From Corporate Development to Private Equity Industry

Hello All,
I'm a director of corporate development at a very acquisitive, Fortune 100 company. Prior to my current corporate development role, I worked at Big 4 (M&A practice) and in investment banking, and am now exploring opportunities in private equity (preferably an industry focused PE -- to complement my industry experience). I do understand that most, if not all, PE firms hire primarily at an associate level, from IB analyst programs and hiring through other avenues is very rare. Given my background and experience level, was hoping to get some insights into hiring trends for VP (principal) and to get any suggestions re how to break into PE at this stage of the career. Thanks!