Position Title: Corporate Credit Funds - Associate / Associate Director (Chicago)

Entity: Kroll Bond Rating Agency, LLC

Employment Type: Full-time

Location: Chicago, Illinois

Summary/Overview:

KBRA (Kroll Bond Rating Agency, LLC) is seeking an Associate/Associate Director to join our growing Corporate Credit Funds team in the Chicago office. The Corporate Credit Funds team assigns and monitors credit ratings on various debt instruments backed by portfolios of middle market corporate loans, including senior secured direct lending investments, along with other corporate loans, notes, and bonds.

The team focuses on private credit and direct lending transactions, including feeder fund rated notes, master fund credit facilities, middle market CLOs, corporate loan and bond portfolios, and select synthetic risk transfer structures. The team evaluates financing solutions that enable capital formation, fund investment, and liquidity management for private credit managers and institutional investors.

A strong candidate will have experience in corporate credit, private credit, direct lending, or structured credit, with familiarity in portfolio construction, asset performance, structural protections, and cash flow dynamics. The primary focus of this role is fund debt transactions supported by portfolios of middle market direct lending investments, primarily senior secured corporate loans, as well as other corporate credit instruments; however, experience in CLOs or structured credit is highly relevant, as the analytical skills, including collateral pool assessment, tranche risk analysis, cash flow modeling, and structural review, are transferable.

About the Job:

• Assist in the new issuance rating process, including evaluation of transaction capital structures, legal protections, collateral quality, portfolio composition, asset performance, and cash flow dynamics.
• Assist in the analysis of portfolios of corporate loans, bonds, and other credit instruments, including middle market and sponsor-backed exposures.
• Participate in due diligence meetings with asset managers, direct lenders, arrangers, and issuers to assess underwriting standards, portfolio management practices, risk management frameworks, and performance history.
• Contribute to the preparation of rating memoranda and new issuance reports.
• Support ongoing monitoring and surveillance of outstanding transactions, tracking portfolio performance, credit migration, and concentration trends.
• Maintain transaction databases and analytical tools.
• Collaborate with KBRA experts across structured credit, corporate finance, financial institutions, and ABS to evaluate cross-sector and hybrid portfolio transactions.
• Contribute to credit research and publications related to corporate portfolio finance, direct lending, and structured credit markets.

You will be successful in this role if you have:

• Bachelor's degree in Finance, Business, Economics or Math related fields.
• Two (2) to four (4) years of work experience in corporate credit analysis, private credit, direct lending, fund investing, CLO analysis, or structured finance.
• Strong interest in middle market lending and private credit markets.
• Basic understanding of corporate loan structures, capital structures, and credit analysis.
• Proficiency in Excel; experience with financial modeling and cash flow analysis preferred.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• High attention to detail and ability to manage multiple assignments in a fast-paced environment.
• Ability to manage time and resources in fast-growing company.
• Familiarity with Generative AI tools such as ChatGPT for research, data insights, and general productivity is a plus.

Salary Range:

The anticipated annual base salary range for this full-time position is $100,000 to $130,000. Offer amounts are determined by factors such as experience, skills, geography, and other job-related factors.

Benefits:

• A hybrid work schedule (Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursdays in the office)
• Competitive benefits and paid time off
• Paid family and disability leave
• 401(k) plan, including employer match (100% vested)
• Educational and professional development financial assistance
• Employee referral bonus program

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