Private Equity Finance Careers: Roles, Skills and How to Get In
A detailed guide to finance roles in private equity — what PE finance involves, what it pays, and the route in for ACCA and CIMA professionals.
Finance in Private Equity: Two Distinct Worlds
Private equity finance splits into two distinct areas that are often confused: PE fund finance (working at the PE firm itself, managing the fund's accounts, investor reporting, and regulatory compliance) and portfolio company finance (working as FD, CFO, or finance controller at one of the PE firm's investee companies). These are very different roles with different skills, cultures, and career paths.
Portfolio Company Finance: The Most Common Route
Most ACCA and CIMA members who work "in PE" are actually working at portfolio companies — businesses owned by private equity funds. These roles are often more demanding than equivalent corporate roles because of the reporting intensity, lender covenant compliance, and the compressed timeline to an exit event. Key characteristics: monthly board reporting with tight deadlines, extensive financial modelling for the investment committee, management of banking relationships and covenant compliance, active support for the M&A process (add-on acquisitions, exit preparation), and a culture of high performance with significant equity upside if the exit is successful.
Roles and Compensation
Financial Controller (PE-backed, £50m-£200m revenue company): £75,000-£110,000 plus equity. CFO (PE-backed, £50m-£500m revenue): £120,000-£220,000 plus equity worth 0.5-2% of equity value. The equity upside at a successful exit (typically 5-7 years after investment) can be transformative — a 0.5% stake in a business that doubles in value during the hold period is worth significant money on exit.
Fund Finance
PE fund finance professionals work at the GP (general partner) — the PE firm itself. Roles include fund accountant (managing fund-level accounts, capital calls, distributions, management fee calculations), financial reporting manager (producing annual reports, ILPA reporting, AIFMD compliance), and fund CFO. These roles require specific fund accounting knowledge and are typically filled from Big 4 fund services teams or from specialist fund administrators.
How to Get Into PE Finance
Portfolio company CFO/FD roles are typically filled by professionals with 10-15 years of experience including significant M&A or PE-backed company experience. The route in is usually: Big 4 practice (3-5 years) → corporate finance advisory or PE-backed company FC → PE-backed company CFO. Direct entry from corporate at CFO level without PE or transactions experience is rare. Fund finance roles are more accessible from audit backgrounds with fund services exposure.
Further Reading
Study with Learnsignal: ACCA and CPD courses to build the foundation for a senior finance career. Start with Learnsignal.
This page was last updated:
Learnsignal Education Team
Expert Tutor at Learnsignal
Qualified professional with years of experience in teaching and helping students achieve their accounting qualifications.
View all posts by Learnsignal Education Team
