Job Description

Event-Driven Strategy Leader – Hong Kong / Tokyo

A global multi-strategy hedge fund is seeking an experienced investment professional to lead its event-driven efforts in Tokyo. The role focuses on identifying and analyzing complex corporate events and strategic transactions across Japan and broader Asia. This is a high-impact, individual contributor role designed for someone with a strong advisory background and sharp market instincts.

About the Role

Working closely with a senior investment professional, the hire will play a key role in sourcing, evaluating and executing investment ideas linked to corporate events such as M&A, spin-offs, restructurings and other special situations. The role will involve close collaboration with the firm’s global event-driven team, headquartered in London, which brings deep experience in Japan and the broader region.

This opportunity sits within a fundamentally driven long/short investment team, which includes two Japan-focused investment professionals. The firm is now actively looking to add a dedicated lead for event-driven strategies in Japan. Analysts are expected to bring their own insights and take ownership of the research process from idea generation through to execution. This is not a management position, but one suited for an independent, high-conviction thinker with strong transactional instincts.

Key Responsibilities

• Generate and evaluate investment ideas across event-driven and special situations in Japan
• Interpret corporate actions, advisory trends and strategic shifts to anticipate upcoming opportunities
• Analyze transaction dynamics, capital structures and shareholder motivations
• Collaborate directly with the global event-driven team and local long/short investors to refine investment theses and execute trades
• Monitor developments across M&A, restructurings, activism and cross-border transactions
• Provide forward-looking perspectives on how markets and deal-making landscapes are evolving

Ideal Candidate Profile

• VP/MD-level investment banker or private equity professional with deep experience in M&A, special situations or event-driven transactions
• Proven ability to advise corporates on strategic decisions such as M&A, spin-offs or activism response
• Strong understanding of both corporate and advisory dynamics – able to interpret how banks are advising corporates and how those trends translate into market opportunities
• Commercial mindset and the ability to “speak the same language” as senior decision-makers in corporate or private equity environments
• Humble, intellectually curious and self-directed – with the drive to dig into complex situations independently
• Experience in Japan is required; fluency in Japanese language is required (JLPT/N1) or native Japanese

This role offers a rare opportunity to apply private-side strategic thinking in a public markets investing context—combining the depth of PE/M&A work with the speed and flexibility of a hedge fund environment.

If this opportunity isn’t an exact fit but you are interested in exploring career options on the buy side, I would be happy to have an informal and confidential conversation. I specialize in executive search for front-office investment roles across hedge funds, single manager funds, activist strategies, and private equity platforms, covering Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore, the UK, and the US.