Escala Partners - Investment Specialist, Alternatives

Position Summary

The Investment Specialist – Alternatives operates as a senior member of the CIO team, working closely with the Head of Managed Funds to develop, implement and evolve Escala’s alternatives platform. The role leads high‑quality research, evaluation, structuring and implementation of alternative investment opportunities across private equity, private credit, venture capital, infrastructure and property.

A trusted internal authority, this role builds credibility with Advisors, strengthens internal connectivity, and continuously develops and leverages networks with fund managers and industry peers to surface differentiated ideas. The Specialist communicates complex concepts with clarity and confidence—presenting to Advisors and clients and, where requested, representing the CIO team in meetings and forums.

This role can be located in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia; Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.

Primary Responsibilities

Investment Research & Due Diligence

• Lead deep, end‑to‑end research and due diligence across a wide spectrum of alternative and private market asset classes, evaluating return drivers, risk factors, liquidity, governance structures and alignment to client objectives.
• Develop and maintain high‑quality investment research papers, recommendations and ongoing monitoring frameworks for approved alternative investments.
• Act as a proactive idea‑generator, continuously sourcing, screening and evaluating new alternative investment opportunities that strengthen Escala’s offering.
• Build and leverage a strong external network of fund managers, industry bodies, placement agents and research peers to uncover emerging opportunities and validate investment theses.
• Monitor macroeconomic, structural and thematic trends to identify sustainable, long‑term return opportunities for clients.

Advisor, Client & Manager Engagement

• Present confidently to small and large groups of Advisors, committees and clients, tailoring complex investment concepts to a broad range of sophistication levels.
• Attend client, manager and internal meetings on behalf of the Managed Funds team to communicate investment views, portfolio positioning and strategy considerations.
• Maintain strong and constructive relationships with external fund managers—particularly in the alternatives and private markets sectors—ensuring access to information, senior investment teams and robust ongoing engagement.
• Where relevant, represent Escala at industry conferences, forums and events, articulating the firm’s perspectives on alternatives and private markets.

Stakeholder Leadership & Internal Connectivity

• Build trusted relationships across Escala and collaborate with cross‑functional stakeholders to support high‑quality, well‑aligned investment decision making.
• Demonstrate consistent delivery, sound judgement and clear communication to build internal credibility and enhance the visibility of alternatives across the business.
• Provide mentoring, technical leadership and informal coaching to uplift firm‑wide capability in alternative investments and private markets.
• Contribute to ongoing development of research frameworks, due‑diligence processes, governance standards and team best practices.

Risk, Governance & Market Awareness

• Maintain a strong understanding of regulatory, structural, liquidity and operational risks relevant to alternative and private market investments.
• Support ongoing monitoring of approved investments, including performance evaluation, risk assessment, manager engagement and timely escalation of issues as required.
• Proactively stay across market developments, manager landscape shifts, structural trends and best‑practice research approaches; communicate insights to the broader Escala team.

Qualifications

• Tertiary qualifications in Finance, Economics, Commerce, Accounting or a related discipline.
• 8+ years’ experience in investment analysis, funds management, private markets, wealth management or related fields, with a particular focus on alternative investments.
• Demonstrated track record researching and analysing alternative strategies across private equity, private credit, venture capital, infrastructure, property and other private markets.
• Strong background in investment due diligence, manager selection and alternatives portfolio construction.
• Well‑established relationships with fund managers and strong understanding of managed funds research processes.
• CFA qualification highly regarded.
• Advanced analytical capability across complex and illiquid asset classes; strong commercial acumen and long‑term investment mindset.
• Highly effective communicator and presenter, able to convey complex ideas clearly and confidently to varied audiences.
• Proven ability to build credibility and influence with senior internal stakeholders; recognised as a trusted advisor within the firm.
• Relationship‑builder who actively develops and leverages networks with managers and industry peers to enhance idea flow and due diligence quality.

About Escala Partners

Escala Partners is the new standard in personalised wealth management. Everything we do is designed to put our clients’ interests first and realise their financial aspirations. We develop tailored strategies focused on creating and preserving wealth; offer objective, considered advice based on market-leading research; and work collaboratively as a team so we can deliver superior outcomes. This is our point of difference: a completely new experience in wealth management.

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