Buy-Side M&A / Private Equity Origination Associate
Location: In-person (Red Bank, NJ)
Industry Focus: Private Equity - Home Services Businesses
Company Description PHG Advisory is a professional services firm providing M&A advisory, fractional CFO support, bookkeeping, digital marketing, and valuation services to growth-oriented businesses. The firm partners with clients across the deal lifecycle, from strategic planning and financial analysis to transaction execution and post-close support. Its multidisciplinary offerings enable clients to understand their financial position, optimize performance, and enhance enterprise value. PHG Advisory combines technical expertise in finance and accounting with practical insights into market dynamics and deal structures, creating tailored solutions for each engagement.
About the Role
We are seeking a driven, high-energy Buy-Side Advisor / Origination Associate to help source acquisition opportunities for some of the most active private equity firms in the country. This role sits at the front end of the deal process and is critical to driving proprietary deal flow from start to finish.
You will be responsible for identifying, contacting, educating, and building long-term relationships with business owners - often years before a transaction occurs. This is a full-cycle cold outreach role and is ideal for someone who thrives in fast-paced environments, enjoys controlled chaos, and wants to build a long-term career in private equity or M&A.
This is not an 8–5 job. It is more akin to a realtor-style role - ownership of your book, high autonomy, high expectations, and significant upside for those willing to put in the work.
Key Responsibilities
- Source proprietary acquisition opportunities for private equity buyers
- Conduct high-volume cold outreach via phone calls, email, text, LinkedIn, and other creative methods
- Educate owners on the private equity process and identify potential partnership opportunities
- Manage and maintain a robust pipeline using Salesforce
- Build, manage, and nurture long-term owner relationships (some spanning multiple years)
- Work directly with top-tier private equity & family-office clients and internal deal teams
- Maintain strong organization and consistent follow-up in a fast-moving environment
- Own your outreach strategy - no scripts; creativity encouraged (guidance & help at every turn)
Required Qualifications
- Comfortable and enthusiastic about cold calling (THIS IS A MUST)
- Prior experience in buy-side advisory, private equity, commercial real estate, mortgage brokerage, or high-volume sales
- Strong communication skills with the ability to build trust quickly
- Highly organized, detail-oriented, and comfortable managing multiple conversations at once
- Relentless work ethic, competitive drive, and willingness to do the hard work required to win
- Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, ever-changing environment
- Ability to read and analyze a profit & loss (P&L) statement
- Working knowledge of EBITDA and how it is used in valuation discussions
- Understanding of private equity fundamentals
Good to Haves
- Working knowledge of Salesforce or other CRM platforms
- Experience using ZoomInfo and/or Grata for sourcing and research
- Strong Excel skills for tracking, analysis, and organization
- Familiarity with data-driven outreach and pipeline management
What We’re Looking For
- A hustler who takes pride in working hard and producing results
- A team player with a competitive edge and a chip on their shoulder
- Hungry to learn, coachable, and easy to work with
- High energy, thick-skinned, and resilient
- Entrepreneurial mindset - comfortable owning outcomes and being accountable
Work Environment
- In-person collaboration
- Fast-paced, always busy, never boring
- High autonomy with strong team support
- Occasional weekend work as needed (minimal and client-driven or organizational)
Why This Role
- Work directly with top private equity buyers nationwide
- Build a long-term career in M&A and private equity
- Own your book of business with freedom to be creative
- Exposure to live deal flow across fragmented home-services industries
- High expectations. High growth. High upside.
