Principal, Private Equity & Principal Investors; PEPI - Restructuring & Special Situations

Job Description

As a Principal within Kearney's Private Equity & Principal Investors (PEPI) practice, you will help build and grow a market-leading restructuring, turnaround, and special situations capability serving private equity sponsors, private credit investors, lenders, Fortune 500 companies, boards, and executive leadership teams. Our work focuses on helping clients navigate periods of financial and operational distress through restructuring, distressed transformation, turnaround execution, and credit‑informed operational turnaround.

Leveraging Kearney's operational expertise together with deep restructuring capabilities, we help clients stabilize performance, improve liquidity, preserve enterprise value, and create sustainable outcomes across large enterprises and middle‑market businesses. This is an opportunity to shape one of Kearney's newest growth platforms at the intersection of restructuring, turnaround, special situations, and private capital while developing trusted advisor relationships across the private capital ecosystem.

• Leading complex restructuring, turnaround, distressed transformation, and special situations engagements
• Advising private equity sponsors, private credit investors, lenders, Fortune 500 companies, boards, and executive leadership teams
• Leading Fortune 500 special situations and credit‑informed transformation engagements
• Overseeing middle‑market restructuring and distressed advisory engagements
• Developing executive‑level recommendations and driving measurable client impact
• Building and expanding client relationships across the restructuring, private equity, and private credit markets
• Leading business development activities, including proposal development, pursuit leadership, and thought leadership
• Mentoring teams and contributing to the continued growth of the PEPI practice

• Experienced:
  An MBA (preferred) and 10+ years of professional experience.
• Consulting executive:
  Significant Principal‑level experience leading restructuring, turnaround, distressed transformation, special situations, or private credit advisory engagements within a leading consulting or restructuring advisory firm, with demonstrated market traction.
• Market‑facing:
  Proven ability to develop executive‑level client relationships and generate business opportunities across private equity sponsors, private credit investors, lenders, and corporate leadership teams.
• Restructuring leader:
  Deep expertise leading complex restructuring, liquidity improvement, operational turnaround, distressed transformation, and enterprise stabilization engagements.
• Strategic advisor:
  Trusted advisor to senior executives, investors, lenders, and boards navigating complex operational and financial challenges.
• Practice builder:
  Passionate about developing talent, growing client relationships, and scaling a high‑growth restructuring and special situations capability.
• Professional certifications preferred: CIRA, CDBV, CTP, CFA, CPA, or other restructuring, turnaround, insolvency, or financial advisory credentials.
• Location flexible:
  Located near or willing to relocate to Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, New York, San Francisco, Toronto, Washington D.C., or another Kearney office location.

Every day, our people work to be the difference for our clients, our communities, and our colleagues. Helping them make an impact, they are sustained by a competitive remuneration package plus comprehensive benefits and perks, including but not limited to:

• Structured and on‑the‑job learning and development opportunities
• Generous retirement/pension savings contributions
• Comprehensive medical insurance for employees and their families
• Non‑partner equity‑based awards (for consulting managers and above)
• Personalized opportunities including talent mobility, flexible work programs, and externships to help you chart a unique career journey to pursue your own personal and professional goals

Principal Base Salary: $245,000 – $270,000

It is important to note that at Kearney, it is not typical for an individual to be hired at the top of the range for their role. Individual salaries within each range are determined…