Infrastructure PE Hours
Hi everyone — for those who have worked at infrastructure funds such as EQT, Stonepeak, Antin, Ardian, Igneo, KKR, Blackstone, or similar, what are the typical weekly working hours for Senior Associates? I'm interested in both average weeks and busier periods. Thanks!
Based on the most helpful WSO content, working hours at infrastructure funds can vary depending on the firm and deal activity. Here's a general breakdown:
Average Weeks: Senior Associates at infrastructure funds typically work around 60-70 hours per week. This includes a mix of regular deal work, portfolio management, and other responsibilities.
Busier Periods: During critical stretches, such as deal closings or investment committee (IC) preparations, hours can ramp up significantly to 80-100 hours per week. These periods often involve late nights and weekend work.
Infrastructure PE tends to have a more stable and predictable workload compared to traditional PE, but the intensity can still spike during high-pressure times.
Sources: Q&A: PE Associate to MBA to HF Analyst, Q&A: 2nd Year Associate at a MM Private Equity Fund, From Private Equity Associate to VP in Private Equity, Investment Banking Hours - What to Expect?, Q&A: Lower Middle Market PE Associate -- Ask Me Anything
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Lol sorry bro
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Not much else to add here other than "bad". There are a ton of threads talking about the nuances of an infrastructure underwrite and why the modelling is much more granular than corporate PE, which makes a junior's life suck. All else equal, the hours are typically much worse at a megafund and that is because you're typically bidding on a lot more. There is much less value dislocation here and it's basically the same funds bidding on the same assets.
I would say during deal sprints the hours are equally as bad as you move down stream, but the WLB is slightly better on average, only because deal flow can be lumpier so you're not on something super live 24/7. There are so many variables like where the fund is in its lifecycle, how hot the market is, how involved IP's are in portco work etc., so it's honestly tough to generalize hours.
Bottom line is you're not going to find a 9-7 gig working at a credible infra fund. I think the optionality of working at one of the places OP mentions is worth the tradeoff. My 2c is that the marginal benefit of working at one of these places absolutely plummets once you hit Sr. ASO largely because you get no material uplift in economics and the job becomes significantly more stressful.
Why does it become more stressful as Senior Assoc.
Own the model, own the process, basically VP-lite expectations with AN1 benefits.
I didn't mean that the increase in stress was binary from associate to sr associate, more so just a general comment that the job itself gets more stressful as you gain seniority. The more senior you become the more accountable you are for any particular outcome and things that dictate your success can sometimes be out of your direct control. As an associate if you 'get it' and can produce high quality work product, the cone of outcomes is fairly narrow. As a VP+ you can do all the right things and still fall flat (e.g., portco goes awry and blows up carry pool). That type of uncertainty is very unsettling particularly given how risk averse people are in private markets investing, especially infra which has a history of attracting a certain type of personality.
Not bad at my fund. I’m speaking from an Analyst experience. 8:30am-6:30pm on average off-deal weeks. During deal time it’s worse but depends on a lot of factors out of your control. The associate is around the same.
What type of fund is this and what geography?
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