Private Equity Senior Associate

Job Description

Job Description

CSC Generation is the AI-native holding company re-engineering omni-channel retail. We acquire iconic brands and transform them with Genesis—our operating platform unifying a Data Fabric, Automation Engine, proprietary tools, and shared services—to modernize operations, elevate customer experience, and expand margins. 

With $1B+ in revenue across 13 brands, our portfolio includes Sur La Table, Backcountry, One Kings Lane, and more—premier home and outdoor banners that double as real-world innovation hubs. CSC Generation continues to grow through M&A, revitalizing companies with strong brand recognition and loyal customers. 

Reports to: Director of Corporate Development 

Location: Austin, TX (Hybrid); Salt Lake City, UT (Hybrid - 3x/week in-office); Los Angeles, CA (Hybrid); Toronto, ON (Hybrid)

About the Role

CSC Generation continues to grow through M&A, acquiring and revitalizing consumer and retail brands with strong recognition and loyal customers. The Investments team needs a senior individual contributor who can own critical workstreams across sourcing, diligence, execution, and portfolio value creation.

As Private Equity Senior Associate , you will evaluate and execute acquisitions spanning carve-outs, distressed, and special situations while partnering with functional leaders across merchandising, supply chain, digital, finance, and data/AI to drive post-acquisition performance. Within your first six months, you will have led workstreams on live deals, contributed to investment committee materials, and helped launch value-creation roadmaps for newly acquired brands.

This is a lean team. You will own a lot, move fast, and make decisions with full end-to-end responsibility.

What You'll Do Investment Analysis & Evaluation

• Screen inbound and proprietary opportunities across consumer, retail, ecommerce, and related sectors.
• Build and refine LBO and returns models, including sensitivity analysis by channel, store fleet, and digital KPIs.
• Lead market and competitive research to size opportunities and benchmark category performance.
• Develop sector theses (e.g., omnichannel retail, outdoor & sporting goods, home, specialty consumer) and maintain target lists.

Diligence & Transaction Execution

• Own day-to-day workstreams on live deals: data requests, model builds, Q&A, and coordination with internal teams and external advisors.
• Analyze historical and projected financial performance, working capital, unit economics, and store/SKU productivity.
• Partner with CSC's functional leaders (merchandising, supply chain, digital, finance, data/AI) to run operational and technology due diligence.
• Draft investment committee materials: investment thesis, value-creation plan, risks/mitigants, and exit scenarios.
• Support negotiation of key business terms, including structure, earn-outs, and go-forward management incentives.

Portfolio Value Creation & Monitoring

• Help launch 100-day plans and multi-year value-creation roadmaps for newly acquired brands.
• Track portfolio performance through dashboards and monthly reviews; flag variances and assist operators in course correction.
• Support initiatives such as pricing and promotion optimization, channel mix improvements, merchandising strategy, store fleet rationalization, and SG&A efficiency.
• Work with CSC's AI and analytics teams to embed automation and data-driven decision-making into portfolio operations.

Firm Building & Leadership

• Mentor and develop deal team members on modeling, research, and communication.
• Contribute to internal tools, playbooks, and templates that enhance the investment and operating approach.

Required Qualifications

• 4–7 years of total professional experience, including 2+ years in investment banking, management consulting, or restructuring/special situations advisory and 2+ years in private equity, special situations, or principal investing.
• Advanced financial modeling skills: full LBOs, operating models, returns analysis, and debt sizing.
• Strong command of accounting, cash flows, and capital structures; comfortable evaluating lender viewpoints.
• Ability to turn incomplete or messy data into clear insights and recommendations.
• Meaningful experience running workstreams on live deals (diligence, QofE, legal docs, financing, or integration planning).
• Strong communication skills with the ability to work directly with senior executives and advisors.
• High proficiency in Excel and PowerPoint.
• Comfort operating in lean teams with high ownership and ambiguity.
• Willingness to travel to portfolio companies and partners as needed.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with consumer, retail, ecommerce, or multi-unit businesses.
• Exposure to distressed/special situations, corporate carve-outs, or complex integrations.
• MBA.
• Familiarity with BI tools, SQL, or Python.

Why Join

The people who do best here are builders. They take ownership, move fast, and want to see the direct impact of their work.

• Cross-Functional Impact: Your work spans sourcing, diligence, execution, and portfolio operations—touching every function from merchandising and supply chain to data/AI across multiple brands.
• AI-First Skill Building: Get hands-on with advanced AI and automation tools embedded into portfolio operations, building a modern skill set at the intersection of investing, operations, and technology.
• End-to-End Ownership: Own full workstreams on live deals and value-creation initiatives from thesis development through execution and post-acquisition performance tracking.
• Competitive Benefits (US): Paid time off policies, 401(k) match, medical/dental/vision and a variety of supplemental policies, and employee discounts across our portfolio of brands.
• Competitive Benefits (Canada): Paid time off policies, RRSP match, medical, dental, and vision coverage, a variety of supplemental benefit options, and employee discounts across our portfolio of brands.

Interview Process

1. Recruiter Screen - A 30-minute conversation with our recruiting team to align on the role, your background, and what you are looking for.
2. Hiring Manager Interview - Conversation with the Head of Investments focused on your deal experience, analytical approach, and investment judgment.
3. Case / Modeling Exercise - A take-home challenge to understand how you approach financial analysis, problem structuring, and execution.
4. Leadership Interviews - Deep-dive conversations with CSC senior leadership focused on your experience, operational thinking, and portfolio mindset.
5. In-Person Interview - We'd like to meet you at our Austin office. Details and logistics will be arranged with your recruiter.
6. Reference Checks - Conducted in parallel with the final stages where possible.
7. Offer - We move quickly for the right candidate.

Interview process is subject to change. Any updates will be communicated promptly and clearly.

The CSC family of brands provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, provincial, state or local laws.  

We may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support parts of the hiring process, such as reviewing applications, analyzing resumes, or assessing responses. These tools assist our recruitment team but do not replace human judgment. Final hiring decisions are ultimately made by humans. If you would like more information about how your data is processed, please contact us.

Washington state applicants only: If you believe that this job posting does not comply with applicable Washington state law, please notify us by sending an email to  View email address on ziprecruiter.com.  

It is unlawful in Massachusetts to require or administer a lie-detector test as a condition of employment or continued employment. An employer who violates this law shall be subject to criminal penalties and civil liability. 

The CSC family of brands is committed to providing reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities in our job application procedures. If you need assistance or an accommodation due to a disability, please contact  View email address on ziprecruiter.com.

We may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support parts of the hiring process, such as reviewing applications, analyzing resumes, or assessing responses and identifying potential inconsistencies or verification signals in application materials based on available information. These tools assist our recruitment team but do not replace human judgment. Final hiring decisions are ultimately made by humans. If you would like more information about how your data is processed, please contact us.