Private Equity Origination Associate

Company Description

Cendry Capital is a founder-led private investment firm focused on acquiring, stabilizing, and strengthening mission-critical Aerospace and Defense companies. We build on deep expertise across fixed-wing and rotorcraft manufacturing specialties, and our team contributes directly to long-term value creation in highly specialized, strategically important industries.

The Private Equity Origination Associate is a full-time role based in Greater Philadelphia, focused on building and driving Cendry Capital's deal pipeline in Aerospace and Defense. This is a commercially oriented, relationship driven seat: the associate will identify and pursue acquisition targets, develop trusted relationships with founders, investment bankers and industry intermediaries and convert high-quality pipeline into actionable opportunities.

• Design and execute thesis-driven sourcing strategies to identify founder owned, PE owned and corporate carve-out targets across Aerospace and Defense
• Lead outbound origination — direct founder outreach, intermediary coverage and relationship building at conferences and industry events
• Screen and qualify opportunities and prepare concise investment memos and pipeline materials for the investment team
• Build and maintain deal-pipeline systems (CRM, outreach cadence, pipeline analytics) and report activity to senior leadership
• Support early stage diligence and coordinate information flow between internal and external parties
• Partner with senior team members to refine origination strategy and sharpen target focus

• A track record of, or clear aptitude for, proprietary deal sourcing: outbound outreach, relationship conversion, and pipeline development
• Ability to form and maintain trusted relationships with founders, M&A advisors and industry stakeholders
• Experience with deal-pipeline CRMs such as Deal Cloud
• Strong commercial instinct and resilience in a high-volume outreach environment
• Sound analytical judgment — able to evaluate opportunities, market dynamics and competitive landscapes and to interpret financial statements and projections
• Experience or strong interest in private equity, ideally within industrials, aerospace and defense
• Bachelor's degree in finance, economics, engineering, business, or a related field; advanced degree or relevant certifications a plus
• Clear, concise written and verbal communication, with the ability to present findings to senior stakeholders
• High professionalism, integrity and discretion with confidential information
• Ability to thrive in a small entrepreneurial team and manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment

• Competitive base compensation plus deal-sourcing incentives, direct access to the firm's founder and investment decision-making, and the opportunity to help shape the growth of a mission-driven Aerospace and Defense platform.