Adams Street Partners (“Adams Street”) is a global private markets investment manager that has $65 billion in assets under management. The firm is 100% employee-owned, which fosters a positive and unique culture of collaboration, intellectual rigor, integrity, and a commitment to professional development. For the eighth year in a row, Adams Street was named one of Pension & Investments’ Best Places to Work in Money Management in 2025.
Employees operate as a single global team, integrating the expertise of the firm’s investment professionals across five strategies: primary investments, secondary investments, growth equity, private credit, and co-investments. Adams Street is considered a private markets pioneer and was inducted into the Private Equity Hall of Fame in 2000.
The firm was founded more than 50 years ago, and clients include leading public and corporate pension plans, foundations, endowments, insurance companies, registered investment advisors, and high net worth individuals worldwide.
Adams Street has offices in Abu Dhabi, Austin, Beijing, Boston, Chicago, Hong Kong, London, Munich, Menlo Park, New York, Seoul, Singapore, Sydney, Tokyo and Toronto.
About the Secondary Investment Team
Adams Street’s secondary investment team consists of 16 professionals globally. To date, Adams Street has closed on over 300 secondary transactions, ranging from traditional acquisitions of limited partnership interests from other private equity fund investors (LP-led transactions) to more complex, structured acquisitions of portfolios of direct company interests and creative liquidity solutions to fund managers (GP-led transactions).
It manages over $8 billion, currently investing its eighth dedicated secondary fund as well as capital from multiple other Adams Street funds of funds and separately managed accounts. The team’s leveraging of the firm’s unique knowledge base and relationships across private markets and its disciplined and balanced approach to investing have generated exceptional long-term returns that have outperformed private equity industry benchmarks on a consistent basis.
Responsibilities:
The Secondary Investment Associate is responsible for analyzing, modeling, and monitoring investment opportunities. The position offers a deal-oriented, high-responsibility role exposed to the full array of private markets subclasses, including buyout, venture capital, and credit funds across all industries and in both developed and emerging markets. Secondary Associates are deeply involved in the development of cash flow models, investment theses, and various risk analyses. This role will be based in our Chicago office.
Specifically, the individual will be involved with and responsible for:
Performing quantitative analysis, including LBO, fund, and transaction modeling
Conducting market and company research
Participating in due diligence calls with GPs, management, and sellers
Assisting in all aspects of the transaction, including deal selection, pricing analysis, and execution
Assisting in all transaction documentation and presentations to investment committee
Developing and maintaining proprietary deal and market intelligence
Performing deal monitoring analysis
Supporting in strategic team and firm initiatives
Candidate Requirements:
We seek an individual who is self-disciplined, demonstrates creative thinking and has the following characteristics:
Graduated from a top-tier undergraduate university
2-3 years of work experience in private equity or investment banking, with preference for M&A and LBO transaction experience
Strong analytical, modeling, organizational, and writing skills
A professional presence combined with relationship and communication skills to interact effectively with internal and external parties
A highly motivated, self-starter with the ability to work independently within a team context
Illinois Pay Transparency
$115,000 - $135,000 USD