[jazzkingrt]

A friend of mine is VP (not partner), and he seems to spend most of his time on deals. Market research, building financial models for a potential LBO, or for the sale of a portfolio company.

From what I understand, the on-the-ground management work after acquisition is outsourced to specialized executives with whom the firm has a relationship. They can bring expertise in a specific industry, and the deal structure pays them with large performance incentives.

[JumpCrisscross]

> he seems to spend most of his time on deals

Transactional staff are typically a minority of PE branded employees. There is a stable of executives to pick from. But underneath them, operational staff (who may also be drawn from transactional) who aren’t in on the upside typically come via the fund. They will work in a fund office, have fund swag, but work on operational reporting, portfolio surveillance, refinancing and cap structure management, et cetera.

[JALTU]

I had just such an engineering manager once confide to me that it was, for him, a comfy deal at his PE owned company. (n=1)