Senior Associate, Direct Lending

About Us

Since 1848, National Life Group has aimed to keep its promises, providing families with stability in good times and in bad. Throughout that history, we have provided peace of mind to those families as they plan their futures.

We foster a collaborative environment with opportunities for growth and encourage our associates to live our values: Do good. Be good. Make good.

Role Summary

The Senior Associate, Direct Lending is an essential member of the Private Credit team, responsible for evaluating, executing, and managing private credit investments across sponsor-backed, non-sponsor-backed, and secondary market opportunities. This role performs in-depth credit analysis, financial modeling, due diligence, transaction execution, and portfolio monitoring while partnering with internal stakeholders and external investment partners.

The ideal candidate is a self-motivated investment professional with strong analytical and technical capabilities, exceptional communication skills, and the ability to thrive in a collaborative, high-performance environment.

This position currently offers an onsite work schedule, with the expectation that you will be in the office four (4) days per week during onsite core days. Our current onsite core days are Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. The work schedule type and core days are subject to change with advance notification and manager discretion.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Conduct comprehensive credit analysis, including financial statement review, credit risk assessment, liquidity analysis, capital structure evaluation, and due diligence.
• Develop and maintain complex financial models, including cash flow analysis, covenant compliance, and stress-testing.
• Prepare investment memoranda, financial models, and supporting analyses for the Investment Transaction Committee.
• Evaluate, underwrite, and execute private credit investment opportunities in collaboration with internal teams and external partners.
• Build and maintain relationships with borrowers, investment partners, legal counsel, and other stakeholders.
• Evaluate secondary private credit market opportunities, including portfolio acquisitions and single-name investments.
• Review transaction documentation, including term sheets, credit agreements, and related legal documents in partnership with internal and external counsel.
• Monitor portfolio performance, covenant compliance, financial results, and identify portfolio optimization opportunities.
• Participate in strategic initiatives and special projects supporting the growth of the Private Credit platform.
• Take ownership of assigned workstreams, proactively identifying opportunities, risks, and solutions.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Finance, Accounting, Economics, or a related field.
• Minimum of two (2) years of experience in private credit, private equity, investment banking, or a similar financial services role.
• Experience performing credit analysis, financial modeling, due diligence, and transaction execution.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Excel, Word, and PowerPoint.
• Strong understanding of credit markets, capital structures, debt instruments, and investment analysis.
• Excellent written and verbal communication, organizational, and time-management skills.

Preferred Qualifications

• MBA and/or CFA designation.
• Experience working with private credit funds, investment banks, or financial institutions on direct investments.
• Exposure to secondary private credit market investing.
• Experience reviewing legal documentation related to private credit transactions.
• Experience collaborating with external investment partners and managing joint investment processes.

Benefits

Your benefits start day one and are flexible and customizable to your and your family’s specific needs. Check out the BENEFITS of a Career at National Life!

Base Pay Range. The base pay range for this position is the range National Life reasonably and in good faith expects to pay for the position taking into account the wide variety of factors, including: prior experience and job-related knowledge; education, training and certificates; current business needs; and market factors. The final salary or hourly wages offered may be outside of this range based on other reasons and individual circumstances.

Additional Compensation and Benefits. The total compensation package for this position may also include a full range of medical, financial, and/or other benefits (including 401(k) eligibility and various paid time off benefits, such as vacation, sick time, and parental leave), dependent on the position offered. The successful candidate may also be eligible to participate in National Life’s discretionary annual incentive programs, subject to the rules governing such programs. If hired, the employee will be in an "at-will position" and National Life reserves the right to modify base salary (as well as any other discretionary payment or compensation or benefit program) at any time, including for reasons related to individual performance, company or individual department/team performance, and market factors.

National Life is accepting applications for this role on an ongoing basis and the role remains open until filled.

Salary Pay Range $161,250 - $236,500 USD

National Life Group® is a trade name of National Life Insurance Company, Montpelier, VT – founded in 1848, Life Insurance Company of the Southwest, Addison, TX – chartered in 1955, and their affiliates. Each company of National Life Group is solely responsible for its own financial condition and contractual obligations. Life Insurance Company of the Southwest is not an authorized insurer in New York and does not conduct insurance business in New York. Equity Services, Inc., Member FINRA/SIPC, is a Broker/Dealer and Registered Investment Adviser affiliate of National Life Insurance Company. All other entities are independent of the companies of National Life Group.

Fortune 1000 status is based on the consolidated financial results of all National Life Group companies.