Vice President, Primary Research – Capital Markets

About the Role

The Capital Markets team at Breakwater Strategy is expanding and seeking a research leader to join their dynamic group. This position is positioned at the nexus of behavioral finance, corporate strategy, and capital markets. The role entails designing and executing primary research by engaging with sophisticated institutional investors worldwide, and transforming those insights into actionable findings that influence public company valuation and perceptions. This intellectually challenging role holds significant impact.

Why Work With Us?

This position offers exceptional variety and exposure across all sectors, providing a deep understanding of how institutional investors assess valuation. The insights gained will be translated into strategic advice for corporate boards and executive teams. The role suits those intellectually curious about investor behavior, capital markets, and corporate strategy, offering opportunities to work on influential projects alongside skilled colleagues within a culture built on support, integrity, and respect.

Who Should Consider This Role?

The ideal candidate is adept at fluidly shifting between designing research and crafting executive-level insights. Candidates with backgrounds in primary research, equity research, investor relations advisory, or management consulting will be considered. What sets the ideal candidate apart is strong intellectual rigor, an ability to craft impactful research, analyze complex findings, and communicate clear recommendations to senior stakeholders.

The workload intensity varies with client demand, and candidates who thrive with this pace and diversity will find the role rewarding. The work spans numerous public market sectors, offering continuous learning and intellectual stimulation. An entrepreneurial mindset, genuine interest in market dynamics, and commitment to surpassing client expectations are key attributes sought.

Primary Responsibilities

• Lead research initiatives encompassing study design, implementation, and conducting interviews with investors to extract actionable insights.
• Produce comprehensive client reports that integrate qualitative and quantitative data into cogent key recommendations.
• Offer strategic analysis and thought leadership derived from research to inform clients about investor sentiment, market tendencies, and capital market tactics.
• Mentor junior colleagues to foster their skills and advance expertise in research and client advisory functions.

Candidate Profile and Qualifications

• A Bachelor’s degree in Social Sciences, Business, Marketing, Market Research, or another relevant field, with an MBA preferred.
• Between 8 and 12 years of experience focused on primary research roles, successfully delivering both qualitative and quantitative research projects.
• Proven experience contributing to thought leadership development.
• Excellent communication capabilities to simplify intricate insights into clear and persuasive advice for senior executives such as Boards, CEOs, and CFOs.
• Competence in managing internal project teams effectively.
• Comfort operating both strategically and in hands-on research tasks.
• Demonstrated ability to quickly gain fluency across various industries and client contexts.

Location and Compensation

This position allows flexibility for candidates residing in California, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Maryland, North Carolina, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, or Virginia, with required travel for business development and client interactions.

Salary ranges are as follows:

• New York City: $175,000 to $225,000 annually
• California: $175,000 to $225,000 annually
• District of Columbia: $175,000 to $225,000 annually