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Principal, Private Markets Group

Principal, Private Markets Group

Department: Investments

Type: Permanent

Location: London, UK

Posting Date: August 7, 2025

At OPTrust, paying pensions today, preserving pensions for tomorrow is our mission and business.

When you choose OPTrust, you join a team of smart, talented people who fuel our success and have a passion for pensions. Everyone at OPTrust – in Toronto, London and Sydney – makes a meaningful impact. Our culture is driven by team members with different backgrounds and perspectives creating an inclusive and fulfilling place to work for everyone. We work in a fast-paced environment, but we find time to have fun and give back to the community.

What OPTrust Offers You

• Unique culture rooted in our core values – collaboration and teamwork, integrity, respect, flexibility, excellence and continuous improvement.

• A purpose-driven environment where we all work towards the common goal of paying pensions today and preserving pensions for tomorrow.

• Comprehensive benefits package as well as membership to a pension plan.

• A flexible, hybrid work model.

• A dedicated inclusion, diversity and equity strategy with meaningful opportunities to participate, including our employee-led resource groups.

• Professional development opportunities and learning initiatives including access to LinkedIn Learning, in-house speaker series, and professional association memberships, amongst other things.

• Competitive vacation package and time away from work such as work-life balance days.

If you strive for excellence and continuous improvement, value a collaborative and flexible team culture, and approach everything with integrity and respect, then we invite you to apply to join our team!

About OPTrust and The Private Markets Group

• With net assets of over C$26 billion, OPTrust invests and manages one of Canada’s largest pension funds and administers the OPSEU Pension Plan (including OPTrust Select), a defined benefit plan with over 114,000 members.

• OPTrust Private Markets Group (“PMG”) is a dedicated business unit within the Investment Division of OPTrust, responsible for managing the global Private Equity and Infrastructure portfolios with a long-term target allocation of approximately 30% of total pension assets, split evenly between the two asset classes. Today, PMG manages an investment portfolio with approximately C$10 billion of Net Asset Value, with significant diversification across investments, transaction types, sectors and geographies. PMG’s core tenets are middle-market focused, partnership oriented, highly flexible/creative investment approach, with an emphasis on downside protection. PMG has a global investment mandate with experienced investment professionals based in Toronto, London, and Sydney.

Why join the PMG London Team?

• Differentiated private markets team with a strong investment track record.

• Unique opportunity to work across both the private equity and infrastructure asset classes, invest across the entire risk-return spectrum and gain experience across a diverse set of transaction types/structures (ie. Primary fund investments, co-investments and direct investing).

• Opportunity for an immediate impact with significant runway for professional growth.

• Flexible investment mandate with substantial group autonomy and authority.

• Team-oriented environment with significant tenure across senior ranks.

What You’ll Do

• OPTrust is seeking a Principal candidate to be based in the London Office. This Principal will have a key role in the Private Markets Group team supporting both Private Equity and Infrastructure investment strategies. Reporting to PMG’s Head of Europe, the Principal will provide high quality analysis, research and investment opinions pertaining to new investment opportunities and existing portfolio investments managed out of the London office (focused on Europe), as well as providing support and collaborating more broadly with PMG, including the teams in the Toronto and Sydney offices.

• In collaboration with the PMG team, the Principal will participate in all aspects of a deal from origination, identifying key drivers of returns and risk, due diligence, conducting qualitative and quantitative analysis, structuring, negotiating terms, preparing investment recommendations, asset management and exit.

• Investment Selection, Due Diligence and Execution:

• Identify investment opportunities, working collaboratively with other PMG investment professionals.

• Assist in the evaluation, structuring and negotiation of investment opportunities.

• Perform detailed due diligence in evaluating investment opportunities, including industry and business assessment, review third party due diligence materials and reports, and prepare detailed financial models and returns analysis.

• Prepare investment approval documents and actively participate in the investment decision-making process, including investment committee meetings.

• Liaise with key counterparties including advisers, lenders, and corporate representatives.

• Represent PMG in meetings with management teams, investment partners and external advisors.

• Portfolio Management:

• Support existing investments, including the on-going management and monitoring of financial and operating performance, and assist with strategic initiatives alongside investment partners and management teams.

• Liaise with various internal teams and stakeholders (Ie. Legal, Tax, Finance, Risk, etc.) and collaborate on variety of tasks related to new investments and ongoing portfolio management.

• Prepare various internal and external documentation related to portfolio investments, including valuations, approvals and consents.

• Identify and monitor new trends relevant to the existing PMG investment portfolio and areas of focus.

• Act as key relationship contact with relevant counterparts at external investment partners and management teams.

What You Bring

• 2-4 years of relevant experience, including advisory at a leading investment bank and/or principal investment at a private equity or infrastructure fund, pension fund or other financial sponsors.

• Undergraduate degree is required, with additional designations/certifications valued but not required (e.g., MBA, CFA, CA/CPA, etc.).

• Demonstrated experience of applied investment and valuation analysis, with strong financial modelling skills.

• Self-starter, proactive, excellent attention to detail, intellectual curiosity, highly numerate with genuine motivation and drive to learn the business.

• Team-oriented and collaborative by nature with ability to build and maintain relationships, working closely and effectively with colleagues, management teams, partners, and other stakeholders.

• Proven ability to multi-task, manage timelines and perform in a high-expectation, unstructured environment.

• Effective oral and written communication and presentation skills required.

• Willingness and eagerness to learn and develop as an investment professional, including, but not limited to AI tools and programs.

• A second, European, language would be a benefit and availability for extensive travel is required.

• Exemplify OPTrust values: collaboration and teamwork, integrity, respect, flexibility, excellence, and continuous improvement.

Please submit your application via Workday by August 21, 2025.

Serving a membership as diverse as ours and investing in a global market means cultivating an environment that embraces inclusion, diversity, and equity in everything we do. OPTrust is an organization engaged in building on our unique and diverse strengths. We know a diversity of backgrounds, cultures, gender identities and perspectives are critical to achieving our shared goals.

If you require accommodation at any time during the recruitment process, please send a message to careers@optrust.com , or discuss your needs with the Talent Acquisition Consultant during the telephone screening. We will do our best to work with you and provide appropriate accommodation.

As an organization we’re seeking ways to respond to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada’s Call to Action 92. We are working with the Canadian Council for Indigenous Business to build bridges with Indigenous communities and partners, and we have created an employee-led Reconciliation Working Group that will work with Indigenous experts to identify a path to reconciliation for our organization.

We thank all interested applicants, however only those under consideration will be contacted.

About Us

With net assets of over $26 billion, OPTrust invests and manages one of Canada's largest pension funds and administers the OPSEU Pension Plan (including OPTrust Select), a defined benefit plan with over 114,000 members. OPTrust was established to give plan members and the Government of Ontario an equal voice in the administration of the Plan and the investment of its assets through joint trusteeship. OPTrust is governed by a 10-member Board of Trustees, five of whom are appointed by OPSEU/SEFPO and five by the Government of Ontario.