Director, Origination - Direct Lending

Description About Liquidity Liquidity is a global, data-driven private credit platform pioneering a new standard in capital efficiency. Backed by tier-one financial institutions including MUFG Bank Ltd., Spark Capital, and KeyBank, we deploy capital to high-growth and mid-market companies across North America, Europe, and APAC. While we established our reputation as a leader in Venture Lending, we are now aggressively expanding our mandate into the Lower Mid-Market (LMM) and Leveraged Buyout (LBO) space. We are taking our core competitive advantage—speed, precision, and data-enabled decision-making—and applying it to Private Equity-backed businesses. We are not just another debt fund. By leveraging proprietary technology to streamline underwriting and monitoring, we solve the Private Equity sponsor's biggest pain point: speed and certainty of execution. We provide institutional-grade credit structures in days, not weeks. The Role The Origination Director - Direct Lending is a strategic franchise-building role. You will spearhead Liquidity’s entry into the European middle-market, translating our tech-enabled advantage into a compelling proposition for traditional Private Equity sponsors. You will not simply be a "sourcing lead"; you will be a core member of the Investment Team. You will act as the primary deal architect, owning the lifecycle from initial origination and term sheet negotiation through to the final credit decision. You will have the autonomy to build this channel from the ground up, moving the firm beyond Venture into the broader world of Sponsored Finance. Key Responsibilities Origination & Sourcing: Leverage a deep, active network of relationships with Partners and Investment Directors at UK and European PE firms to originate off-market LBO, refinancing, and growth capital opportunities ($10M–$150M). Deal Structuring & Negotiation: Lead the front-end execution. You will be responsible for structuring the deal, issuing the term sheet, and negotiating commercial terms that balance competitive sponsor requirements with Liquidity’s credit parameters. Investment Execution: Work in tandem with the Credit & Underwriting team to navigate the investment process. While the credit team manages the deep-dive diligence models, you will maintain the commercial momentum and ensure the "deal logic" remains intact. Market Strategy & Product Loop: Act as the feedback loop between the market and the Investment Committee. You will help refine our mid-market product offering, advising on where our "speed of capital" advantage can be best deployed (e.g., rapid add-ons, complex carve-outs, or tech-enabled buyouts). Partnership Management: Establish Liquidity as a "first call" lender. Shift sponsor relationships from transactional interactions to long-term partnerships, ensuring we are top-of-mind for their portfolio support and new platform acquisitions. Market Presence: Represent the firm at industry conferences and panels, articulating the shift from traditional direct lending to data-enabled private credit. Qualifications Experience: 8–10+ years in Private Debt, Direct Lending, or Leveraged Finance. You must have a proven track record of originating and executing debt transactions specifically with Private Equity clients. The Network: You bring an active network of mid-market Private Equity sponsor relationships in London/Europe. You are able to secure meetings with decision-makers immediately upon joining. Commercial Investment Mindset: You are an investor first. You are fluent in mid-market lending mechanics, EBITDA adjustments, and leverage multiples. You understand how to structure a deal that protects the lender while solving the sponsor's problem. Sector Expertise: Experience lending to Software/Technology companies within a Leveraged Finance context is highly preferred, as this is the natural bridge between our Venture heritage and our mid-market/LBO future. Entrepreneurial Drive: You are excited by the prospect of building a business line. You prefer the agility of a growth-stage platform over the bureaucracy of a traditional bank or mega-fund. Why Join This Strategy? Speed is your Edge: Tired of losing deals to slow Investment Committees? Our data infrastructure allows us to issue term sheets and close deals significantly faster than traditional direct lenders. You will have a genuine competitive advantage to sell. Autonomy: This is a "white space" role. You will define the go-to-market strategy for our mid-market business in Europe. Global Reach: While focused on Europe, you will collaborate with our teams in New York and APAC, offering cross-border financing solutions to your global sponsors.