Investment Analyst

Investment Analyst - Merit Management Group

Johnston, Iowa

Full-time (on-site)

About Merit Management

Merit Management Group is a private investment firm focused on acquiring and scaling lower middle-market operating companies. While our roots are in construction, skilled trades, and service businesses, our mandate is industry-agnostic. We invest in durable, cash-flowing companies where active ownership, disciplined underwriting, and operational execution drive long-term value. We partner with owners, operators, lenders, and investors to build businesses that last and make a meaningful impact in their communities.

The Role

The Investment Analyst is a core member of the deal team and sits at the front end of decision-making. This role is responsible for underwriting inbound opportunities, forming clear investment views, identifying risks early, and helping the team decide what to pursue and what to walk away from. This is not a passive modeling role; you will be expected to think critically, form opinions, and communicate them clearly.

Key Responsibilities

• Review CIMs and initial financials and distill them into clear, concise deal summaries.
• Develop an investment thesis and recommendation: advance, pause, or decline.
• Assess business quality, industry dynamics, customer concentration, margins, and cash-flow durability.
• Analyze working capital, seasonality, revenue drivers, and cost structure.
• Evaluate leverage tolerance, debt capacity, and covenant implications (when applicable).
• Build and review underwriting models with a focus on downside risk and capital preservation.
• Support preparation of internal investment memos and decision materials.
• Maintain a well-organized deal pipeline with consistent documentation and status updates.
• Coordinate with internal stakeholders to support diligence tracking and decision cadence.
• Manage multiple deal reviews simultaneously with speed, accuracy, and discipline.

Qualifications

• 2–5 years of experience in private equity, investment banking, credit, transaction advisory, or commercial banking.
• Strong financial statement analysis and underwriting skills.
• Ability to quickly understand how a business actually makes money.
• Comfort making recommendations with imperfect information.
• Clear written and verbal communicator.
• Highly organized, detail-oriented, and able to manage competing priorities.
• Intellectual curiosity and sound judgment matter more than pedigree.

Why Join Merit

·     Culture is the driving force of organization.

·     Direct exposure to live deals and real investment decisions.

·     Flat structure with visibility and influence early in your career.

·     Opportunity to grow into broader deal execution and portfolio involvement.

·     Long-term mindset focused on building businesses, not flipping paper.

Apply via LinkedIn or send a resume and cover letter to