Research Associate

The Opportunity

We are working on behalf of a fast-growing, investment-led corporate finance advisory firm that is redefining how advisory services are delivered to high-growth businesses across marketing, technology, and data sectors.

The firm operates as a strategic partner to founders throughout the full business lifecycle —from early-stage capital raising through to exit. With a strong focus on judgement, timing,and long-term value creation, they combine traditional corporate finance expertise with AI-driven infrastructure to enhance decision-making and execution.

With an international footprint and a senior-led model, the business integrates capital strategy, embedded corporate development, and advanced intelligence systems to deliver high-quality outcomes across multiple stages of growth.

The Role

This is not a traditional analyst position.

The Research Associate will play a central role in building and managing the firm’s AI-powered research, knowledge, and execution infrastructure, while also supporting live and fundraising mandates.

The role sits at the intersection of:

• Corporate finance execution
• Investor intelligence
• Knowledge management
• AI workflow development
• Outreach and pipeline coordination

This is a systems-driven role focused on scaling capability through structured processes and intelligent infrastructure — not just increasing headcount.

Key Responsibilities

Knowledge Management & AI Insight Platform

• Develop and manage the firm’s AI-powered knowledge and intelligence platform
• Design and refine AI agents to automate research workflows, investor intelligence gathering, comparable analysis, and document production
• Translate raw data into clear, decision-ready insights
• Build and maintain structured internal knowledge systems (playbooks, templates, outreach strategies, internal documentation)
• Implement version control and retention policies
• Produce weekly intelligence briefings covering investor activity, sector trends, and pipeline updates

Research & Investor Intelligence

• Build and maintain a comprehensive investor and strategic buyer intelligence library, including:
  • Investment strategy and sector focus
  • Ticket sizes and stage preferences
  • Recent transactions
  • Key decision-makers and structures
  • Allocation timing and constraints
• Develop sector research and thematic insights to support origination and pitch materials
• Conduct primary and secondary research to identify relevant investors and buyers
• Generate longlists and shortlists for live mandates

Outreach & Pipeline Coordination

• Design and execute targeted outreach campaigns for both fundraising and sell-side processes (list building → sequencing → reporting → follow-up)
• Maintain and optimise outreach trackers and pipeline management systems
• Improve engagement and conversion through refined messaging and sequencing strategies
• Collaborate closely with senior stakeholders to align outreach with mandate strategy

Tools & Data Infrastructure

• Own and manage the firm’s PitchBook subscription as the internal subject matter expert (including list building, templates, training, and supplier management)
• Oversee integrations between research tools and CRM systems
• Produce rapid insight outputs (cap tables, ownership structures, funding histories)
• Support creation of high-quality client materials, including one-pagers and presentations

CRM & Execution Support

• Act as CRM owner, ensuring clean, structured, and actionable data
• Support transaction execution through:
  • Comparable transaction analysis
  • Briefing materials
  • Pitch documentation
  • Due diligence packs
  • Management meeting preparation

Essential Skills, Experience & Qualifications

• 1–3 years’ experience in corporate finance, consulting, strategy, or transaction- related research
• Strong commercial research and analytical capability
• Experience with private markets data platforms (e.g. PitchBook, Capital IQ)
• CRM experience (e.g. Salesforce, HubSpot, Affinity)
• Advanced Excel and PowerPoint skills
• Excellent written communication skills
• Demonstrable interest in AI tools and integrating them into workflows

Desirable

• Exposure to fundraising or investor engagement processes
• Experience with automation tools or API integrations (e.g. CRM syncs, Zapier)
• Basic data handling or SQL knowledge