Impact Investment Analyst

LOCATION:

SAN FRANCISCO, CA OR SEATTLE, WA

Laird Norton Wetherby (LNW) is seeking a full‑time Impact Investment Analyst to join our team.

As part of the 10‑person Investment Team, the Impact Investment Analyst position supports the Chief Impact Officer, Chief Investment Officer, Director of Private Equity Strategies, Portfolio Management & Investment Committee (PMIC), as well as our clients and internal client‑facing professionals. This role combines investment research, asset allocation, and portfolio and risk‑management skills, with a focus on researching and Orion private impact investment strategies (impact private equity, venture capital, etc.)

and impact‑first, catalytic investment strategies across alternative asset classes. The Analyst is expected to source and diligently evaluate 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.

• Source and lead the due diligence of impact private investment strategies that may be new to portfolios or upgrades to existing investments, focusing on thematic impact‑investing opportunities.
• Conduct and complete searches and due diligence on a timely basis; analyze and form opinions on both the quantitative and qualitative aspects of investment firms’ strategies and the firms that manage them.
• 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 LNW’s network of industry contacts.
• Research and maintain a continuous understanding of relevant asset‑class dynamics and contribute to the firm’s asset allocation, portfolio construction, risk management, and capital‑market update processes.
• In partnership with the Director of 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 of Private Equity Strategies, produce and maintain updated expected‑return estimates for private markets.
• In partnership with the Director of Private Equity Strategies, monitor the current macro‑economic 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 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.

• Have at least 7 years of relevant experience in 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.
• Be able to work with others and show resourcefulness in navigating an organization.
• Possess a strong work ethic and stand out as a colleague.
• Exhibit intellectual curiosity.
• Have strong presentation skills and comfort with client‑facing interactions.
• Demonstrate proficiency in Microsoft Office suite (with an emphasis on Excel).
• Experience with Morningstar Direct, Bloomberg, Evestment, Preqin, Cobalt is a plus.
• Have strong computing skills and the ability to parse, process, and analyze large datasets.
• Experience with programming languages, databases, and tools; knowledge of Python is a…