Senior Associate Director, Financial Communications (Private Capital)

Responsibilities

• Serves as a senior client lead and trusted counselor to private capital clients, including GPs, CCOs, IR leads, and portfolio company CEOs and CFOs, building trusted relationships and anticipating client needs.
• Brings strong advisory and consulting instincts to the work, frames decisions clearly, and gives senior clients counsel they can act on
• Quarterbacks integrated, multi-disciplinary teams across communications, public affairs, regulatory, crisis, and digital workstreams
• Develops and executes communications strategies across the private markets lifecycle: firm positioning and brand building, fund launches and final closes, platform acquisitions, add-on transactions, recapitalizations, exits and IPOs of portfolio companies, LP communications support, and ESG/responsible investing narratives
• Leads media strategy and execution with top-tier business/financial media and key industry trades
• Counsels clients through sensitive moments including activist campaigns, take-privates, contested transactions, regulatory inquiries, portfolio company crises and reputational issues, including on-site support as situations require
• Partners with APCO's public affairs, regulatory, and crisis colleagues to bring integrated counsel on policy and political dynamics affecting private capital
• Oversees complex client engagements from strategy through execution, maintaining accountability for quality, deliverables, timelines, staffing, budgets, scopes of work, and account profitability
• Drives new business across the private capital ecosystem, including RFP responses, pitches and proactive prospecting; cultivates relationships, identifies opportunities to expand existing client relationships, and contributes to thought leadership that strengthens APCO’s market position
• Builds and mentors team members; helps shape the practice's growth trajectory and go-to-market strategy

Requirements

• Bachelor's Degree from an accredited college or university in a related field. Graduate degree preferred
• 8–12 years of relevant experience in financial communications, with substantial direct experience advising private capital firms, and/or their portfolio companies. Agency, in-house sponsor communications/IR, or business journalism transitioning into communications all considered
• Established and actively maintained relationships with senior reporters and editors covering private markets, M&A, and capital markets at top-tier outlets
• Experience supporting a range of private markets situations, including fund launches, platform deals, exits, take-privates, IPOs, activist defense, restructurings, regulatory matters and crises
• Demonstrated ability to originate new opportunities, grow existing client relationships and contribute meaningfully to new business; an established network within the private capital ecosystem strongly preferred
• Sophisticated understanding of GP/LP dynamics, fund structures, deal mechanics, and sponsor reputational drivers
• Experience across sectors such as technology, financial services, healthcare, industrials, or energy and infrastructure is a plus
• Familiarity with the policy and regulatory environment shaping private capital, including CFIUS, antitrust, tax and SEC regulation, is a plus
• Exceptional writing, analytical and presentation skills, with the ability to distill complex issues into clear counsel for senior audiences
• Detail-oriented, responsive to a rapidly changing environment, able to manage multiple complex projects under tight deadlines, and proactive in anticipating client needs, solving problems and setting priorities

Preferred

• Graduate degree preferred
• Established network within the private capital ecosystem strongly preferred
• Familiarity with the policy and regulatory environment shaping private capital, including CFIUS, antitrust, tax and SEC regulation, is a plus

Benefits

• medical and prescription drug coverage, dental and vision coverage, health and dependent flexible spending accounts, life and disability insurance, a 401(k) retirement savings plan, employee assistance and wellness resources, commuter benefits, additional voluntary benefit options and a generous holiday schedule with a flexible time off plan.