Director of Origination (Private Markets & Special Situations)

Position Title: Director of Origination Private Markets & Special Situations
Location: Remote / Hybrid
Reports To: Managing Partner / Head of Investments
Compensation: Market-driven deferred salary, performance-linked incentives, and equity participation
Search Mandate: Yorktown Search Partners is conducting a confidential executive search on behalf of a private client operating in the alternative investments and private markets space.

Role Overview

Yorktown Search Partners has been retained to identify a Director of Origination for a confidential client-an entrepreneurial investment and advisory platform focused on off-market opportunities across aviation, infrastructure, energy, and special situations. The firm blends a merchant banking approach with operational insight and patient capital to unlock value in sectors overlooked by traditional private equity.

This is a partner-track leadership opportunity for a commercial investor with a proven ability to identify and initiate compelling investment theses. The successful candidate will drive proprietary deal flow, build long-term sourcing networks, and shape the firms investment pipeline with high-conviction opportunities that reflect deep market understanding and sector foresight.

Compensation includes a market-driven deferred salary, performance incentives, and meaningful equity ownership, aligning directly with long-term platform value creation.

Key Responsibilities

Deal Origination & Relationship Building

• Proactively source proprietary, off-market transactions across sectors such as aviation services, logistics, energy services, infrastructure, and industrial carve-outs
• Develop and maintain deep networks of operators, intermediaries, family offices, and restructuring professionals
• Create sector-specific sourcing maps and identify high-conviction investment angles based on market dislocations, succession dynamics, or strategic repositioning

Diligence & Investment Preparation

• Lead early-stage due diligence including strategic analysis, financial modeling, and initial risk assessment
• Collaborate with deal teams on investment memos and internal IC presentations
• Structure transactions at the pre-LOI and term sheet stage, working closely with legal and capital markets colleagues

Market Intelligence & Thematic Research

• Maintain thematic watchlists, investment screens, and proprietary sector datasets
• Track private markets trends, distressed signals, and regulatory shifts affecting investment timing
• Publish internal perspectives and pipeline guidance to influence platform direction and syndication strategy

Execution Support & Syndication Coordination

• Support transaction execution through collaboration with diligence, legal, and operational teams
• Interface with co-investors, family offices, and syndicate partners to align capital and execution strategy
• Contribute to platform brand building through insights, investment narratives, and sector leadership

Ideal Candidate Profile

• 7-12+ years of experience in investment banking, private equity, special situations, or infrastructure investing
• Demonstrated track record of sourcing and closing proprietary deals in complex or capital-intensive sectors
• Commercial mindset and ability to uncover and develop underfollowed opportunities from scratch
• Strong financial and strategic instincts, with a comfort level in ambiguous and early-stage environments
• Global awareness and familiarity with North American and emerging market private capital dynamics
• Self-starter with a founders mentality and a long-term approach to building investment value

Ideal First Hire

The Director of Origination is expected to begin building a sourcing and intelligence team, starting with a Senior Analyst Special Situations. This hire should be a high-output, research-driven junior with prior investment banking or buyside experience and strong hustle.

Compensation & Alignment

This is a principal-level leadership role with long-term value alignment at its core. The role is structured around a market-driven deferred salary, equity participation, and performance-based incentives tied to origination success and firm-level growth. The compensation model rewards early traction, strategic insight, and long-term deal execution.