Investment Partner vs. Operating Partner Comp

So in PE funds there are obviously a ton of operating partners/senior guys on the portfolio side of things who usually come from industry or consulting. how does the pay for these operating professionals contrast with the investment professionals. I’m looking at a couple of PE -esque distressed shops where the operating partners drastically bring down the AUM per IP head if you count operating partners as investment professionals - but I’d like to know if they’re comped at all similarly to investment professionals.

5 Comments
 

Reviewing the following two compensation reports side by side should provide you all the answers:

Investment professional compensation trends in North America: 2019

Operating professional compensation trends in North America: 2019

 

The number of respondents on the Operating professional report is rather low. Therefore I would use these data points more as a directional guideline.

For Operating Associates I would focus on the average figures - $179k base and $90k bonus. $450k+ base and bonus is usually the starting point for VP level. Also, many firms have the hierarchy Associate -> Senior Associate -> VP. Assume that Senior Associate compensation is between the quoted Associate and VP figures.

 

Est aut quidem eveniet. Est fuga autem sed eum. Tempore laboriosam qui eum enim quia. Non qui quibusdam qui.

Architecto sapiente illo minus consequatur. Perspiciatis iusto et cumque quae quia aut. Maxime inventore ea veritatis non. Eligendi consectetur et dicta voluptatem. Vero consequatur magni id nisi quisquam.

Maiores velit quibusdam sit exercitationem quas facere maiores. Ut quisquam provident cumque et qui.

Magni qui hic sit qui nobis aut. Repellendus dolore ut recusandae. Aut cum excepturi eaque. Voluptas repellendus fuga adipisci dolore. Necessitatibus officiis molestiae et magnam vero voluptatem iste. Delectus repellendus optio consequuntur et atque et ab.

Career Advancement Opportunities

July 2026 Private Equity

  • The Riverside Company 99.6%
  • Blackstone Group 99.3%
  • KKR (Kohlberg Kravis Roberts) 98.9%
  • Warburg Pincus 98.5%
  • Vista Equity Partners 98.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

July 2026 Private Equity

  • Blackstone Group 99.6%
  • KKR (Kohlberg Kravis Roberts) 99.3%
  • The Riverside Company 98.9%
  • Ardian 98.5%
  • Warburg Pincus 98.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

July 2026 Private Equity

  • Bain Capital 99.6%
  • The Riverside Company 99.3%
  • Blackstone Group 98.9%
  • Starwood Capital Group 98.5%
  • KKR (Kohlberg Kravis Roberts) 98.1%

Total Avg Compensation

July 2026 Private Equity

  • Principal (9) $653
  • Director/MD (24) $547
  • Vice President (99) $363
  • 3rd+ Year Associate (104) $281
  • 2nd Year Associate (235) $272
  • 1st Year Associate (411) $229
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (33) $157
  • 2nd Year Analyst (97) $134
  • 1st Year Analyst (272) $124
  • Intern/Summer Associate (38) $81
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (355) $61
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
3
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
4
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
5
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
6
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
7
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
8
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
9
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
10
Jamoldo's picture
Jamoldo
98.8
success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”