Associate, Sports, Media and Entertainment

Ares is hiring an Associate onto its Sports, Media & Entertainment (SME) team in London, posted 1 September 2026. The strategy invests in top-tier sports teams and leagues, in rightsholders across the media and entertainment landscape, and in operating companies that service those sectors. The mandate lets the team provide flexible capital ranging from senior debt through to common equity instruments, for sponsored and non-sponsored opportunities alike. The Associate is involved in every part of the investment analysis process - financial modelling, due diligence, industry research, legal documentation and portfolio monitoring - deals directly with portfolio company management teams, and helps with strategy work such as whitepapers on new verticals and market mapping. Source

The title reads as a sector, not a product, and the mandate line explains why that matters. 'Senior debt through to common equity' means the team does not have one instrument to sell: on one deal you are underwriting a loan against media rights, on the next you are pricing equity in a club. That is exactly why the posting says exposure 'to a diverse universe of products across the capital structure and across corporate and asset-based investing is critical for success'. If you have only ever built LBOs, half this job would be new.

Say it plainly: this is an experienced hire. Two to five or more years of investment banking, private equity or private credit is the stated requirement, and 'Associate' here is the band above a first job rather than a graduate title. A student cannot apply. What the row is worth to a student is the map - it tells you which coverage groups lead to the most-wanted seat in London right now, and the posting names it: prior experience in the SME sectors, including TMT.

Our row carries no team node, so there is no team page here and no headcount of ours to set against this desk - the SME team is named by the posting and by nothing else the record holds. Read that as a gap rather than as vagueness in the job: Ares is specific about what the team invests in. The practical consequence is that you cannot check the desk's London size before you apply, so ask how many people sit on it in London and how many of them are juniors.

What the team does, in the firm's words: analyse and underwrite potential investments, including reviews of historical financials, cashflow projection models and investment analyses, applying qualitative and quantitative methods including scenario analysis to assess relative risk and relative value; contribute to the deal team's workstreams through diligence and closing, including preparing diligence questions and coordinating third-party diligence providers; perform company and industry research and broader macro work to deepen sector knowledge in new verticals; develop Investment Committee memos and the supporting analysis; and work with the asset management team overseeing investments already in the portfolio. Source

88 people have held London roles at Ares Management as a whole since 2018, across its infrastructure, real estate and direct lending teams. The posting says nothing about the firm beyond a statement of its values, so the firm-level scale here is ours rather than Ares'.

The posting sets its own timing: 'There is no set deadline to apply for this job opportunity. Applications will be accepted on an ongoing basis until the search is no longer active.' Source

One associate seat on a named sector team, posted outside any recruiting round: a capacity hire, filled on sector fit. And the fit Ares asks for is specific - 'prior experience within the SME sectors (including TMT) is strongly preferred'. Interest in sport is not the qualification; a TMT or media coverage stint is. If you have that, the field for this seat is narrow, which is the best reason to apply for it.

'Ongoing basis until the search is no longer active' means there is no date to plan around and the seat closes when someone accepts. Posted on 1 September, this is early in its life, so applying now is worth more than a better application in a month.

Required: a bachelor's degree or international equivalent with an excellent academic record; two to five or more years of investment banking, private equity and/or private credit experience, with prior experience within the SME sectors, including TMT, strongly preferred; fluent spoken and written English; and high proficiency in Excel with the ability to build an LBO model and other complex operating models. European language ability is considered a plus. Ares also lists research and due diligence skills, intellectual curiosity, organisation and attention to detail. Source

Nothing on this page addresses visa sponsorship or right to work, and nothing states a start date. If you need sponsorship, get that answered in the first exchange rather than after three rounds - on a team this specialised the recruiter and the decision-maker are close enough that a direct question gets a direct answer.