative asset manager.

THE POSITION

This role will affect significant change and value creation across several of the firm’s portfolio companies across various industry sectors at any given time. The Principal will help deal teams identify value creation levers to improve EBITDA and lead to annual margin expansion through operational and SG&A cost efficiency as well as increased top-line growth from improved commercial productivity. The Principal will examine and implement new organizational design and structure, outsourcing, offshoring, process automation, facility consolidation and project funnel optimization as well as other methods that might be specific to an industry sector or portfolio company.

The OpEx Principal will spearhead the discovery and deployment of high ROI AI/ML solutions – partnering with deal teams during diligence, then leading execution alongside portfolio leadership to deliver tangible P&L impact.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Be a thought partner and hands-on resource to investment professionals on key operational questions at all phases of a deal, from diligence through exit.
• Be accountable for creating a sense of urgency with portfolio company management teams and influencing senior executives to embrace and drive value-creation activities to achieve results.
• Lead major projects focused on driving operational excellence/margin expansion in selected portfolio companies as part of a larger value creation effort. Coordinate with all stakeholders and portfolio company management teams.
• Lead major projects related to commercial excellence and revenue enhancement, including go-to-market realignment, price management and price leakage optimization and other revenue enhancing productivity improvements.
• Architect AI-enabled cost-take-out. Stand-up rapid sprints during diligence and early ownership to quantify margin-expansion opportunities using AI/ML (e.g., predictive maintenance, price-leakage analytics, dynamic staffing models), then translate findings into value-creation plans.
• Build a reusable toolkit (data pipelines, ROI calculators, change-management templates) that accelerates AI deployment across multiple portfolio companies.
• Bridge data scientists, operators and C-suite leaders –using high EQ and sharp P&L fluency – to turn algorithms into clear financial outcomes.

POSITION REQUIREMENTS:

• Ten-plus years of relevant work experience, of which at least five-plus years include either management consulting or in an operational role in a corporate setting. Operating experience within a private equity firm is a major plus.
• High EQ and experience building strong working relationships with both investment teams and portfolio company senior management teams is critical. The ability to successfully influence those teams to embrace and drive change is an added plus.
• Ability to command management’s attention in areas of content expertise. Strong experience in building and managing cost / operational optimization and margin improvement programs in positions of increasing responsibility. Strong oral and written communications.
• Demonstrated knowledge of asset-intensive operations (e.g., manufacturing, retail, airlines) and their end-to-end supply chain challenges and opportunities. Working knowledge of Lean management tools and the application of Lean in a business context also a plus.
• Capable of developing unique analyses and tools by deploying AI and other tools to improve speed and depth / quality of insight.
• Thrives in fast-moving, ambiguous environments; comfortable traveling ~50%, mostly within the U.S, and flexing between strategy and hands-on execution.