Job Opportunity

VP – Direct Co-investment Product Specialist

HarbourVest | Boston, MA

Job Summary

Play a meaningful role in strategy development, content creation, and client/prospect engagement. Strong academic and professional credentials. 5+ years of investment or product roles with a client-service orientation.

Details

HarbourVest is seeking to hire a Product Specialist to work exclusively with the firm’s established Direct Investment team. The Product Specialist will sit within the Direct investment team and report to the current Principal Product Specialist covering the firm’s Direct Co-Investment strategy. The position will also entail working closely with the Managing Directors of the Direct investment team. This individual will be the liaison between the Investment and Investor Relations teams and will seek to optimally position the Direct platform with HarbourVest’s existing LPs, prospective LPs and the consultant community.

The Product Specialist is responsible for all aspects of product management including, but not limited to, educating and engaging with the global Investor Relations team and other internal stakeholders; presenting to clients, consultants and prospects; performing in‐depth competitive analysis; supporting product development efforts; overseeing all aspects of creating and maintaining investment marketing materials; and reviewing performance composites.

As a Vice President, this individual will be expected to play a meaningful role in strategy development, content creation, and client/prospect engagement. He/she will be an integral part of the Direct team, and must bring a diversified skill set to not only address clients’ needs around Direct investing, but also to better equip the HarbourVest organization on its overall strategies and capabilities. This individual will be relied upon to articulate a thoughtful and compelling story that showcases the depth of knowledge on Direct investing as well as HarbourVest’s competitive advantages. Relationship management skills are a must as the Product Specialist will need to partner closely with fellow HarbourVest investment and capital raising professionals, as well as externally with LPs and Consultants. Equally important are investment and analytical acumen; understanding of Direct co-investments; product management / development capabilities; and exceptional written and oral communications skills. Lastly, while this individual may not necessarily be an investor relations or sales professional, general sales and client service skills will be a plus.

Responsibilities (% of Time):

Product Development: 20%
* Under the guidance of the Product Champion and current Principal Product Specialist, support all aspects of HarbourVest’s Direct fund launch process with support from the Investment Team, Product Development Team, Legal and Marketing
* Work with a cross‐functional team composed of Legal, Client Relations, Marketing, Tax, and Compliance
* Develop and execute market research and testing
* Outline communications plan and strategy
* Create legal and marketing materials

Content Creation and Quality: 15%
* In conjunction with Marketing and/or Custom Solutions teams, develop, produce and update materials including presentations and factsheets for comingled fund products and separately managed account opportunities
* In conjunction with the Marketing and Product Specialist teams, create content for external webcasts and teach-ins to help guide conversations between launches
* Proactively respond to feedback from the IR team by developing new product marketing collateral, presentations, communications, and tools that meet the needs of IR in order to capitalize on business opportunities
* Develop and maintain internal sales support tools including talking points and frequently asked questions (FAQs)
* Review RFPs and collateral to ensure the quality of submissions to clients and to prospects
* Enhance current RFP language and presentation collateral in order to strengthen the HarbourVest brand and value proposition to investors by adding new content to internal documents and content repositories RocketDocs and Seismic
* Develop procedures to improve the efficiency of the RFP process, as well as the quality and clarity of RFP submissions

Prospecting: 15%
* Educate the global Investor Relations team on the direct offering and HarbourVest’s market positioning
* Manage the prospect pipeline
* Partner with the Investor Relations team to build prospective client targets and sales plans

Selling & Diligence: 20%
* Serve as the main point of contact for the Investor Relations teams to arrange calls/meetings, manage follow‐ups, demonstrate deep investment knowledge, identify and address concerns, and provide guidance through diligence
* Partner with Investor Relations and senior Direct Investment staff to deliver product presentations to clients, consultants and prospects
* Support all aspects of developing and maintaining investment marketing and client materials under the guidance of the Product Champion and current Principal Product Specialist

Closings: 10%
* Partner with the Client Onboarding and Legal & Compliance teams with guidance from the Product Champion and current Principal Product Specialist
* Drive timely execution of all legal documentation
* Address concerns and provide client updates
* Finalize closing dates and client allocations

Client Engagement, Reporting, and Inquiries: 20%
* Create and maintain relevant content on the Direct co-investment market opportunity and product offering that can be leveraged across multiple channels, both internally and externally
* Partner with the Investor Relations, Client Experience and Portfolio Operations teams to provide fundraising updates, portfolio updates and responses to data requests
* Serve as the key point of contact for existing LPs on the current portfolio and existing investments
* Engage with clients and prospects in discussions regarding broad market conditions, together with senior Direct Investment staff
* Provide ongoing client service and support to LPs regarding market insights and investment activity
* Partner with Investor Relations, Product Champion and current Principal Product Specialist to continuously update and prepare prospects and consultants for the next fund raise
* Participation in the Direct Investment Committees and internal portfolio reviews

Education:

* MBA and/or CFA preferred, but not required
* Strong academic and professional credentials, analytical and organized with a detail orientation

Work Experience:

* 5-7+ years of investment or product roles with a client service orientation

Skills and Abilities:

* Extremely high level of maturity and ability to multitask with little supervision
* Thorough understanding of private markets and LP-GP relationships within private markets
* Deep understanding of the investment process
* Strong knowledge of quantitative investment measurements and statistical tools
* Strong ability to analyze, interpret and translate performance attribution reports into written commentary
* Strong relationship skills, both internally and externally
* Proven interpersonal and consultative communication skills with well-developed presentation skills
* Entrepreneurial mindset, with the ability to be nimble and work without a playbook
* Strong work ethic, intellectual honesty and curiosity
* Exhibit passion about the markets, challenge the status quo, form opinions as well as initiate stimulating discussions around market developments and the implications to clients and the firm
* Ability to work well with a variety of people at all levels of the organization across all global locations
* Desire for travel

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  • Min Experience: 5 years