Vice President of Business Development

Connecticut-based lower middle-market private equity firm focused on control investments in founder- and family-owned businesses. The firm has a long track record of partnering with management teams to drive growth and is raising its next fund. Primary investment sectors include business services, industrials, and manufacturing, with a focus on fragmented markets offering organic growth and add-on acquisition opportunities.

About the Role

The Vice President of Business Development will play a key role in strengthening the firm’s origination capabilities as it enters a new phase of growth. The position offers a clear path to broader leadership responsibility for the business development function within one to two years. The VP will work closely with senior investment professionals, taking on meaningful origination responsibility from day one and increasing ownership of sourcing efforts as the platform expands.

What Makes This Opportunity Exciting

• Meaningful origination responsibility from day one, with direct impact on the firm’s investment pipeline
• Lean, established platform where business development has high visibility across the investment team
• Opportunity to help build and expand the firm’s origination capabilities at a pivotal growth stage

Responsibilities

• Origination & Relationship Development
  • Develop and maintain relationships with investment bankers, intermediaries, business owners, and other deal sources
  • Generate and advance high-quality deal flow aligned with the firm’s investment strategy
  • Expand coverage across target sectors and the lower middle-market ecosystem
  • Identify opportunities through intermediary relationships, direct outreach, and other sourcing channels
  • Represent the firm with prospective business owners, intermediaries, and industry contacts
• Market Development & Intelligence
  • Build and maintain target-company and intermediary coverage aligned with investment criteria
  • Identify market trends, sector opportunities, and coverage gaps relevant to the firm’s strategy
  • Track pipeline activity, relationship development, and sourcing metrics
  • Develop expertise in fragmented markets where buy-and-build strategies are compelling
• Collaboration with the Investment Team
  • Partner closely with the investment team on target-company development and sector prioritization
  • Provide market intelligence and relationship insights to evaluate potential investments
  • Contribute to the development and refinement of the firm’s origination strategy and coverage model

Requirements

• Proven experience in private equity business development, deal origination, or a closely related sourcing role
• Strong network of investment bankers, intermediaries, business owners, and other relevant deal sources
• Demonstrated track record of generating and advancing high-quality investment opportunities
• Deep understanding of lower middle-market private equity and founder- or family-owned businesses
• Experience in target sectors such as business services, industrials, manufacturing, or other fragmented industries
• Strong relationship-building, communication, and external representation skills
• Ability to collaborate effectively with senior investment professionals and translate relationships into actionable opportunities
• Genuine interest in and readiness for increasing ownership of the business development function over time