Finance & Banking Associate, Corporate Finance

Shore Search Partners (“SSP”), a strategy within Shore Capital Partners, is seeking an Investment Associate to support the evaluation, underwriting, execution and monitoring of lower middle‑market investments via search funds and independent sponsor structures. Search funds (or “Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition,” “ETA,” or “searches”) are formed by 1–2 individuals seeking to acquire and operate a lower middle‑market company. Within SSP, there is a particular emphasis on roll‑up initiation, supporting entrepreneurs who are pursuing buy‑and‑build strategies rather than solely traditional single‑asset searches.

In the Associate role, responsibilities center on evaluating, underwriting, and executing lower middle‑market roll‑up opportunities—both those sourced through searchers and those identified independently in the open market.

SSP sits at the intersection of traditional private equity and Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition (ETA). The Associate role reflects this blend, combining a high volume of deals and fast decision‑making cycles with meaningful, direct engagement alongside searchers who are often preparing to become CEOs of acquired companies and platform investments. This position requires independent ownership of analysis, disciplined underwriting judgment, and the ability to form defensible investment recommendations in fast‑moving situations, with limited information and time.

Associates report to the Vice President, work closely with Partners and maintain clear ownership of both their own work and the output of supporting junior team members. Performance is measured by execution reliability (quality and timeliness), sound judgment, and clarity of thought.

The Associate supports each stage of the investment process, including opportunity evaluation, industry and market analysis, financial modeling and underwriting, due diligence, investment committee materials preparation, and transaction execution. The role also involves coordinating Shore resources to support searchers and portfolio companies, contributing to deal structuring activities, and helping drive roll‑up initiatives from initial thesis through closing.

Shore Capital Partners (“SCP” or “Shore”) is a leading lower middle‑market private equity firm based in Chicago, IL. SCP proactively seeks to identify attractive industry niches within healthcare, business services, food & beverage, and industrials, recruit best‑in‑class board members, invest in companies poised for transformational growth, and deliver post‑investment services and operational expertise to drive equity value creation. SCP has ~$14B in assets under management, with 84 platform investments, 1,100+ add‑on investments and 22 successful exits.

Shore’s exits have yielded a multiple of invested capital of 6.4x and an internal rate of return of ~58% on average, placing it in the top 1% of private equity firms by returns.

SSP is a newer strategy within the Shore ecosystem and is led by Michael Aubrey, Cale Werder, Cameron Perkins, Jacob Balley, Cyrus Hessabi, and Pedro Russell with long‑term runway and scaling. The role has the potential for upward mobility and professional growth within Shore Search Partners. For more information, please visit the website here.

• Own financial modeling and returns analyses for new platform and add‑on acquisitions and validate key assumptions driving investment outcomes
• Assess key value drivers, investment risks, value creation levers, and gating issues, synthesizing financial and qualitative factors into a clear investment view
• Evaluate fragmented industries and roll‑up theses, including consolidation dynamics, competitive positioning, demand drivers and structural risks, directing market research efforts to validate assumptions
• Identify key due diligence plan priorities, questions and frameworks for addressing core diligence gaps to validate conviction (or lack thereof) at pace
• Develop and present structured investment recommendations to senior leadership and investment committee, clearly articulating merits, risks and key decision drivers, through polished and…