Wall Street's deal-makers: bankers who help companies buy each other, go public and raise billions.
Top pay: highest pay, longest training
Investment Banking Analyst: The entry-level job at an investment bank, building financial models and pitch books for mergers and stock offerings. Typical pay $190k.
Investment Banking Associate: The middle rung of an investment bank, managing analysts and running the day-to-day of deals. Typical pay $330k.
Investment Banking Managing Director: A senior banker who wins big clients and advises CEOs on buying, selling and raising money for companies. Typical pay $1M.
Restructuring Investment Banker: Advises companies (or their lenders) that can't pay their debts, negotiating deals to rescue or reorganize them. Typical pay $220k.
Equity Capital Markets Banker: Helps companies sell stock to the public (IPOs) and to big investors. Typical pay $220k.
Middle-Market M&A Banker: Works at a smaller boutique bank selling family-owned and mid-size companies, often for $20M-$500M. Typical pay $160k.
Syndicate Desk Analyst: Works on the trading floor helping decide the price and buyers of new stock and bond deals. Typical pay $160k.
Sports Franchise Investment Banker: Advises billionaires, families and investment funds on buying and selling pro sports teams, stadium deals and league investments. Typical pay $300k.
Mid pay: solid pay, degree or apprenticeship
Valuation Analyst: Figures out what companies, stock options or brands are worth for deals, taxes, lawsuits or accounting. Typical pay $95k.
Deal Toy Designer: Designs the custom clear-acrylic trophies bankers and lawyers give each other to celebrate closing big mergers and deals. Typical pay $58k.
Proxy Solicitor: Wins shareholder votes for companies or activist investors during proxy fights and mergers by tracking down who owns shares and persuading them. Typical pay $105k.
Bankruptcy Claims Agent Case Manager: Works for the company that runs the paperwork side of giant bankruptcies: mailing notices to millions of creditors, tracking claims and counting votes. Typical pay $72k.
Starter: fastest way in
Virtual Data Room Coordinator: Sets up the secure online folders where buyers review thousands of documents during a company sale. Typical pay $52k.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.