The advent of an initial public offering (IPO) can create opportunity across several professions. Different IPO jobs may include being a corporate executive, such as a chief executive officer (CEO) or a chief financial officer (CFO) who decides to take the company public in the first place. Investment banking is another arena where IPO professionals abound. Attorneys are similarly involved in the IPO process as there are legal and regulatory hurdles to cross when issuing shares in the public markets. Stockbrokers may also participate in the new offering process, and as a result, IPO jobs can be found at brokerage houses.
The key management team at a privately held company in addition to a board of directors make the decision about taking a company public and subsequently represent IPO jobs. Obtaining a top management position may include accomplishing a successful history at a firm as an employee and rising through the ranks to the top position. An entrepreneur may also launch a new business and take the top role as the CEO. Board of director members are respected members of the corporate community who join another company's governing body to influence and vote on key issues of that firm, such as taking a company public in an IPO.
Investment bankers are responsible for the underwriting process of an IPO. These IPO jobs require high education and training and a proficiency in mathematics in addition to relationship-building skills. The role of a banker in the IPO process is to lead company executives through the new issue process. A banker is responsible for pricing the new stock issue based on investor demand and also the timing of the deal. It is the role of the underwriter to purchase the shares from a company before the stock is issued to the public and then turn around and sell those shares for a profit.
Stockbrokers are liaisons between investors and a new issue and, as a result, represent a type of IPO jobs. Brokers typically reserve shares of a new issue for the largest institutional clients who invest the most money through that brokerage house. Financial certifications must be earned in order to participate in the markets as a stockbroker.
Attorneys are also involved in the IPO process in the stock market. Regulatory paperwork must be filed in a region in order to make a company eligible for the deal, and there are attorneys who specialize in guiding participants through that framework. Large amounts of money are raised in the capital markets through the IPO process, and an attorney's role is to counsel the deal participants and protect the company from inheriting any liabilities in the process.