Title: Vice President (IPO)

Overview

Dark Alpha Capital an Independent Sponsor focused on Industrials, Industrial Services, Business Services, Healthcare, A&D, and IT.

Role Summary

Own the end-to-end IPO readiness and execution program for DAC portfolio companies: stand up disclosure controls, drive S-1 drafting through effectiveness, coordinate banks/auditors/counsel, and deliver a clean, on-time listing with a repeatable public-company operating cadence.

Responsibilities

Program Leadership
Own IPO workplan and day-by-day calendar; run weekly IPO standups and decision logs.
Set disclosure controls and timeline guardrails; escalate tradeoffs with crisp options to CEO/CFO/GC.
Build drafting cadence (S-1 chapters, MD&A, risk factors); drive comment resolution to closure.
SEC Filings & Disclosure
Lead S-1 strategy (confidential/public/amendments) through effectiveness.
Manage SEC comment letters; track issues/owners; deliver high-quality response packages.
Establish non-GAAP policy, guidance philosophy, and Reg FD-compliant earnings templates.

Accounting, Financials & SOX

Orchestrate audited/interim financials, pro formas/carve-outs, EPS and segment reporting.
Stand up SOX 302/404 readiness: scoping, control design, testing coordination, remediation.
Align with auditors on significant judgments (ASC 606/842/718), SAB topics, materiality.

Underwriters & Advisors

Run bank selection, fee/role negotiation, diligence workstreams, book-build coordination.
Coordinate company/underwriter counsel, auditors, tax, comp consultants, financial printers.
Prepare management for diligence, KOL calls, teach-ins; close RFIs quickly.

Equity Story, Valuation & Marketing

Pressure-test comps, valuation frameworks, and use-of-proceeds; maintain sensitivities.
Lead prospectus summary, business model narrative, KPIs/cohorts/unit economics.
Drive TTW/roadshow readiness (deck, Q&A, speaker notes) and rehearsals.

Governance & Listing

Deliver listing readiness: board build-out, committee charters, codes/policies, insider lists.
Implement equity plan updates, D&O insurance, blackout/insider protocols.
Manage exchange applications, ticker, and pricing logistics with syndicate.

IR & Public-Company Operations

Stand up pre-IPO IR (targeting, calendar, earnings process, disclosure committee).
Run two mock earnings cycles (press release, script, Q&A, 8-K).
Transition to steady-state 10-Q/10-K pipeline and disclosure control environment.

Data, Systems & Security

Implement Workiva (or similar), EDGAR/XBRL production, and source-of-truth data rooms.
Enforce MNPI handling, access rights, and audit trails across all IPO artifacts.

Team & Vendor Management

Scope resourcing (internal + contractors) for drafting, SOX, analytics; manage budget.
Set SLAs with printers, research tools (Intelligize), cap table (Carta), and IR platforms.

Qualifications & Requirements

Must-Haves

5–9 years in equity capital markets / IPO readiness / SEC reporting, or equivalent experience.
Led ≥2 U.S. IPOs end-to-end (S-1 draft to pricing) as internal deal lead or senior advisor.
Mastery of SEC filings (S-1/S-3/10-K/10-Q/8-K), EDGAR/XBRL, and MD&A disclosure.
Strong GAAP fluency (ASC 606/842/718, EPS, segment reporting); pro forma/carve-out experience.
SOX 302/404 readiness leadership: control design, testing coordination, remediation oversight.
Underwriter/syndicate management (bank selection, diligence, valuation, book-build).
Listing process expertise (Nasdaq/NYSE rules, governance build-out, charters, codes).
Non-GAAP policy setting and earnings disclosure discipline (Reg FD).
Cross-functional leadership across Finance, Legal, IR, HR/Comp, Ops, and Product.
Exceptional S-1/MD&A/risk-factor drafting; deadline execution under pressure.
High judgment on MNPI, disclosure controls, quiet-period protocols, and insider lists.
Tools: Workiva (or similar), Intelligize/SEC research, EDGAR/XBRL, Carta (or equivalent).

Nice-to-Haves

Prior ECM banking, Big 4 technical accounting/ICS, or in-house SEC reporting leadership.
Analyst teach-ins and investor day prep; pre-IPO IR infrastructure build.
International/alternative listings (F-1, cross-listings) or SPAC de-SPAC exposure.
Equity comp plan design; CD&A/Proxy readiness with Legal/HR.
MBA/CPA/JD a plus; equivalent operating successes welcomed.

Work Style & Fit

Outcome-driven operator who owns a multi-workstream calendar and hits pricing windows.
Systems thinker who builds durable disclosure controls, not one-off checklists.
Clear, concise communicator with board-level presence and banker/auditor credibility.

Logistics

Location: Remote-first (U.S. time zones); periodic travel for diligence, TTW, and roadshow.
Function: Capital Markets / IPO Readiness (serving DAC portfolio companies).
Reporting: Head of Capital Markets (dotted line to CFO/GC of issuer).
Employment: Full-time.

Compliance

Strict adherence to MNPI policies, insider lists, disclosure controls, and Reg FD; annual training and certification required.

How to Apply

Send your resume and a brief note highlighting your IPOs led (role, dates, exchange, banks) to careers@darkalphacapital.com. Include “VP (IPO)” in the subject.