Impact Investment Analyst

About the position Laird Norton Wetherby (LNW) is seeking a full-time Impact Investment Analyst to join our team. Nature of the Role As part of the 10-person Investment Team, the Impact Investment Analyst position supports the Chief Impact Officer; Chief Investment Officer; Director, Private Equity Strategies; Portfolio Management & Investment Committee (PMIC); as well as our clients and internal client facing professionals. This position combines investment research, asset allocation, and portfolio/risk management skills, with a focus on researching and underwriting private impact investment strategies (i.e., impact private equity, venture capital, etc.) as well as impact-first, catalytic investment strategies across alternative asset classes. The Analyst is expected to source and diligence impact investment strategy ideas, monitor existing portfolio investments, maintain domain expertise in the private impact markets, build and maintain strong relationships within the impact investing industry, contribute to portfolio and risk management efforts, and work closely with Client Service colleagues and external clients.

Responsibilities

• Source and lead the diligence of impact private investment strategies which may be new to portfolios, or upgrades to existing investments, with a focus on thematic impact investing opportunities.
• Conduct and complete searches and due diligence on a timely basis. Searches will include analyzing and forming opinions on both the quantitative and qualitative aspects of investment firms’ strategies and the firms that manage them. Searches and idea generation will come from identifying and utilizing the proper databases and analytical tools as well as the Investment Analyst’s industry relationships.
• Evaluate how private capital managers integrate environmental, social and governance considerations in their investment processes and, for thematic impact strategies, how they report on impact outputs and outcomes.
• Shepherd investment recommendations through the due diligence process ending with presenting a formal recommendation to the PMIC.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with third party asset managers and as well as LNW’s network of industry contacts.
• Research and maintain a continuous understanding of relevant asset class dynamics and be a contributor to the firm’s asset allocation, portfolio construction, risk management and capital market update processes.
• In partnership with the Director, Private Equity Strategies, develop a clear, understandable process for decision-making within private markets, supported by relevant and maintainable indicators.
• In partnership with the Director, Private Equity Strategies, produce and maintain updated expected return estimates for private markets.
• In partnership with the Director, Private Equity Strategies, monitor the current macroeconomic environment, near-term trends, and asset class metrics including fundamentals, valuation, sentiment and liquidity factors.
• Provide formal firm-wide quarterly reviews (written and verbal) of investment performance and attribution for the Investment Analyst’s coverage universe and contribute to as well as the Investment Team’s macro-economic updates.
• Participate in client meetings as requested.
• Create internal investment communication and client-friendly investment-related publications as needed.
• Participate in PMIC meetings as needed in support of specific conversations.

Requirements

• Have at least 7 years of relevant experience in the private capital markets and in impact investing and manager research/capital allocation, with a relevant industry network
• Display excellent organizational, analytical, critical thinking, communication and social skills, and take immediate ownership of your work
• Ability to work with others and resourcefulness in navigating an organization
• Possess a strong work ethic and are a standout colleague
• Exhibit intellectual curiosity
• Strong presentation skills and comfort with client-facing interactions
• Demonstrate proficiency of Microsoft Office suite (with an emphasis on Excel)
• Strong computing skills and the ability to parse, process, and analyze large datasets

Nice-to-haves

• Experience with Morningstar Direct, Bloomberg, Evestment, Preqin, Cobalt is a plus
• Experience with programming languages, databases and tools; knowledge of Python is a plus
• Higher degree, i.e. MBA or similar, or participation in CFA program is a plus

Benefits

• We provide a competitive salary commensurate with your experience and skills and offer an annual bonus program based on company and individual success, business development incentives and company equity opportunities.
• We offer excellent benefits including medical, dental and vision coverage, generous time off, flexible spending plans for health care and dependent care, 401(k) plan, educational reimbursements.

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